Spring-flowering plants signal the return of warm weather and growing gardens. In addition to traditional flowering bulbs and bedding plants, a number of attractive bushes or shrubs that flower in spring are available from nurseries or garden centers. Some of these bushes have thorns, making them especially useful for impenetrable hedges or in other barrier plantings.
The firethorn bush (Pyracantha coccinea) is a member of the rose family that can reach a maximum height of 10 to 12 feet. Covered with small, glossy green leaves throughout the growing season, its branches are stiff and have glossy brown bark bearing many sharp thorns. In late spring, firethorn bushes produce small but showy white flowers in abundance, making a bright display of white against the dark green foliage. Orange-red berries follow in the summer months; these ripen in early fall, providing a food source for wildlife. Firethorn is available in several cultivars with different growth habits, but all are easy to grow and hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone 5 and above. The plant does best in full sun, yet tolerates partial shade and is adaptable to growing on trellises or in espalier form on wires.
The Japanese quince bush (Chaenomeles japonica), also called flowering quince, is a deciduous shrub that is especially low-maintenance and trouble-free. Generally low-growing, Japanese quince reaches a mature height of 3 feet but can spread to about 6 feet. The plant produces orange-scarlet, five-petaled flowers with cream to yellow stamens in early spring. Greenish-yellow fruits follow, ripening in early autumn into edible but bitter quinces about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The shrub's branches are covered with sharp thorns and small green leaves with serrated edges. Flowering quince is hardy in zone 5 and above, and it requires little care once established, needing only average moisture in full to partial sun.
The hardy orange bush (Poncirus trifoliate "Monstrosa") is sometimes called contorted hardy orange because its stems grow in a zigzag or corkscrew form. The deciduous bush reaches a height of 3 to 6 feet and has curved thorns up to 1 inch in length spaced along its branches and stems. It generally blooms between April and May, producing white flowers about 2 inches in diameter that have a slightly sweet fragrance. Fruit resembling tiny, yellowish oranges appears in autumn; although technically edible, the fruit is acidic and seedy with a strong lemon flavor. The foliage turns an attractive yellow color in autumn. Easy to grow and with few problems, hardy orange is reliably hardy in zones 6 and above, prefers full sun and is quite drought-tolerant.
The mentor barberry bush (Berberis x mentorensis) is a semievergreen, hybrid shrub that grows to a height of 5 to 7 feet and has an upright, rounded and dense form, making it an excellent choice for a barrier planting. Its stems have sharp thorns and are covered with small, bluish-green leaves that turn yellow-orange in fall, lasting into early winter in warmer regions. In early spring, the plant produces tiny, pale yellow flowers all along its stems, followed by small and insignificant fruits. The mentor barberry does well in most conditions, tolerating full sun or shade and dry conditions. Extremely low-maintenance plants, mentor barberry bushes can be planted in a row to develop a dense, impenetrable hedge. They are hardy in zone 5 and above.
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