The late winter and early spring flowers are the ones we appreciate the most. They bring the first splash of color to a bleak winter landscape and give us hope that the tide has turned toward longer, warmer days.
Snowdrops, winter aconites, scilia, hyacinths, periwinkle and crocuses are the first to appear, often by late February in Missouri. By mid March, clumps of daffodils brighten our yards, soon followed by the early tulips. Wild cherry and forsythia are among the earlier shrubs to bloom and, by mid-late March, red maples, hawthornes and deciduous magnolias paint the suburbs. Peach and apricot are usually the first fruit trees to flower, often losing their blossoms (and potential fruit) to the cold snaps of our fickle March weather.
