I'd love to say I'm a master gardener, but the reality is I want to plant the plants and then have them fend for themselves. Any plant that can do this AND produce gorgeous blooms is a friend of mine.

Lucky us, there are lots of flowers that do not require loads of trimming, pruning, fertilizing, swaddling and around the clock care in order to be happy! So, here are my top 5 Favorite spring flowers. Find their happy places in your yard, make sure they get some water during the hot months and they'll be blooming for you next spring.

You'll be so glad you planted them!

1. Lilacs

Lilacs typically bloom in early May, filling your yard and home with the sweetest smell. They like full sun, well drained soil and once established only need to be watered if it's a really dry summer. They don't like lots of fertilizer, so high five!! once you get it in the ground, you won't need to do much except give it a bit of water.

Want to dive deep on all things lilacs? Here's a great article.

Cutting Tip : since lilac blooms grow on woody stems be sure to strip the stems of the outer bark once you cut the blooms. Some folks crush the ends of the stems or cut them up the middle. All of these methods work, the main thing you're trying to do is to allow the blooms to absorb more water once they are cut, which will prolong their vase life.

2. Peonies

Another one of my favorites because Peonies want to get tucked into the ground and then please don't fuss with them! They like full sun which means at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.

There are a couple tricks in planting them.

They do not like to be deep under the soil, so plant the bulbs shallow with just an inch of dirt covering them.
Once you put them in the ground, plan on leaving them so they can get established. They do not like being uprooted and moved.
It will typically take a year or two once they've been moved or planted for them to start blooming.
No fertilizer needed!
Give them a bit of water in the warmer months & cut back all of the growth once winter hits. Then let them work their magic come spring time.

If you want even more growing tips here's a great article

Cutting Tips : Peonies are easy! Just cut and put in water. I like to cut the flowers right when they are starting to open which makes their vase life even longer.

Here are the peony varieties pictured : Felix Crousse , Double Pink and Shirley Temple

3. Oriental Poppies

These flowers are so amazing, they look fake. Poppies are a bit temperamental for cutting but they are incredible in the garden.

Like peonies, they don't like to be uprooted and moved, so pick your spot and try to stick with it. I've moved ours to get them into better growing areas and they survived, but they took a year to get established again.

Once these bloom the plant dies back...it's supposed to! Don't worry, you didn't kill it ;) It thrives in the cooler temperatures of spring, so once summer hits the plant is done. Honestly, it doesn't even need much water at that point!

Want to go more in depth? Here's an article on all of the growing details.

Cutting Tip : These have a tendency to wilt once they are cut. Even doing all of these tricks, sometimes they still just don't like being in the vase! I try to cut them when they are first opening in the morning when it's cooler. Then take a lighter and burn the end of the stem to seal it. This stops the stem from 'bleeding' into the water which makes all of the flowers (including the poppies) die faster in the vase.

Here's the Oriental Poppy pictured!

4. Alchemilla

This is such a hearty plant. It does well being moved, transplanted and is easy to cut and use in vases. It prefers full sun and will spread out and fill large patches if wanted. It prefers full sun and will need some water in the warmer months so plant it in an area that you're already watering. It is a shorter plant so it does well as a border or planted in front of taller plants.

Here are some more growing details.

Cutting Tips : Alchemilla is hearty and does well in vases and bouquets. (it is the small yellow flowers/greenery in the above photo) Be sure to strip the lower portion of the stem of all leaves and blooms so you can keep your water clean, but other than that it's happy being cut and filling vases!

5. Japanese Rose

This lovely little bush is so hearty : if you follow me on Instagram @ciderpresslane you might have seen that I acquired our bush from a ditch! I've seen it blooming the last couple years and this year I decided to dig up a bit and transplant it to our garden. Even after moving it, the blooms and leaves still look healthy and strong.

This plant does well with a bit of shade which made it perfect for a corner of our backyard. The bonus is it blooms for several weeks in the spring!

Here's more information on growing tips.

Cutting Tips : These are another super hearty flower. The blooms will last a good week to two weeks in a vase. I love the wildness of the pompom flowers and how they grow up the stalks. It makes for the perfect pop of color come spring time.

Have fun creating your garden. It is an investment of time and resources, but when you find the plants and flowers you love, it is worth it! Share your favorites lazy gardener plants with me! I'm always happy to add more beauty.

Kelly