While winter still has a firm grip on the garden, I always find myself looking ahead to spring. The shortest days are behind us, seed packets are being sorted, and plans for the coming season are beginning to take shape.
If you're planning your spring garden, here are some of my favourite flowers from the Crawford Road seed selection and the varieties I'm most excited to grow this season.
Snapdragons
Snapdragons are one of the flowers I look forward to most each year. Their tall flower spikes bring structure, colour, and a touch of nostalgia to the spring garden.
They make excellent cut flowers, lasting well in a vase, and their distinctive blooms are loved by bees. Available in a wide range of colours, snapdragons work beautifully in borders, cottage gardens, and dedicated cutting patches.
One of the things I appreciate most about snapdragons is their long flowering season. With regular picking and deadheading, they continue to perform well beyond spring and into the warmer months.
Poppies
There is something truly magical about poppies. From the moment their silky buds begin to unfurl, they bring an effortless beauty to the garden.
Whether planted in drifts through borders or scattered among other spring flowers, poppies create a naturalistic display that feels both relaxed and striking. Their delicate petals dance in the breeze and catch the light in a way few flowers can.
I love poppies for their ability to fill spaces with colour and charm while asking very little in return. They are easy to grow from seed and always seem to bring a sense of wonder to the garden when they flower.
Sweet Peas
No spring garden feels complete without sweet peas.
Their fragrance alone makes them worth growing, but they also provide armfuls of beautiful flowers for the house. Whether trained up a trellis, woven through a fence, or grown on simple supports, sweet peas bring both beauty and scent to the garden.
The more you pick them, the more flowers they produce, making them one of the most rewarding flowers to grow.
Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist)
Nigella is one of those flowers that quietly earns its place in the garden year after year.
Its delicate, airy flowers seem to float above the foliage, creating a soft, natural look that blends effortlessly with other spring blooms. After flowering, the attractive seed pods add a second season of interest and are wonderful for drying.
Nigella also has a charming habit of self-seeding, often appearing in unexpected places and creating the relaxed feel of a traditional cottage garden.
Cornflowers
Few flowers can rival the intensity of colour found in cornflowers. Their vibrant blooms attract bees and other beneficial insects while adding a splash of colour to borders and cutting gardens. They're easy to grow, reliable performers, and combine beautifully with other spring flowers.
I particularly love the way cornflowers bring a sense of simplicity and abundance to the garden.
Larkspur
For height and elegance, it's hard to go past larkspur. Their tall spires create wonderful vertical accents throughout the garden and provide excellent material for cutting. Larkspur pairs beautifully with sweet peas, nigella, and cornflowers, helping create the classic cottage garden look many gardeners love.
The flowers are delicate yet impressive, adding both structure and softness to spring displays.
Calendula
Calendulas are among the hardest-working flowers in the garden. Their cheerful blooms provide colour over a long period and attract a range of beneficial insects. They're easy to grow from seed and are often among the first flowers to brighten up the garden after winter.
Calendula flowers are also edible, making them a useful addition to both ornamental and kitchen gardens.
Looking Forward
One of the joys of gardening is that every season begins long before the flowers appear. Winter is the time for dreaming, planning, and choosing the seeds that will shape the months ahead.
These are some of the flowers I'm most looking forward to growing this spring from the Crawford Road seed selection. Each brings something special to the garden, whether it's fragrance, colour, height, pollinator appeal, or simply the pleasure of watching the first blooms emerge after winter.
As spring draws closer, I hope these favourites inspire your own planting plans and help you create a garden filled with colour, beauty, and plenty of flowers to enjoy both outdoors and indoors.