The first shrub to bloom in spring is usually vernal witch hazel, which opens its flowers in February or March while most of the yard is still bare. It beats forsythia, magnolia, and nearly every other shrub to the punch. If you want color before winter fully lets go, this is the plant that delivers it. The shrub grows to about 6 to 10 feet tall and wide, so it fills a real spot in the yard rather than hiding in a corner. It handles full sun or part shade with no fuss.
The flowers themselves are easy to spot once you know what to look for. Each one has thin, strap-like yellow petals that look almost crumpled. On a frozen morning the petals curl tight and shut to protect themselves. Once the sun warms the branch, they unfurl again and open back up. This curl-and-open trick lets the blooms ride out cold snaps that would wreck softer flowers. You can watch the same flower close and open over a single day as the temperature swings.
Timing is what makes this the earliest spring shrub in many yards. Iowa State University says vernal witch hazel usually blooms first. The flowers open in February to March, ahead of forsythia and the other early shrubs. The exact week shifts with your weather. A mild winter can push the flowers open sooner, and a long cold stretch holds them back. Either way it leads the pack. No other common shrub beats it to the first bloom.
A faint, spicy scent comes with the flowers too. You catch it on a still day when little else is growing. The blooms last for weeks. The plant opens them slowly through the cold instead of all at once, so the show stretches out. That is a big reason gardeners plant it near paths and doors where they walk every day. A whiff of that scent on a gray afternoon is a small treat when the rest of the yard is asleep.
After vernal witch hazel fades, the rest of the early shrubs follow in a fairly steady order. Knowing that order helps you plan a yard that keeps showing color week after week. You avoid one big burst that fades fast and leaves the garden bare again. Instead you get a steady hand-off from one shrub to the next as the weeks warm up.
February to March
Vernal witch hazel opens first with its yellow strap-like petals, often while snow still sits on the ground.
Early to mid April
Cornelian cherry and forsythia take over next, covering bare branches with bright yellow well before the leaves show.
Later April
Star magnolia rounds out the early run with its white, many-petaled flowers as the weather settles.
Cornelian cherry and forsythia bloom in early to mid April. Both cover their bare twigs with bright yellow before any leaves show up. Then star magnolia opens later in April with showy white flowers. Plant a few of these early blooming shrubs together. You stretch the color from late winter into mid spring with no gap in between.
Site your earliest bloomer where you can see it from a window. Pick one you pass often, like a kitchen or office. Color in late winter matters most when the rest of the garden is brown and bare. You will not walk out in the cold to admire it, so the view from indoors does the work. A spot near the front door pays off too, since you and your guests catch it on the way in. Put it within view and that first shrub to bloom earns its spot every single year.
Read the full article: 10 Best Spring Blooming Shrubs Guide
