Spring’s earliest flowers are like a sigh of relief after holding your breath all winter long.

While we’re accustomed to seeing blooms of white, purple and yellow bursting from the dirt, they somehow seem even more special emerging in an unexpected place: the yard.

Flowers in the yard?

Yes, indeed!

It’s the perfect combination of timing and growth habit.

The late winter/early spring yard does not need to be cut for a few months, meaning flowers can sprout, bloom and die before being cut back for the season.

Spring bulbs are also adaptable, able to burst through grass with ease.

Planting the yard with early spring flowers gives an almost untimely sparkle to your winter-worn yard, and also provides much-needed pollen for wintery-weary bees.

The case for crocuses

Though there are a few flower options for planting up a yard, crocuses tend to be best suited—for a few reasons.

Ease care: Crocuses are low-maintenance and forgiving, making them ideal for any yard condition—and any level of gardening experience.

Bloom time: They bloom as early as late winter or early spring, often pushing through snow, and provide a reprieve of color when the landscape is still waking up.

Scale: Crocuses are short in stature, making them a compatible accent to the growing grass, as opposed to an oversized plant that can look out of place.

Naturalizing habit: Crocuses are perennial flowers, but they don’t stop there. Once established, crocuses will multiply and return year after year, creating a sustainable and expanding display steps outside your door.

Transform your lawn

Planting a crocus yard is relatively easy.

Crocuses thrive in full sun to partial shade, making them adaptable to most yard conditions. (Remember, even typically shaded areas of your yard usually get some sun in early spring, before the leaves return to the trees.)

They will grow merrily in most soil types too, as long as it’s not an area that retains a lot of water.

If you have an area that meets those requirements, you have a spot prime for a crocus yard.

Here’s how to make one:

1. Secure the bulbs. Any crocus bulbs will do. You could go all one color, or a mix of purples, whites, yellows and/or oranges.

2. Place the bulbs: A well-known trick for achieving a natural look is to toss the bulbs in the air, and plant them wherever they fall. You can place them all throughout the yard, or in clumps for a more dramatic effect.

3. Plant the bulbs about 3-4 inches deep in your yard, by simply digging a hole right into the grass. You can space them far apart or as close as 2-3 inches apart, depending on your space and quantity of bulbs.

4. Water the bulbs. This will be the only watering you’ll have to do!

Note: Crocuses can be planted September-November depending on your location—they just need to be in the ground at least a few weeks before the first frost.

Care in the afterglow

Crocuses will bloom anywhere from late February to March, based on locale and the weather.

A unique feature of these flowers is the absence of a stem. They emerge from the ground as a bud, meaning they go from a seemingly vacant spot of dirt (or lawn) to a beautiful flower in a very short time—making their colorful presence extra magical in the gray late winter landscape.

After a few weeks of blooming, crocuses will naturally fade and die back. In this process, their foliage will yellow.

It’s important not to remove the foliage until it is fully yellow, as the bulb is creating the energy to bloom the following year.

Usually, by the time the crocuses fully die back, it’s time to mow the lawn. You can mow right over the foliage without damaging the bulb.

Once mowed, the bulbs will remain invisible beneath the yard’s surface until next year’s bloom.

🍰 Snack I’m craving

Nutmeg ginger apple snaps, fully attributed to many viewings of Fantastic Mr. Fox.

I wanted to make my own, and there are a few recipes online—but I didn’t love them. So I tweaked this gluten-free gingersnap recipe by topping the cookies with a thin apple slice and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar before popping them into the oven.

👩🏻‍🌾 Bulbs I’m planting

A cluster of ‘Angelique’ tulips is going into pots this week.

I think I’ll top them with a pink hyacinth mix for a little bulb lasagna action.

I’m going to try out a crocus yard for the first time this year! Reply and let me know if you’ll be attempting along with me!

Xx,

Courtney