What Blooms in May

Sweet Pea

Ruffled, intensely fragrant climbing flowers in every pastel shade. Cool-season annual that hates heat.

Ajuga

Bronze-purple foliage with blue spikes. Fills bare shade in one season.

Blue False Indigo

Lupine-like spikes on a native that lives forever. Gets better with age.

Catmint

Billowy lavender-blue haze that blooms all season if you shear it back.

Clematis

The queen of flowering vines. Over 300 species, something for every spot.

Coral Bells

Grown mostly for dramatic foliage, but the tiny bell flowers are a bonus.

Creeping Phlox

Cascading sheets of spring color over walls and slopes. Evergreen mat.

Daffodil

Cheerful trumpets that naturalize beautifully and return stronger each year.

Dianthus

Spicy-scented, fringed petals. One of the best edging plants there is.

Drift Rose

Groundcover rose that stays low and spreads wide. Tough, disease-resistant, and constantly in bloom.

Honeysuckle

Tubular, nectar-rich flowers with a fragrance that defines summer evenings.

Impatiens

The shade annual champion. Flowers prolifically where nothing else will.

Iris

Elegant sword-leaved perennials with intricate, ruffled blooms.

Petunia

Cascading color for containers and beds. Blooms nonstop until frost.

Rose

The queen of the garden. Modern varieties are surprisingly low-maintenance.

Salvia

Vertical flower spikes that hummingbirds and bees cannot resist.

Snapdragon

Vertical flower spikes with squeeze-open blooms. Kids love them.

Spirea

Flat-topped flower clusters on tidy mounds. The easiest flowering shrub.

Stella de Oro Daylily

The most planted perennial in America. Compact, reblooming, and basically indestructible.

Sweet Alyssum

Honey-scented carpet of tiny flowers. The best living edging plant.

Viburnum

Fragrant snowball clusters in spring, then berries for birds in fall.

Vinca

Evergreen mat with periwinkle-blue flowers. Tough shade ground cover.

Beverly Sills Iris

Coral-pink blooms with a tangerine beard. Named for the opera star and just as elegant.

Caradonna Salvia

Dark purple stems set this apart from every other salvia. Vertical, architectural, electric.

Cat's Meow Catmint

Tidy, dome-shaped habit that never flops open. Stays compact without shearing.

Chamomile

Tiny daisy flowers with apple-scented foliage. Brew into tea or let it naturalize between pavers.

Chives

Cheerful purple pom-pom flowers on a kitchen staple. Edible blooms make any salad Instagram-worthy.

Dwarf Crested Iris

Tiny lavender-blue iris flowers with gold crests on a spreading native ground cover. A spring woodland treasure.

Happy Returns Daylily

Lemon-yellow rebloomer with light fragrance. A bit taller than Stella with softer color.

Immortality Iris

Reliable rebloomer with pure white ruffled falls. Blooms spring, then again in fall.

May Night Salvia

Perennial Plant of the Year. Dense indigo-violet spikes that rebloom if deadheaded.

Pacific Bleeding Heart

Western native that blooms much longer than its eastern cousin. Ferny foliage all season.

Red Hot Returns Daylily

Brilliant red with a small yellow center, compact and one of the earliest daylilies to kick into rebloom.

Rosy Returns Daylily

Soft rose-pink blooms with a cream throat that keep coming from late spring to frost, absolutely tireless.

Thalia Daffodil

Pure white, swept-back petals with two to three blooms per stem. Orchid-like elegance.

Walker's Low Catmint

Perennial Plant of the Year. Billowy lavender-blue spikes that rebloom hard after a shear.

Wild Columbine

Nodding red-and-yellow spurred flowers that hummingbirds love on a self-sowing native that naturalizes along woodland edges.

Apeldoorn Tulip

Bold, goblet-shaped Darwin hybrid in scarlet with a black base. Strong stems and long-lasting.

Apple

Fragrant white to pink flowers in spring precede a fall crop of dessert apples.

Azalea

Explosive spring color in every warm hue. Acid-loving woodland classic.

Bleeding Heart

Arching sprays of heart-shaped flowers for shady woodland gardens.

Blue Flax

Delicate sky-blue flowers open each morning on airy stems over fine foliage.

Bowl of Beauty Peony

Hot pink outer petals cup a creamy center of narrow petaloids. Dramatic and unmistakable.

Brunnera

Clouds of tiny forget-me-not blue flowers over heart-shaped leaves. Thrives in dry shade once established.

California Poppy

Golden cups that carpet hillsides across the state. Closes at night and on cloudy days.

Camassia

Tall spikes of starry flowers rise above strappy foliage in late spring.

