Many plants sing “Spring!” to us. Forsythia, azaleas, and daffodils are some common favorites.
How about Chaenomeles or quince? Like forsythia, it’s very cooperative for forcing branches indoors. It also has the irrational exuberance of brightly colored blooms that we need after a long winter. And we all know this has been one heck of a winter.
The Double Take™ varieties have big, doubled flowers in a variety of candy colors. On the left, see Double Take™ Orange, and on the right is Double Take™ Peach. There are two other colors as well.
In addition to having exceptionally large flowers, all of the Double Take™ varieties are thornless and produce little, if any, fruit. So if you’re remembering your grandma’s big, prickly hedge and lots of messy fruit along the driveway, think again.
The plants will all grow about 4-5′ tall and wide – perfect for a non-prickly, not messy hedge along your driveway – and like full sun. They are hardy in USDA 5-9.
In addition to cutting gardens and driveway hedges, these heat and drought-tolerant plants are just a wonderful addition to any mixed border or landscape that needs a pop of early-season color.
Spring!
By the time we get to the Spring Equinox (Saturday), we will have had almost a full week of Daylight Saving Time. Hopefully, we all will have adapted enough to the time change to enjoy the new season.
If you are looking for some other inspiration for spring flowers, check out this new video featuring some top shrubs for welcoming spring. As always, feel free to share this video. Many of us are still weeks away from our frost-free date, but we can feed peoples’ excitement for their 2021 gardens!
