TOP 7 PLANTS FOR THE SPRINGTIME

Spring weather can be capricious, but spring flowers are tough enough to handle it. In fact, it’s possible to plan for a garden that will burst with color. Even before the winter is over, you can plant early spring bloomers outdoors. With some nurturing, they’ll be beautiful in the cool spring weather

• Hibiscus provides a tropical allure to your yard. The two types of hibiscus are perennial and tropical; perennial dies back in the winter, while tropical does best as a container plant that comes inside when it's cold. Both have impressive, colorful flowers, but tropical hibiscus tends to bloom longer. They both enjoy warm weather and full sun.
  
  
• Orange Jubilee is gorgeous and drought tolerant. An upright shrub that can grow 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide, Orange Jubilee has lush, green foliage and a subtropical appearance. From spring to fall, it has clusters of orange-red, bell-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds. It's moderately drought tolerant but will flower more profusely with regular watering.
  
  
• Bougainvillea is a sprawling vine with lovely flower bracts. The bracts can be fuchsia, pink, orange, rose, white, or purple, and the center of each is a small, white, way flower. It's an evergreen to semi-evergreen plant, and its bright green, heart-foliage is charming. It's particularly striking cascading over walls, trellises, or arbors, and can reach 15 feet high. Bougainvillea will do best in the hottest, sunniest spot in your yard. 
  
• Little John Bottlebrush is short in stature but makes a big statement. In the spring, it has stunning, crimson red, feathery stamens that look like a bottle brush. This native of Australia is drought-resistant but can show signs of stress if hot weather, so a shady spot in your yard might be best for it. 
  
• Gardenias are beautiful and fragrant. They are striking evergreen shrubs with an intoxicating scent and creamy white flowers, which make them very well loved. However, they're also high-maintenance. They're vulnerable to insects and diseases and can take two or three years to flower if planted from seed. Plant them in light shade, protected from afternoon sun, and don't crowd them.
  
• Coral Fountain is named for its long, slender, arching branches. These branches form a dense mound that grow to be four feet tall and six feet wide, with coral red, tubular flower clusters throughout the fall and winter. Coral Fountain is a fast-growing plant, perfect for any area where you want a showy cascade of blooms, and lovely flower arrangements. It also attracts hummingbirds and butterflies, and does well in full sun or shade.
  
• The Valentine Bush is a lush, green shrub. An evergreen with red, tubular flowers that bloom from winter to early spring, it can grow to be four feet high and five feet wide. It's extremely drought tolerant and does well in full sun. Plant it wherever you want winter color, as a contrast to other desert plants. 
  
• Rosemary is attractive and functional. This hardy plant is also an herb, and it has many different applications in landscaping. It comes in upright and trailing varieties, thrives in full sun, and is drought tolerant. 
  

If you’re looking for the perfect plants for your garden, head to Moon Valley Nurseries. Moon Valley Nurseries started as a small neighborhood nursery, and now has locations all across the West. We deliver and plant anything in our massive inventory, and because we grow our plants ourselves, we can give our customers the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Contact us through our website, call us at (602) 388-1529, or stop by to check out all we have to offer.