Columbine

Delicate, spurred flowers that dance on wiry stems. Hummingbird favorite.

Coral Honeysuckle

Non-invasive native honeysuckle with brilliant coral-red tubular flowers that hummingbirds hover at for months.

Double Knock Out Rose

Fuller, double-petaled version of the Knock Out. Same bulletproof performance with more petal count.

Dutchman's Breeches

Finely cut foliage and clusters of puffy white pantaloon-shaped flowers in early spring. A charming ephemeral that disappears by summer.

Elliott's Bluestar

Pale blue starry flowers in spring give way to feathery foliage that turns brilliant gold in fall. Two seasons of beauty for zero effort.

Festiva Maxima Peony

Pure white double blooms flecked with crimson at the center. Beloved since 1851 and still unmatched.

Firecracker Penstemon

Spikes of scarlet tubular flowers that hummingbirds fight over. Southwestern native at its finest.

Foxglove

Stately spires of spotted, bell-shaped flowers. Cottage garden royalty.

Fringe Tree

Clouds of white fringed petals dripping from branches in late spring. Fragrant and underused native.

Fritillaria

Checkered, nodding bells with an otherworldly pattern. A collector's favorite.

Grape Hyacinth

Tiny grape-like clusters that spread into rivers of blue over time.

Husker Red Penstemon

Dramatic burgundy-red foliage all season with white tubular flowers in late spring. The most striking native penstemon for gardens.

Indian Paintbrush

Bright red to orange bracts surround small flowers and glow across spring prairies.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Hooded green-and-brown striped spathe sheltering a hidden spadix. Woodland curiosity followed by red berries.

Kerria

Cheerful golden-yellow pompoms on bright green stems that stay vivid green all winter. One of the easiest shade-tolerant shrubs.

Knock Out Rose

The rose that changed everything. Disease-resistant, self-cleaning, and blooms nonstop from spring to frost.

Lilac

Intensely fragrant clusters that define spring in northern gardens.

Lily-of-the-Valley

Tiny bell-shaped flowers with one of the most intoxicating fragrances in the plant world. Spreads into lush carpets under trees.

Lungwort

Flowers open pink and turn blue on the same stem. Silver-spotted foliage looks great all season.

Lupine

Dramatic spikes in every color. Short-lived but self-seeds generously.

Miss Kim Lilac

Compact lilac with pale lavender blooms and outstanding fragrance. Burgundy fall foliage as a bonus.

Mountain Laurel

Exquisite geometric buds open to cupped flowers. A native evergreen gem.

Native Spiderwort

Three-petaled flowers in blue-purple open fresh each morning on a tough native that blooms for weeks and seeds freely.

Ninebark

Peeling bark, burgundy foliage, and white puffs. A native multitasker.

Nootka Rose

Single, apple-pink blooms followed by large rose hips that persist through winter on a vigorous Pacific Northwest native.

Penstemon

Tubular flowers on upright stems. Native hummingbird magnet for dry gardens.

Peony

Lush, ruffled blooms with intoxicating fragrance. Lives for decades.

Queen of Night Tulip

The darkest tulip. Satiny, near-black maroon blooms that look almost unreal in late spring.

Red Twig Dogwood

Flat clusters of white flowers and berries give way to vivid red stems that shine in winter.

Rhododendron

Big, bold trusses of bloom over glossy evergreen foliage.

Rhubarb

Huge leaves and thick red stalks give a lush look while supplying tart harvests.

Rocky Mountain Columbine

Large blue-and-white spurred flowers bloom in late spring above lacy foliage.

Rocky Mountain Penstemon

Spikes of deep blue tubular flowers rise above glossy evergreen foliage in early summer.

Sarah Bernhardt Peony

Fully double, apple-blossom pink blooms so heavy they nod on their stems. The most planted peony in history.

Sea Thrift

Grassy tufts topped with round pink pom-poms. Loves lean soil and coastal conditions.

Solomon's Seal

Arching stems hung with dangling white bells. Pairs of leaves create graceful, layered architecture.

Speedwell

Tidy spikes of blue that add vertical punch to the front of the border.

The President Clematis

Big, rich violet-blue flowers with silvery reverse petals rebloom through the season on a vigorous, reliable plant.

Trillium

Three leaves, three petals, pure elegance. The jewel of eastern woodlands.

Tulip

The classic spring icon in almost every color imaginable.

Twinspike Coral Bells

Warm amber-caramel foliage that glows in the shade garden all season. The flowers are just a bonus.

Virginia Bluebell

Woodland ephemeral with sky-blue bells. Disappears by summer, returns faithfully.

Weigela

Tubular blooms smother arching branches in late spring. Hummingbird haven.

