Spring Flowers From Planted Bulbs

     Three kinds of flowering plants that are abundantly planted as bulbs on some lawns in the Middle Atlantic States, as elsewhere in the United States, bloom early in spring, or in the middle of it, depending on the species.  These perennial plants spread rapidly across lawns and flower gardens, and even in fields and woodlands, creating large patches of themselves.  In most human-made habitats, these plants resemble wild flowers, when they grow randomly through grass, mulch or carpets of dead leaves. 
     These flowering plants are originally from southern Europe, North Africa and western Asia, but were domesticated long ago and introduced to many parts of the world as ornamental flowers that blossom beautifully on lawns every year.  They are winter aconites, scilla and grape hyacinths in that order of blooming each spring.  All these plants form seeds that scatter on the wind across the countryside.
     Winter aconites generally bloom around the middle, or toward the end, of February, depending on the weather.  Each aconite plant has a single yellow flower above a ring of tiny, narrow leaves.  The whole plant stands only a couple inches above the ground to avoid cold winds, yet receive the warming sunlight and heat from the sun-warmed ground.  Masses of those striking, golden blossoms are cheering to see in February, and into early March in some years.
     Each scilla plant  has two or three lovely, sky-blue flowers above grass-like leaves that are thicker than grass.  This plant grows up to six inches tall.  Perhaps it doesn't have to be so short because it sprouts and blooms around the middle of March and toward the end of that month when, generally, the weather is warmer.  Great patches of beautiful scilla blossoms on a lawn look like they are reflecting the clear sky.
     Grape hyacinth plants bloom around the middle of April.  Each plant has many round, bluish-purple flowers in pyramidal form that also resemble an up-side-down bunch of grapes above several long, broad leaves.  Each blossom is open at one end to release pollen, and seeds later.  This species spreads more than any other plant in this grouping.  It colonizes large sections of lawns, meadows, roadsides and abandoned fields, given enough time.  In fact, I have seen whole pastures, and fields that were deserted, turn blue with the blossoms of grape hyacinths during mid-April.                       
     The flowers on these plants fade too soon.  But they were lovely and cheering when they were blooming.  Look for them each early spring on lawns and other human-made habitats.  And the reader could buy bulbs of these plants, and other species, to plant, scattered, on a lawn or in a flower bed.