Best Early Spring

Plum blossom (Prunus mume) is the national flower of Taiwan and a cultural symbol of China, blooming in late winter and representing resilience against cold.

Bulbous plants known as snowdrops, native to Europe and western Asia; Galanthus nivalis is the source of galantamine, an alkaloid approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Daphne mezereum, known as February Daphne, is a deciduous Eurasian shrub recognized for its early spring purple flowers and highly toxic red berries.

Small bulbous plants native to mountain meadows of Crete, Turkey, and Cyprus; called glory-of-the-snow because they bloom through melting snow in early spring.

Quince blossom (Chaenomeles speciosa) is a thorny shrub native to China that produces showy red, pink, or white flowers in early spring before its leaves appear, followed by edible fruit.

Forsythia, named after Scottish botanist William Forsyth, is a deciduous shrub native to East Asia that produces bright yellow flowers before its leaves emerge each spring.

Crocus is a genus of about 100 flowering plants in the iris family native from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, with Crocus sativus producing saffron, the world's costliest spice.

Small bulbous plants native to the Caucasus and western Asia, named for Russian chemist Count Apollos Mussin-Pushkin; the genus contains only one or two species.

Winter Aconite, scientifically Eranthis hyemalis, is a late-winter blooming tuberous plant native to Europe, notable for being one of the earliest flowering plants of the year.