Western Red Columbine

Scarlet and yellow spurred flowers that hummingbirds follow through the Pacific Northwest's mountain meadows.

White Wild Indigo

Luminous white lupin-like spikes on a structural native that's practically indestructible and improves with every year.

Wild Blue Phlox

Loose clusters of sky-blue flowers float above woodland floors in spring on a fragrant, mat-forming native.

Wild Geranium

Soft pink blooms over deeply-cut foliage. A woodland edge staple.

Wisteria

Cascading, fragrant racemes that create a dreamy canopy. Needs structure.

Allium

Dramatic globe-shaped heads on tall stems. Architectural and deer-proof.

Aubrieta

Purple cascades spilling over walls and rocks in spring. Shear after bloom for a fresh flush of foliage.

Basket-of-Gold

Bright golden-yellow cascades over walls and rock edges in spring. Cut back after flowering to stay tidy.

Bigtooth Maple

Mountain West maple with brilliant orange-red fall color and rugged drought tolerance.

Bloom-a-Thon Azalea

Repeat-blooming azalea with waves of color spring through fall. Evergreen in mild climates.

Bloomerang Lilac

Blooms in spring, then reblooms summer through frost. Compact habit with classic lilac fragrance.

Cliffrose

Creamy white rose-like flowers with sweet fragrance and feathery seed plumes on a tough Rocky Mountain native.

Common Fig

Large lobed leaves and sweet late-summer fruits give a Mediterranean feel to the garden.

Crossvine

Tubular orange-red trumpets line this vigorous semi-evergreen vine in spring, attracting every hummingbird in the neighborhood.

Culinary Sage

Spiky purple blooms above silver-green aromatic foliage. A kitchen herb that doubles as an ornamental.

Desert Marigold

Cheerful desert wildflower that blooms almost year-round in warm climates. Thrives on neglect.

Dogwood

Iconic spring bloomer with fall berries and winter bark. Four-season beauty.

Double Delight Rose

Creamy white petals blush to strawberry red at the edges. Knockout fragrance matches the looks.

Dutch Iris

Slender stems bear elegant iris blooms in late spring to early summer.

Dwarf Korean Lilac

Slow-growing dwarf with dense rounded habit. Perfect for small gardens and foundation plantings.

Encore Autumn Azalea

Spring blooms plus a full fall encore. Multiple color options in the Encore series.

Epimedium

Delicate fairy-wing flowers above leathery foliage. One of the toughest dry shade groundcovers.

Fawn Lily

Mottled leaves and nodding white flowers with swept-back petals emerge in early spring from Pacific Northwest woodlands.

Fothergilla

Fragrant white bottlebrush flowers in spring give way to some of the best orange-red fall color of any small native shrub.

Graham Thomas Rose

Rich golden-yellow cups with an intense tea rose fragrance. David Austin's most famous creation.

Henryi Clematis

Large, pure white flowers with dark brown anthers rebloom in fall. Elegant, classic, and undeniably refined.

Highbush Blueberry

Bell-shaped spring flowers are followed by sweet blue berries and excellent fall color.

Japanese Painted Fern

Silver and burgundy fronds unlike any other fern. Foliage plant that earns its keep on color alone.

Lady's Mantle

Chartreuse frothy flowers and pleated blue-green leaves that hold water droplets like mercury. The ultimate filler plant.

Lewisia

Succulent rosettes with brilliant striped flowers in hot sunset colors. Must have perfect drainage or it rots.

Magnolia

Goblet-shaped blooms on bare branches. One of spring's most dramatic moments.

Marsh Marigold

Glossy buttercup flowers in early spring along streams and wet areas. One of the first wetland bloomers.

Mexican Feather Grass

Gossamer fine blades ripple in the slightest breeze like living silk. Plant where you can watch it move.

Mock Orange

Arching stems carry orange-blossom-scented white flowers in late spring.

Nelly Moser Clematis

Pale pink petals with a darker pink bar down the center. Prefers some shade to prevent color fading.

Ostrich Fern

Tall vase-shaped fronds that unfurl from fiddleheads in spring. Spreads to form dramatic colonies.

Paperbark Maple

Cinnamon-colored peeling bark and good fall color provide strong four-season interest.

Prairie Smoke

Nodding wine-red flowers transform into feathery pink seed plumes that persist into summer. Native prairie gem.

Prairifire Crabapple

Deep pink-red flowers on a disease-resistant crabapple. Persistent small fruit feeds winter birds.

Sensation Lilac

Unique bicolor blooms with purple petals edged in white. A head-turner in any spring garden.

