Early Bloomers
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Basics on the topic Early Bloomers
Early Spring Flowers
What is your favourite season? Maybe you like the warmth of summer or the snow in winter? The weather is one thing that changes through the seasons but we can also see seasonal changes through plants and flowers. Some plants have flowers that bloom in early spring. But how can flowers grow in such cold conditions? Flowers that bloom in early spring typically have bulbs that allow them to bloom early, even in snow. In this text, you will learn about early spring blooming flowers with bulbs and what flowers bloom in early spring.
Early Spring Flowers – The Snowdrop
One of the early spring bulbs with white flowers is the snowdrop. What does a snowdrop flower look like? Here is an image.
But what is a snowdrop? A snowdrop falls into the group of early spring flowers perennials. This is a type of plant that lives for more than two years. A snowdrop is one of the early flowers in spring because of the bulb. The bulb has a special function that allows the snowdrop to be one of the first flowers in spring. Let’s have a look at the parts of a snowdrop more closely.
| Part of a snowdrop | What does it do? |
|---|---|
| Roots | Brings up water and nutrients from the ground. |
| Bulb | Stores nutrients for the next spring. |
| Stem | Holds the plant upright and allows water and nutrients to travel upwards. |
| Leaf | Collects sunlight. |
| Flower | Attracts insects. |
Early Spring Flowers – Bulbs
But why does the snowdrop bloom early in the year? It is all because of the bulb. Later in spring, the snowdrop will start to wilt, however, the bulb acts like a backpack, it stores all of the food and nutrients the plant will need the following spring. There are other types of early spring bulbs which also bloom quite early in the spring. You might see crocuses with early spring purple flowers and early spring blue flowers. All these early spring bloomers have bulbs that allow them to grow in early spring. Other flowers don’t have bulbs such as the poppy so they don’t grow until later on in the year.
Frequently Asked Questions on Early Spring Bulb Flowers
Early Spring Bulbs – Further Practice
To test your knowledge on early blooming flowers, have a look at our practise problems, our interactive exercises and worksheets. You will see a variety of images and may be able to spot some early spring bulbs with purple flowers amongst others.
Transcript Early Bloomers
It's February and Newton is busy collecting pollen and food. How wonderful that even with cold and snow some flowers have started blooming! But how can that happen? Let's look at the trick that allows the early bloomers to grow so soon in the year. We can look at a flower called a snowdrop to learn more! At the very bottom are the roots. The roots take in water and food called nutrients. Above them, the early bloomers have a bulb. The bulb holds the food that the plant needs to grow. Out of the bulb grows the stem. On the stem comes a leaf. There may be many leaves. At the top sits the flower. Now let's look at another early bloomer called the crocus. Can you help us find the parts: bulb, leaf, roots, stem and flower? Here they are! All in order! But what happens before spring comes? In autumn, the roots and bulb lie underground. In winter a baby green stem sprouts from the bulb. As soon as it gets warmer, it quickly grows out of the ground. And, a snowdrop with a flower and leaves blooms! By late spring, the snowdrop will wilt. But how are the early bloomers able to grow so early in the year? The secret is in the bulb, because food and nutrients are stored there. It's like a backpack that the plant uses to pack everything it will need until next spring. Once the early bloomer grows, the stem acts like a straw, bringing water and food up to the top. The leaves collect sunlight. From this, the plant makes its own food or nutrients. This new food is stored in the bulb! This is how the early bloomer packs its backpack for next year. But not all flowers have a bulb. The poppy does not. Since the poppy has not packed a backpack, it must work very hard to gather all of the food again during the year. This takes time, so it grows much slower and blooms much later in the year. When the poppy slowly comes out of the ground, the season for early bloomers is almost over. But because the early bloomers awaken before anything else in the year, Newton can find them first! Hey! Where is Newton anyway? Before we find out, let's remember! An early bloomer has roots, a bulb, a stem, a leaf and a flower. The bulb is a special tool for early bloomers. This is where important food nutrients are stored for the year. These nutrients help the early bloomer grow first in spring. Oh, there's Newton! Oh no! Newton can't fit.
Early Bloomers exercise
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Can you label the plant?
HintsEarly bloomers have bulbs that store everything they need to grow. The bulb is near the bottom of the plant.
The flower and leaves come from the stem.
Roots are underground.
SolutionHere is the correctly labelled plant.
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What are the names of these early bloomers?
HintsSnowdrops have white flowers.
Daffodils are usually yellow and have a trumpet in the centre of the flower.
Hyacinths have many small flowers close together.
SolutionHere are the early bloomers with their names.
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How do early bloomers grow?
HintsIn autumn, the bulb is lying underground and nothing has sprouted yet.
When the weather gradually starts to get warmer, a shoot appears.
After the flower has bloomed, the plant will wilt.
SolutionHere are the correctly sequenced images.
- In autumn, the roots and bulb are lying underground and nothing has sprouted yet.
- In winter, a baby green stem sprouts from the bulb.
- As soon as it gets warmer, the stem quickly grows out of the ground.
- A snowdrop with a flower and leaves blooms.
- By late spring, after the flower has bloomed, the snowdrop will wilt.
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Which of these plants are early bloomers?
HintsThink about what time of year you might see these flowers and plants in parks and gardens.
What do all early blooming plants have to store all of the energy they need?
They all have a bulb. If the plant has a bulb, it is an early bloomer.
SolutionThe early bloomers all have bulbs to store all of the energy they need to bloom earlier in the year.
Early bloomers
- snowdrop
- daffodil
- hyacinth
- crocus
- sunflower
- poppy
- hydrangea
- strawberry plant
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What do all early bloomers have?
HintsThis part could be described as a backpack where everything the flower will need to bloom is stored.
This is the part of the plant.
SolutionAll early bloomers have a bulb.
Here is the bulb on the snowdrop.
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What do you know about early bloomers?
HintsCan you remember what each part of the plant is called? What are the parts that are underground called?
What is the part of the early blooming plant that stores energy called?
Which part of the plant collects sunlight?
SolutionAt the very bottom of the plant are roots. These take up water and nutrients.
Above the roots is a bulb. This holds food the plant needs to grow.
The bulb is like a backpack the plant uses to pack everything it will need until next spring.
Once the plant grows, the stem acts like a straw, bringing up food and water. The leaves collect sunlight.
From this, the plant makes its own food or nutrients. The new food is stored in the bulb for next year.
