Until the last few years, April in my gardens meant mostly daffodils. Adding some woodland garden plants changed all that. My three go-to perennials for April: Hellebore, Lungwort (Pulmonaria) and Carex. These perennials combine very well in a woodland or shade to part-shade situation and add a lot of spring interest.

Here’s what my April garden looked like in 2024.

Hellebores are now going head-to-head with daffodils for top billing. Daffodils win in terms of visual appeal from a distance, but hellebores add an almost fairytale appeal to the garden due to their dainty nodding bracts. Since I can’t grow tulips (too many deer), the hellebore provide some needed colour to my spring garden.

Hellebore in the woodland garden

Since planting my first hellebore three years ago, I’ve added clumps throughout the yard ever year.

Here are more hellebores in the woodland garden. In the coming months, they will give way to ferns in the background.

Here is a clump behind some blooming lungwort in the front porch garden.

What’s amazing about lungwort is the variety. Some have pink blooms, some blue, and some both. I also have a miniature lungwort, although this one blooms a lot later.

More lungwort in the woodland garden

Carex Ice Dance seed heads add interest to the April woodland garden

Oddly, many of my April bloomers started as I began to plant out the floor of the woodland garden. That’s OK. I enjoy the walk out there to see what’s happening.

Here is the woodland garden in early April

I have two forsythia in the yard – both tucked back in the bush. I love to see their cheery spring blooms but am not a fan of the plant itself so in the back they go.

Forsythia – the blooms lasted a lot longer than usual this year.

I have six serviceberries, including these three, in the pool garden. They are beautiful when in full bloom, but enjoy them, as the show only lasts two to three days each spring. Funny note: I learned this year that Serviceberry and Saskatoon berries were the same plant!

My serviceberry bushes bloomed in late April this year.

And, of course, I’ve had annual flowers going for quite some time in the greenhouse.

The greenhouse is pretty full. The Dipladenia bloomed almost all winter but are really starting to put on a show now, and the canna and calla lily bulbs grew much faster than I thought they would.

I picked up some pansies and small daffodils from Costco and added them to the dogwood I had in the back planters from my Christmas arrangements. I’ve given up growing my own pansies – they take too long.

These succulents overwintered in this small wood frame and have started to grow. I’m going to have to edit the ‘picture’ this year.