Gardening with Allen: Now’s the time for primroses, candytufts and pansies

Hellebores (Lenten rose) is a shade loving perennial that blooms during this early spring period. Its flowers range in color from white to shades of pink to deep crimson. Plants in bloom are available in full-service garden stores now.

Candytuft is a sun loving perennial that is often used for borders or ground cover. Its white flowers begin blooming in February and continue for two months or longer.

Our earliest blooming shrub is Mediterranean or winter heather. Heather comes in white and shades of pink. It grows about 2 feet high and is often planted in rows or large masses. It sometimes blooms as early as December and continues through March. Flowers are bell-shaped and almost totally cover the shrubs when the plants are in bloom.

Two upright plants that bloom early are Pink Dawn Viburnum and witch hazel. Both can be grown as large shrubs or small multi-trunk trees. Witch hazel is a small to medium-sized “clump form” tree or large shrub, similar to dogwood or magnolia. It has yellow flowers along its branches in February to early March. It has smooth gray bark and attractive bright green leaves that turn yellow in fall. Witch hazel fruit is favored by birds.

Pink Dawn Viburnum puts on a late winter to early spring show of pink flower clusters, followed by thick, lustrous, rich green leaves on cinnamon-colored branches. Foliage transforms to bright hues in autumn, accompanied by blue ornamental fruit.

Forsythia is a large shrub with rich golden yellow flowers that completely shroud the bare stems in early spring. Plants typically grow 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Springshine is a newer variety that only grows 2 feet tall by 3 feet wide.

Some varieties of camellia bloom as early as February and March. Camellias grow about 5 feet tall and have evergreen shiny green leaves.

Most of these plants are available now in full-service garden stores.