‘I must have flowers always and always,’ Monet said. He’d love these early bloomers

French impressionist Claude Monet said, “I must have flowers always and always.” This quote comes to mind when I think about spring. Gardens come alive with flowering trees, shrubs, bulbs and brightly colored annuals.

In late winter, the absolute joy for me is seeing overwintering perennials rising from the soil and bursting into flower. They bring such delight, knowing spring will soon arrive and winter will fade into a distant memory.

We are blessed with many early blooming perennials in the Kansas City area. Creeping phlox is probably the most popular early flowering perennial. Shades of purple, pink and white cover the ground. There are many other early bloomers to complement phlox. Here are a few that are a must in my garden.

The first perennial to bloom is Lenten rose or Hellebore. Hellebore orientalis often show their flower in late February or early March. Hellebore is a clumping perennial, reaching a foot to a foot and half tall and about as wide.

Evergreen foliage of hellebore makes a bold statement with a dark, leathery green appearance. They are low maintenance, tolerate a wide range of conditions, and adapt to the morning sun to full shade. They can stand some dry spells, but like most plants, seem to do best with well-drained soils and even moisture.

As winter fades, plants with dainty flowers appear in a range of colors, including shades of pink, purple, white and light yellow. Some spring flowers tend to hang down, making it difficult to see their beauty. Many of the newer varieties on the market are bred so the flower faces up, making these plants more rewarding.

Virginia bluebells, Mertensia virginica, are native to the Kansas City area woodlands. However, they are also at home in a garden. This low-growing spreading perennial may have the most authentic blue flowers of any plant grown. Bluebells can naturalize in gardens by reseeding but never become invasive or take over.

Bluebells may reach a foot or more and are covered with the bell-shaped flowers. It is a true shade plant. Once summer heat arrives, its ephemeral habit kicks in and the plant goes dormant. This makes it a great early season bloomer, and when it disappears, later season perennials take over the space for another layer of interest.

Another of my favorite late winter bloomers may have one of the worst common names: Lungwort. Pulmonaria officinalis reaches a foot tall. As the temperatures warm, tiny bright purple to pink flowers appear on the lance-like foliage, dotted with white spots upon the fuzzy green leaf.

Like hostas, pulmonaria prefers conditions with a little morning sun but does best in part to full shade. Best of all, pulmonaria is deer resistant and will tolerate growing near black walnut trees. Be on the lookout for these plants at garden centers early in spring. They can come and go quickly as we all like to buy flowers when in bloom.

As you may be able to tell, I am ready for winter to be a memory. I can’t wait to see the first harbingers of spring arrive. Like Monet, I must have flowers always and always.

Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Have a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.

This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 5:00 AM.