What to Plant Now for a Spring Flower Fantasy
With Barbara Mabry of Frasier's Nursery in Biloxi, MS
At last, it’s March—the month when spring begins! In this special edition of DIGGER DIARIES, we’re sharing 7 flowering trees and shrubs to turn your yard into a dreamy springtime fantasy, complete with airy clouds of petals in every pastel shade. Plus, three zone-defying secrets to enjoy bountiful Bougainvillea, even if you’re in range of old Jack Frost.
Our guest is Barbara W. Mabry of Biloxi, Mississippi. She and her brother, Doug Wilkerson, own one of the state’s oldest independent garden centers—Frasier’s Nursery—which their parents founded in 1950. Growing up there, Barbara learned a few tricks of the trade. Today, she’s sharing some of them with us.
March Madness: Embracing the Energy of Spring
Although Gulf coast winters are generally mild, the air can be chilly. In fact, a rare snow storm blew in just this past January. But that’s all a distant memory, now. “Around March, the energy changes,” notes Barbara. Three times a day, truckloads of plants arrive for staff to set out, just in time for customers to take them away.
From ornamental azaleas to tender sprouts of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, “People are eager to start planting,” says Barbara. “It’s an exciting time.” While this time of renewal may be fleeting, there is a way to make it extra-memorable: By surrounding your home with the season’s most spectacular showstoppers, so you can enjoy them from every window, patio, and porch!
7 Flowering Trees & Shrubs to Grow for Early Spring Magic
Nothing quite announces the dawn of spring like flowering trees. When delicate blossoms hang like cotton-candy clouds against a lime-green flush of new leaves, every forest feels enchanted. But there’s really no magic to it.
All the plants on this list are proven regional favorites in the deep South for Zones 7, 8, and 9. For each, follow standard tree-planting advice:
Right plant, right place (honor sunlight and moisture needs).
Amend the native soil (Barbara, like so many landscape professionals, recommends Loamate for this).
Dig a hole twice as wide as it is deep, resting the root ball just above the soil line. Top with mulch (but don’t mound it around the trunk like a volcano).
Now, take this list and head to your nearest garden center:
Evergreen Azaleas (Non-Native)
Though they enjoy iconic status in the South, evergreen azaleas are native to Japan. After their hot pink, pale pink, or lavender flowers fade, the leaves stay green all year. They’re happiest in slightly acidic soil and partial shade. For greatest impact, plant in drifts of five.
Deciduous Azaleas (Native)
Unlike evergreen azaleas, native azaleas are deciduous, meaning they drop their leaves in winter. Native azaleas attract Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, on which they depend for pollination. Flowers range in color from pale pink to clear yellow to red-orange. They do best in part shade, and particularly enjoy hillsides.
Grancy Graybeard Tree
This showy native tree, Chionanthus virginicus, is also called the Fringe Tree because of its flowy white spring flowers. After the flowers fall away, birds enjoy the tiny fruit all summer long. Plant this small tree in full sun to part shade. Make sure the soil is rich and well-drained.
Bottlebrush
Pollinators can’t stay away from this plant’s bright red flowers, arranged in the shape of a bottlebrush. More of a large shrub, bottlebrush varieties like Callistemon 'Woodlander's Hardy' are fairly drought-tolerant, once established. Grows best in full sun and well-drained soil.
Camellia Japonica
Given time, a Camellia japonica can grow from a shrub into a small tree—so be sure to plant it with plenty of room. Though native to Asia, they’ve been prized in the South for generations for their large, showy flowers, which start in the winter and continue through spring. Camellia japonicas prefer slightly acid, well-drained soil, and partial to full shade.
Eastern Redbud
Another stunning native, the pinkish-lavender glow of an Eastern Redbud steals the show in any yard. Despite their delicate good looks, these small trees can handle sun or shade, and can famously survive in unimproved clay—though a little soil amendment never hurts! For extra drama, look for the rounded, weeping cultivar.
