If you’re wondering what flowers to plant in March then you’ll be glad to know there are plenty of flowers you can plant at the start of the growing season. This list of spring flowers is packed with flowers that bloom early, and annual flowers that you can plant in March that will bloom in late spring and early summer.
What Flowers to Plant in March
Violas
Violas (Buy Seeds Online) are fast-growing annual flowers that look stunning along walkways, or in small pots, and you can even grow them in window boxes. They also are edible flowers that can be used in salads, or as a decorative accent on cakes. In most areas, Violas will keep blooming until the heat of summer sets in, but in mild climates, they can bloom all season.
Borage
Borage (Buy Seeds Online) is a fast-growing annual herb that produces a beautiful bright blue flower. While it’s renowned for its beauty borage is also an edible herb that has a taste and scent that is reminiscent of cucumbers. It’s also highly attractive to pollinators, and it makes an excellent companion plant since it’s known to deter Hornworms from feeding on tomatoes.
Sweet Peas
Sweet Peas (Buy Seeds Online) are a climbing plant that will produce an endless stream of highly fragrant flowers. This relative of the common garden pea will grow to be 6 to 8 feet tall, and it needs to be supported by a trellis. Other than that sweet peas are a very easy plant to grow, and sweet peas will be one of the first flowers to bloom in your garden since they thrive in cool spring temperatures.
Cornflowers
Cornflowers (Buy Online) are the flowers that come to mind when most people imagine a colorful meadow filled with wildflowers. These hardy annuals also make an excellent cut flower, and their prolific blooms are available in a wide range of colors such as red, pink, white, purple, and classic dark blue.
Papaver commutatum ‘Ladybird’
The Scarlet poppy (Buy Seeds Online) is a bright showy flower that thrives in early spring. This vibrant red flower can grow to be 18-inches tall (45cm) and it has a single long hairy stalk topped with a red and black flower. Poppies are annuals, but they are prolific self-seeders, so you can plant them once and they will keep popping up for years in your garden.
Wildflowers
Mixed Wildflowers (Buy Seeds Online) are one of the best ways to add a splash of color to any landscape. These hardy annuals can be directly sown in your garden in early spring and they will bloom all season long. This blend of wildflowers is also highly drought-tolerant, so you can plant them anywhere since they require minimal care and maintenance.
Spider Flowers (Cleome)
Spider Flowers (Buy Seeds Online) is a sprawling plant that produces colorful flower clusters on attractive fern-like foliage. This flower can be planted in early spring and it will take a little time to get established. However, once the heat of summer sets in you’ll be rewarded for your patience with a beautiful display of heat-tolerant flowers.
Snapdragons (Antirrhinum)
Snapdragons (Buy Seeds Online) are a popular perennial flower that blooms profusely in cool weather. They can grow to be 8 to 48 inches tall and they produce a beautiful spire covered in flowers. Since they prefer cool climates they need to be planted as early as possible to allow them enough time to bloom before the full heat of summer. Also since Snapdragons are perennials they can overwinter in zones 7 to 11, but in most areas, it’s best to treat Snapdragons like annuals.
Zinnia
Zinnias (Buy Seeds Online) are a fast-growing plant that will add some color to a spring garden. This hardy flower will start to bloom in just a few weeks, and Zinnias are a perfect flower to plant if you want to draw pollinators like butterflies and bees into your garden.
Cosmos
Cosmos (Buy Seeds Online) is a great flower for beginners since they are very easy to grow. They also come in dozens of different colors, and they grow fast so they will be one of the first annual flowers to bloom in a spring garden. In most cases, Cosmos take 45 to 50 days to bloom, which makes them one of the fastest blooming annual flowers.
Dahlias
Dahlias (Buy Seeds Online) are classic flowers that are commonly used in bouquets and wedding flower arrangements. These showy flowers come in dozens of shades and colors and they can be grown as perennials in zone 7 to 10. They should be planted right after the last frost, and in colder areas, you can dig up Dahlia tubers and replant them each spring.
Lupin
Lupin (Buy Seeds Online) is a classic wildflower that’s native to North America. This hardy flowering plant produces large spires covered in brightly colored flower clusters. It’s also a true perennial that will overwinter in zones 4 to 8, which makes it a great choice for gardeners in colder climates.
Columbine
Columbine (Buy Seeds Online) is one of the best flowers to plant in March since it’s a very fast blooming flower. You can find Columbines in different shades of blue, orange, red, white, pink, yellow, and purple. Columbines will also readily self-seed, and once you plant them in your garden they will keep coming back each spring like clockwork.
Bellflower
Bellflower (Buy Seeds Online) is a creeping flowering plant that looks great in borders and along walkways. It’s also a fast-growing plant that’s very low maintenance, but they can be very aggressive so care should be taken since they can be invasive. However, they are an excellent choice in areas with poor soil, or for people that can’t seem to keep flowers alive.
Globeflower
Globeflowers (Buy Seeds Online) are whimsical plants that are adorned with small pom-pom-like flowers. They will bloom all season long from spring to late fall, and they are available in a wide range of colors. They are also very fast growing, so you can plant them in March for a quick burst of mid-spring color.
Blanket flower
Blanket Flowers (Buy Seeds Online) produce a beautiful flower blossom with red petals with bright yellow tips, and they are a real show stopper in a spring garden. They also bloom profusely and they are one of the best perennial flowers since they can overwinter in areas with very cold winters in Zones: 3-11
Clarkia
Clarkia (Buy Seeds Online) is a little-known flower that is also known as Mountain Garland. This North American native can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, and they are very drought tolerant. They also prefer to germinate in cool temperatures, so they can be sown in early March directly into a flower garden.
Queen Anne’s Lace (Ammi majus)
Queen Anne’s Lace (Buy Online) can be sown in late March, and it will bloom in late spring or early summer. Planting Queen Anne’s Lace early will ensure it’s fully established once summer rolls around. This will allow the plant to produce some flowers this year, and then it will come back strong next year with a beautiful display of bright white flower clusters.
Crocus
Crocus (Buy Corms Online) is a very hardy perennial that is one of the first flowers to mark the start of spring. You can plant Crocus in early March once the soil starts to thaw, and they will emerge once the ground warms up. Once the summer heat sets in they will go dormant again, but they will keep coming back for years since they are hardy perennials that will overwinter in zones 3 to 8 USDA.
Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
Snowdrop (Buy Bulbs Online) is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, and they will start to emerge even while the soil is partially frozen. They are a great flower to grow if you have a deer problem since they are one of the most deer-resistant flowers. They also will grow in a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, and Snowdrop will keep coming back year-after-year with minimal maintenance.
Lilies
Lilies (Buy Bulbs Online) can be planted in March as soon as the soil is workable. You also don’t have to worry about a late frost hitting them since lily bulbs are extremely cold tolerant. Then once the weather starts to warm up the lilies will emerge and produce a tall flower spike with multiple blossoms that will open in early summer.
Daffodils
Daffodils (Buy Bulbs Online) can be planted in early March to get them off to a fast start once the soil temperatures start to warm up. They overwinter in most areas and they can be grown in zones 3 to 7. Best of all Daffodils are deer resistant, and they don’t have any real pest or disease problems.
Tulips
Tulips (Buy Bulbs Online) are one of the most popular spring flowers and they make a great addition to any flower garden. You can plant tulip bulbs in March and they will emerge by early April in most areas.
Roses
Roses have been grown for centuries, and bare-root plants can be planted in March in some regions. In colder areas, it might be better to wait until April or May to avoid frost damage. However, once a rose bush is established it’s a very hardy perennial that will grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 2 to 11.
