Spring
Linked entries
8
Featured this season
1
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Seasonal character
Garden plants: 6
Trees: 2
Wildlife: 0
Most linked microclimate: Raised berm and sloped bed (3)
What happens in spring
Garden plants
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Featured
Gladiolus L.
Gladiolus
Gladiolus sends up bold sword-like spikes of summer color that few other plants can match for vertical drama; a cormous perennial that thrives in Salem's warm season if you give it decent drainage and full sun.
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Crocus spp.
Crocus
Crocus are the first real color of spring; low-growing corms that push cheerful cups of purple, gold, and white through cold soil when almost nothing else is blooming, bringing early bees out of hibernation.
Narcissus hybrids
Daffodils
Daffodils are the most reliable spring bulbs you can plant; deer-proof, squirrel-proof, and willing to come back for decades in Salem's wet winters and dry summers with no help at all.
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Thymus serpyllum 'Magic Carpet'
Magic carpet thyme
Magic carpet thyme is a ground-hugging mat of aromatic foliage and pink summer bloom that softens edges, fills gaps, and feeds bees in the tightest, hottest spots where nothing else will grow.
Ranunculus asiaticus
Ranunculus
Ranunculus brings layers of tissue-thin petals in jewel tones to the cool spring garden; a corm plant that thrives during Salem's mild, damp springs and makes some of the most beautiful cut flowers you can grow at home.
Tulipa hybrids
Tulips
Tulips deliver concentrated spring color and clean vertical form that punctuates the emerging garden; though on heavy Salem clay, treat them as reliable seasonal performers rather than permanent fixtures.
Trees
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Quercus garryana
Oregon white oak
Oregon white oak is THE signature tree of the Willamette Valley; a long-lived native with massive spreading limbs, deep ecological importance, and a slow-growing majesty that rewards decades of patience.
Platanus spp.
Sycamore
Sycamore is the big-picture shade tree; massive canopy, sculptural mottled bark, and a bold presence that transforms a landscape over decades. This is a tree for people who think in generations.