15 Great Flowering Plants for Spring in Chicagoland
by Rommy Lopat

ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED: 1995 Spring

The #1 Pick!: Apple Serviceberries & Shadblow Serviceberrie: Amelanchier

While our experts were divided about their favorite Amelanchier (some preferred the Apple Serviceberry, Amelanchier x grandiflora, while others preferred the Shadblow Serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis), this small tree was by far the most popular flowering plant picked from over 100 greats by our experts.

It is Amelanchier x grandiflora which is the showier of the two species: definitely a great pick for the home garden or woodland edge setting. The Apple Serviceberry is considered a large multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, growing 15-25' tall, with a smooth, gray-red bark which is lovely in winter. It's fall colors are reds and oranges, but it is their pink buds and white flowers in late April or early May followed by their red or purple June berries (I've read that they're better eating than blueberries) that make them a springtime favorite. Cultivars of A. x grandiflora include "Princess Diana", "Autumn Brilliance", and "Cole's Select". Amelanchiers are not picky about their soil or growing conditions, although they may be slow to respond after transplanting. The native A. canadensis has many of the same attributes as A. x grandiflora but is more modest in its presentation. Look for it sold in its native form, although you can find some cultivars such as "Prince William" and "Rotundifolia". By the way, your yard may get noisy: Amelanchier berries are prized by over 42 species of birds.

Sources: Amelanchiers are somewhat hard to find in garden centers. You may have to order one. For Amelanchier canadensis, try Platt Hill Nursery (Bloomingdale); Countryside Nursery (Crystal Lake); The Growing Place (Naperville), or Charles Fiore (Prairieview); For Amelanchier x grandiflora, try The Fertile Delta (Chicago); Schwarz Nursery (Addison); or Spring Bluff Nursery (Sugar Grove), whch seems to have the best selection.

#2: Koreanspice Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) & Related Species (V. x carlcephalum & V. x juddii)

While our experts clearly preferred the Koreanspice Viburnum, the Fragrant Viburnum and the Judd's Viburnum picked up lots of points too. If you have never inhaled the incredible fragrance of the pinky-white snowballs these shrubs produce for about 2 weeks in May, you just haven't started living yet. These shrubs grow slowly to 4-10' in height, and they will even prosper in the shade. Their berries and their fall color are fairly mediocre, but who cares? Their spring fragrance is everything! Sources: Widely available.

#3: "PJM" Rhododendrons and Related cultivars: "Olga Mezitt", "Elite", "Regal", "Aglo"

Ask any nurseryman for a "PJM" and he'll know what you want without any further explanation. This is a renowned shrub because of its extreme hardiness. They make an excellent foundation shrub because their small purple-plum leaves stay on all winter. Some people don't like PJM's lavender-pink blooms, but they are bright and cheery when you need it in mid-April. [I have them because they remind me of my Connecticut roots.] These shrubs grow 3-6' tall. Related cultivars vary some in growth habit and flower color: "Olga Mezitt" has a peach-pink flower, for example, and "Aglo" has light pink flowers. Sources: Widely available.

#4: Spring-Blooming Witchhazel: Hamamelis vernalis

All of our experts agree that this shrub is "terribly under-utilized" in the landscape. The Vernal Witchhazel heralds the early spring (February-March) with its bright yellow fragrant flowers, which have the unique habit of curling into a ball under frost and unfurling again when the temperature rises. The 6-10' shrub blooms before it sets leaves. It likes conditions which mimic its native woodlands: moisture-retentive, humus-filled soil in light shade or full sun. The clear green foliage turns bright yellow or burnt orange in the fall. The witchhazel looks very well with an evergreen background or underplanted with wildflowers, or close to the house where you can see and smell it bloom. There are cultivars, but the native form is hard to beat. Sources: These may take some tracking down: I bought one at Hinsdale Nursery (Hinsdale). They are also available at Possibility Place Nursery (Monee); Spring Bluff Nursery (Sugar Grove); Berthold's (Elk Grove Village); Johnson's Nursery (Menomonee Falls, WI) and Plum Creek Nursery (Crete).

#5: Dwarf Fothergilla: Fothergilla gardenii

Early blooming and low growing (3-4'), Dwarf Fothergilla is a big hit with our experts. This deciduous shrub is noted for its 1" spikes of honey-scented, cream white flowers that appear early in spring. Its leathery, dark green summer foliage turns, in the fall, to a spectacular display of brilliant yellow and orange-red, with best color achieved in full sun. Excellent in combination with its cousin, the witchhazel, and with azaleas and rhododendrons. It's easy to care for and while it prefers an acid soil (it is native to the edges of ponds or bogs in the Southeast U.S.), it will tolerate alkalinity and wetness. Plant it in spring or fall, and expect it to form clumps. It can be propagated from softwood cuttings, taken in summer. Rabbits may nibble on it in winter. By the way, one expert listed a cultivar, "Blue Mist", as a favorite but others said this was either "a very weak grower" or, not to mince words, "a dog" among plants. Sources: Available at most of the nurseries cited above; not yet common in garden centers, but it should be.

#6: Wild Columbine: Aquilegia canadensis

Columbines are strikingly beautiful American plants. Their showy, nodding yellow flowers with their red spurs are quite exotic, and I love their foliage which starts off in spring with silver mounds and ends up 2-3' tall. Columbine reseeds readily and will quickly colonize an area. Grows in any soil, even heavy clay. Hummingbirds love columbine! Sources: The Natural Garden (St. Charles); Planter's Palette (Winfield); Ender's Greenhouse (Rockford); Plum Creek Nursery (Crete); The Fertile Delta (Chicago).

