Four beginner-friendly plants to include in your spring flower garden

As temperatures warm in the Upstate, ambitious homeowners may look to their yards as their next home improvement project.

Foster’s Garden Center in Spartanburg has been helping new and experienced gardeners for 50 years. Ann Foster Viehman, who took over for her father, and longtime employee Margaret Mathis have run the business for the past 11 years.

According to Viehman and Mathis, first-time gardeners should invest in perennials, which bloom again the following year, and consider flowering trees, such as hydrangeas and azaleas, which are staples of the Southern garden for a reason

“Little Limes can take the sun in this area, they’re really tolerant, so we sell a lot of those,” Mathis said. “We sell a lot of peonies, and a lot of your basic, old, heat-keeping shrubs in this area.”

Whether you thrive in sun or shade, there are easy-to-grow options that will add color and greenery to yards in the Upstate. Here are four tips:

autumn ferns

Despite the name, these ferns are perfect for a spring garden. Once established, they spread quickly and are ideal for providing a ground cover or filler in shady areas.

“This is a great plant for a first-time gardener because once you get it established in your garden, it will multiply,” Viehman said.

Azaleas again

This variety of azalea offers vegetation throughout the year and flowers throughout the spring and summer. It comes in several colors including red, pink and white.

“The old ones are beautiful, but they only flower once,” Mathis said. “These will give you three flowers.”

Still azaleas bloom strongest in spring and late summer and have a small bloom in mid-summer.

Begonias

These flowers grow quickly and offer a pop of color that lasts all summer. The light leaf varieties require shade, while the dark leaf varieties can stand the South Carolina summer sun and heat.

“When everything else is spent, these will bloom,” Viehman said.

Little Lime Hydrangeas

For a garden that changes colors with the seasons, try Little Lime Hydrangeas. This bush blooms a little later but remains in flower all summer.

“It goes from lime green to a white and then a pinkish tone as it dries,” Mathis said. “So it gives you beauty from probably the first of June until the fall.”

Four beginner-friendly plants to include in your spring flower garden

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