Quick course: What's blooming in metro Atlanta

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Quick course: What's blooming in metro Atlanta

There are so many spectacular spring blooms in metro Atlanta. Wouldn't it be better if you knew what they were called? Our quick course gets you up to speed.

A snowball viburnum (Viburnum opulus) is an unmistakable sign that spring in Atlanta has arrived. Gardens put on such a show this time of year, it seems a shame not to know what's blooming. Here's a quick course.

Red tip photinias (Photinia fraseri) explode with white blooms for a short time in the spring.

Irises come in a vast array of colors, including purple, red, maroon, yellow, white and blue, and they bloom from April through May.

A bridal wreath spirea (Spiraea prunifolia) gets covered in white blooms from early March through April.

The blooms of wisteria offer a dreamy scent, but some members of this woody vine family can be invasive.

Dianthus have red, pink or light pink flowers and blooms for about two months in spring and sometimes for a short time in the fall.

Creeping phlox (Phlox subulata) is a low-growing ground cover that sports hundreds of tiny flowers in red, white, purple, pink, pink/white stripes or magenta.

The Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) unfurls its green or red leaves in early spring. In the fall, expect a spectacular color change before the leaves drop.

Azaleas are a signature of many Southern gardens, and most bloom in spring for about a month. Encore azaleas bloom in spring and fall.

Most tulip bulbs (Tulipa) have come and gone by late April in metro Atlanta.

Scilla (Scilla Siberica) is a member of the hyacinth family that blooms for about a month in spring.

Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) blooms in Dunwoody. The bright red flowers of this perennial, evergreen vine last about a month in the spring.

Some Gerber daisies (Gerbera Jamesonii) bloom in a Roswell neighborhood. This plant likes a sunny spot to display its bright red, yellow, white, orange or pink blooms, but it won't come back reliably in metro Atlanta.

Verbena is large genus of plants that includes annuals and perennials that bloom until the first frost. The blooms can be red, white, pink or purple.

Daffodils (Narcissus) are among the first bulbs to pop up each year. Their yellow, white, orange or light pink flowers last for about two weeks.

A camellia (Camellia japonica) blooms in a Dunwoody neighborhood. The white, pink or red blooms of the camellia can normally be seen January through March, but some last longer.

An Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) blooms in Roswell.

The white dogwood (Cornus florida) is a true harbinger of the season.

A pink dogwood (Cornus florida 'Rubra') blooms in Roswell.

Clematis "Nelly Moser' is often adorns mailboxes across the Atlanta area. Members of this vine family will bloom all summer.

Carolina yellow jasmine (Gelsemium sempervirens) covers a picket fence in Dunwoody. This vine offers a riot of color for about a month in mid spring.

A double file viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum) blooms in Dunwoody. The blooms on this shrub last for a couple months in mid spring.

A Kwanzan cherry blooms in Roswell. The tree, which is jam-packed with double blooms, is one of the last cherry trees to bloom in mid to late spring.

A closer look at the blooms of the Kwanzan cherry.

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A snowball viburnum (Viburnum opulus) is an unmistakable sign that spring in Atlanta has arrived. Gardens put on such a show this time of year, it seems a shame not to know what's blooming. Here's a quick course.

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