#7: Eastern Redbud: Cercis canadensis

The redbud is a lovely native tree which can be planted as a single specimen, in groupings, or as an understory tree in a naturalized setting. It blooms lavender-pink before its heart-shaped leaves come out. It's very graceful in form. It will grow 20-30' high and just about as wide, but beware: make sure your's was born and raised in northern Illinois or Wisconsin: those grown in warmer climates simply won't survive here (and these trees are fairly short-lived anyway: 25-30 years). There is a white form which I have not seen, and which I think I might prefer to the lavender. Please don't plant a Redbud in a harsh location. Sources: Commonly available, but ask about its northerly origins.

#8: Japanese Tree Lilac: Syringa reticulata

This is a show-stopper tree. It must be good, because a lot of experts broke my rules of picking plants "smaller than a common lilac" to pick this as a favorite. Do you like the smell of a privet hedge? If so, you'll love this lilac which everyone says grows 30' tall but then they always quietly add, "but I've seen it grow to sixty". It has perfect, creamy-white flowers in early June, and is the most trouble free lilac. "Ivory Silk" is a commonly-found cultivar which creates flowers at a young age. Sources: Arthur Weiler (Zion); Hinsdale Nursery (Hinsdale); Berthold's (Elk Grove Village); Spring Bluff Nursery (Sugar Grove); Johnson's Nursery (Menomonee Falls, WI) has the best selection.

#9: Great White Trillium: Trillium grandiflorum

This native plant is so elegant: an Audrey Hepburn among all the rest. A lovely, lovely white flower with lovely, lovely green foliage. A majestic foot-tall wildflower that must have shade and lots of good compost. A stand of Great White Trillium is a sure sign of a classy garden!

Sources: It, along with other trillium, is available at The Planter's Palette (Winfield); and The Fertile Delta (Chicago). Make sure your trillium is nursery-propagated rather than taken from the woods. Trillium can be hard to transplant and a plant will take 4-5 years to come into flower. If you see a trillium at a bargain price, it's most likely an immoral bargain. Robbing the woods to create your gardens is crass.

#10: Virginia Bluebells: Mertensia virginica

What a happy plant! Along with snowdrops, the nodding (purple-blue) flowers of bluebells are a reassuring spring sight. Perfect for a shady area, the foot-tall bluebells will colonize it but disappear all summer long. They are perfect for inter-planting with hosta. Sources: Fairly common. Can be mail-ordered from Milaeger's (Racine, WI).

#11: Snowdrops: Galanthus nivalis

As one expert said, "Such a great welcome after snow: so exciting!" This diminuitive plant with its pure white flowers touched with green, makes a great carpet of spontaneous joy. Just a sweet little thing for spring. These bulbs like shade and compost, and should be divided every 4-5 years. Sources: Commonly available wherever bulbs are sold.

#12: Dwarf Pink Hardy Geranium or Bloody Cranesbill: Geranium sanguineum var. striatum (aka "Lancastriense"; aka G.s. var. prostratum)

An interesting choice! This petite geranium forms low (6") mounds of cut, evergreen foliage and boasts a profusion of crinkly-pink, crimson-veined flowers from May-August. It'll grow about 24' wide. There's a few cultivars of this, such as "Purple Flame" (fuschia) and "Shepherd's Warning" (rose pink). Sources: The Planter's Palette (Winfield); Midwest Groundcovers (St. Charles); or mail-order thru Klehm's (Champaign) and Milaeger's (Racine, WI);

#13: Pasque Flower: Pulsatilla vulgaris

This favorite has undergone a botanical name change from Anemone pulsatilla to Pulsatilla vulgaris, but it's still a great plant, native to northern Europe where it was once so common that it was used to dye Easter eggs. Here's a good description from the Milaeger's catalog (Racine, WI): "This is a lovely plant which flowers early -- well before some plants even sprout. The large flowers are on thick downy stems and they are colored rich violet purple with a contrasting yellow center. The gray-green, finely-cut , lightly furry leaves emerge when the flowers are finishing up. Foliage forms an attractive mound for the rest of the season. The seed heads are a real delight -- they look like feathery tufts of cotton. Best in sharply drained soil." Sources: Available at better garden centers.

#14:"Red Riding Hood" Tulip: Tulipa gregii "Red Riding Hood"

"Red Riding Hood" is a classic among Gregii tulips, growing only 6" tall and having a bright scarlet flower with a black base and Gregii-typical mottled-purple foliage. They bloom in late April and early May, and are perfect for the front of the border. Sources: I hope garden centers will start stocking the small tulips and the species tulips, for they are far less liked by rabbits than the tall varieties. Ask for this one and maybe the g.c.'s will get onto some of this good stuff.

#15: Lady's Mantle: Alchemilla mollis

Look in any book, and it will say that Lady's Mantle is an essential perennial, especially for an English garden. [An essential perennial that I don't happen to have.] Lady's Mantle grows 1-2' tall, and has lovely fan-shaped leaves that hold raindrops in magical suspension. It blooms yellow -- chartreuse, really -- and is most effective in masses along a garden edge. [Please don't plant it around your swimming pool. That's been done.] Sources: Commonly available.

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