Shooting Star

Nodding flowers with swept-back petals resemble tiny shooting stars in spring meadows.

Texas Blue Star

Fine foliage and pale blue starry flowers are followed by golden fall color.

Trumpet Gentian

Intense, almost electric blue trumpet flowers on a low mat. The holy grail of alpine gardeners.

Wild Azalea

Sweetly fragrant pinwheel flowers on a deciduous native azalea that grows from New England to Georgia. Earlier and more cold-hardy than most.

Anemone de Caen

Poppy-like flowers in jewel tones bloom in mid-spring over ferny foliage.

Coral Bean

Bold spikes of tubular red flowers in spring attract hummingbirds before bean pods form.

Flame Azalea

Outrageous blooms in hot orange, red, and yellow on a deciduous native azalea that stops people in their tracks.

Fruiting Cherry

Showy white spring flowers mature into sweet cherries that attract people and wildlife.

Gardenia

Glossy evergreen foliage frames intensely fragrant white flowers from late spring into summer.

Green-and-Gold

Bright yellow star flowers appear for months above mat-forming foliage. The best spring ground cover for the Southeast.

Hawthorn

White spring flowers, glossy red fruit, and exfoliating bark. Thorny but beautiful native with winter interest.

Japanese Maple

Small flowers are modest but foliage is the star. Hundreds of cultivars from laceleaf to upright. The connoisseur's tree.

Jasmine

Intensely sweet-scented white stars. The scent of warm southern evenings.

Lantana

Multi-colored flower clusters that bloom relentlessly in brutal heat.

Matilija Poppy

Enormous fried-egg flowers on blue-gray stems. California's largest native wildflower. Spreads aggressively.

Meadow Rue

Fluffy puffs of bloom on tall, airy stems above columbine-like foliage. Light and ethereal.

Persian Buttercup

Ruffled, rose-like blooms in vivid colors brighten cool spring beds and pots.

Pomegranate

Brilliant orange-red blossoms in late spring and summer are followed by decorative, edible fruits.

Rozanne Geranium

Violet-blue saucer flowers on a sprawling mound that blooms from late spring until frost. The most awarded perennial geranium in history.

Salal

Leathery evergreen groundcover of Pacific Northwest forests. Urn-shaped flowers lead to edible berries.

Saxifrage

Mossy cushions dotted with dainty flowers. Tucks into rock crevices where little else will grow.

Wax Begonia

Glossy leaves and nonstop flowers in sun or shade. One of the most reliable bedding plants anywhere.

Wonderful Pomegranate

Reliable cultivar bearing large red fruits and vivid orange flowers.

Aeonium

Dramatic rosettes on woody stems. 'Zwartkop' variety has near-black leaves. Stunning in containers.

Angel's Trumpet

Huge pendant trumpets release intense evening fragrance over a long warm-season bloom.

Bougainvillea

Explosive cascades of papery bracts. Covers walls and fences in color.

Calibrachoa

Mini petunias that bloom nonstop in hanging baskets. Dozens of color options and no deadheading needed.

California Lilac

Electric blue flower clusters on an evergreen California native. Hummingbird and bee magnet.

Echeveria

Perfect rosettes in blue, green, pink, and purple. Bell-shaped flowers on arching stems. Frost-tender.

Gulf Coast Penstemon

Nodding tubular flowers in soft lavender shades brighten moist woods of the Gulf Coast.

Hawaiian Hibiscus

Large tropical blooms in vivid colors appear repeatedly from spring through fall.

Mandevilla

Glossy vines are covered in showy trumpet flowers from early summer to frost in warm climates.

Meyer Lemon

Sweetly scented white blossoms appear intermittently year-round and set thin-skinned lemons.

Oregon Iris

Small purple iris flowers with yellow signals on wiry stems. A tough, underappreciated Pacific Northwest native.

Pelargonium

The classic window-box geranium. Ball-shaped flower clusters above scalloped leaves. Tough container staple.

Pink Dipladenia

Bushy form with glossy foliage and abundant pink trumpets suited to pots and borders.

Rosemary

Aromatic evergreen herb with tiny blue flowers loved by early bees. Needs excellent drainage.

Southern Magnolia

Huge glossy-leaved tree bearing enormous lemon-scented white flowers. The quintessential symbol of the Deep South's summer.

Bird of Paradise

Sculptural, crane-like flowers in orange and blue. Unmistakable.

Pink Plumeria

Clusters of pink, sweetly scented blooms cover this classic tropical tree in summer.

Plumeria

Intoxicatingly fragrant tropical blooms. The flower of Hawaiian leis.

White Plumeria

Highly fragrant white flowers with yellow centers appear in clusters on succulent branches.