Japanese Magnolias
Whether you choose a Saucer Magnolia, Star Magnolia, or Tulip Magnolia, these mid-size Japanese flowering trees boast some of the showiest early spring flowers. Blossom color can range from white to soft pink to deep maroon, depending on the species. These trees like sunlight, but in the hot South, they appreciate some afternoon shade. Plant in rich, well-drained soil.
Maximize Color with Companion Plants
For maximum color, plant companion flowers nearby that you can count on to bloom around the same time as your trees and shrubs. Early spring bulbs like snowdrops, daffodils, and crocus, and cool-season annuals like violas, pansies, and snapdragons make reliable choices. Besides planting them in nutritious soil (like Digger’s Delight!) and keeping them mulched and watered, the more sunlight they get, the more flowers you’ll see.
Tropical Punch: Go Bold with Bougainvillea
Why should Zone 10 have all the fun? Sure, areas with winter freezes will never be able to grow a Bougainvillea big enough to cover a building. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy these beauties at all. Down at Frasier’s Nursery, Bougainvillea baskets are hot-ticket spring accessories.
While it’s true these plants can’t survive being frozen, they’re hardier than some might believe, and get tougher with time. “If they get up in size, they can take the cold much better,” assures Barbara. If you’re feeling inspired to defy your zone and have a spring fling with Bougainvillea, proceed with a light heart—and these three tips:
1. Treat it like a potted annual
Planting flowers as annuals that would otherwise be perennials in warmer zones is extremely common. And besides, if we can enjoy poinsettias through the winter, why can’t we enjoy Bougainvillea in the spring, summer, and fall?
2 Shop (local) for regionally-hardy varieties
These days, some cultivars—like B. 'Sanderiana'—have been bred to survive freezing temperatures for brief periods. As Barbara points out, this is where shopping at local, independent garden centers can really pay off. While big box inventory can be hit or miss, “everything you’ll find in our nursery is for this area, from growers from this area,” she states, adding, “that even goes for the fruit trees. The ones that will grow in our area have the low chill hours. An apple or peach or a plum, grown here by growers in this area, will bear fruit for us.”
3. Overwinter the right way
Sure, it’s okay to compost Bougainvillea once winter sets in. But what if you become attached, and just can’t bear to? If you overwinter Bougainvillea properly, you can keep the party going.
Barbara says to protect it in a greenhouse or garage if temperatures drop below freezing. While they need full sun during the growing season, it’s okay to give them less light during the colder months. Just make sure they get at least a little light during this period. Come spring, when you set your plant back outside, “it will just take right back off,” says Barbara. Pro tip: As your plant grows, up-pot slowly. Bougainvillea blooms best when its roots are somewhat pot-bound!
The Biggest Reason Gardens Fail (Is One You Can Control)
Barbara has observed that sometimes, people don’t think enough about the soil. “They tend to be more focused on the plants that they see above the ground,” she says. But your garden can only be as good as your dirt below it. “You just want the richest start you can for the plants, for the roots to grow, and to have a healthy plant,” explains Barbara.
That’s why Frasier’s Nursery carries Digger’s Delight Potting Soil, Loamate, and bulk mulches by Penick Organics. “We often tell our customers to mix Loamate in the soil when they plant trees and shrubs. More than often not on the coast, you have sandy soil. Loamate enriches the sand with more nutrients,” she says. Similarly, people who live further inland, where native soils have heavy clay, can use Loamate to improve soil texture and regulate moisture.
As for flower beds and potted plants, Barbara recommends her customers start with Diggers Delight Potting Soil. “It’s good for flower blooms,” she says. “They see the difference in using it, versus some of the other brands. We get compared a lot to what’s at Lowe’s and Walmart, because they’re right here by us,” she says.
“There’s Always Spring”
As we do in every post, we close by acknowledging that gardening is full of ups and downs. No matter how experienced we are, plants sometimes die. What keeps Barbara coming back to the dirt?
“There’s always spring! It’s hard to get through winter, but we know there’s always going to be springtime. Just the freshness of all the new growth. It’s a new beginning,” she says. We couldn’t have said it better, ourselves!
If you’re near the Gulf Coast, you can visit Frasier’s Nursery at 14708 Lemoyne Boulevard in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Dig It? Grow Time is Coming!
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