Spring Foliage
- CFC Team
- May 20
- 5 min read
Every season has its whimsy, but spring in particular is a tough one to predict. We are happy to be at her mercy as long as she keeps sending us those one-of-a-kind blooms and deliciously lush greens.
When the crabapples begin flowering and the crocus pop up around town, we can begin to gauge the arrival of other early bloomers.
We know foliage can be as important to your recipes as your floral selections. Which is why we've gone through our inventory to highlight local greens, and when you can expect them for your spring events and arrangements.
Below you'll find a list of spring foliage and when to expect them in the shop.
Crabapple Flowering Branches
Mid - Late April
5-7 stems per bunch, 18-24” stems
Flowering branches arrive in the shop sometime mid to late April and only stick around for a few weeks. Spring in Colorado is so fickle, and a late snow can wipe flowering branches out without much warning. However fleeting, we love to see them in the shop each spring.
We see crabapple in a range of pinks and white. With crabapple, the masses of blooms take center stage and the foliage plays as backup.
Chokecherry
Last week of April - May
5 stems per bunch, 18-24" stems
Available in abundance.
The white flowers and leaves create lots of texture and movement in arrangements. While the blooms are white, their centers are yellow so they can also work well in creamy palettes.
Chokecherry is best for event work as the blooms can shatter once fully open, which is not ideal for daily arrangements. An added benefit of chokecherry is it's abundance in early Spring!
Chokecherry is also available 'budded', as branches in the summer and the late summer with green, black, or red berries.
Quince
Late April - June
8-10 stems per bunch, stem length 18"+
We see quince with red or coral blooms in late April, but the foliage can last through May and June. The earliest foliage has distinct red tips.
Service Berry
Late April - early May
5-7 stems per bunch, 18"+ stems
Flowering Plum Branches
Late April - early May
5-7 stems per bunch, 18"+ stems
Adding variety and texture to your flowering branch options, service berry has corresponding greens, while flowering plum is branchier and more ethereal.
Blooming branches, flowering bushes, and early returning perennials begin in late April and early May. Perennial plants die back every winter, and new growth starts up from the ground as the soil warms. It can take a little longer for those perennial stems to get hardy enough to cut, so the earliest foliage of the season is always branchy and then the more tender stems arrive.
Bush Honeysuckle
Late April - June
10 stems per bunch, 14” stems
Bush Honeysuckle is perfect when you need lots of coverage for large-scale arrangements or installations. It's one of the first true foliage we see in spring, which makes it reliable and easy to predict.
Bush Honeysuckle with pink or white flowers can be found in the shop and can be ordered in XL sizes.
Honeysuckle Vine
May - July
10 stems per bunch, stems 12"
These creeping stems are perfect for a touch of green and whimsy.
Dark Clematis Foliage
May - July
10 stems per bunch, 16”+ stems
Available in abundance.
When your project calls for a little moody gesture, dark clematis foliage is a reliable option.
Sweet Pea Foliage
May - June, later with fuchsia blooms
10 stems per bunch, stem length 14-18”
Budded Three-Leaf Sumac
May
5 branches per bunch, stem length 20"+
Available in abundance.
Bring on the texture and color with Budded Three-Leaf Sumac! Early sumac comes to the shop budded out and ready for design. We only see these chartreuse buds in May. By the end of the month, the buds will have blossomed into one of our favorite green foliage staples. Look for green three-leaf sumac in early June through September.
Mint
Mid-May/June - August
10 stems per bunch, 12”+ stems
Available in abundance.
Mint is a reliable perennial and comes back each year in earnest. Apple mint and spearmint are the first to arrive, sometime in May. Later in July they'll be available with blooms.
Green Plum Foliage
May
5-10 stems per bunch, 15-18" stems
A perfect linear texture, green plum foliage arrives in May when you need something sturdy to ground your arrangements.
Veronica Foliage
May
15 stems per bunch, stem length 14”+
Veronica Foliage is fun and funky and arrives in the shop in hearty bunches. This unique foliage is the first of the veronica, which arrives later in the summer.
Blooming Currant Foliage
May - Early June
5 stems per bunch, stem length 20"+
Petite yellow blooms grow on the currant foliage, which gives a little splash of brightness to this foliage option. It's branchy with lots of movement.
Cotoneaster Foliage
May
10 stems per bunch, 18-24" stems
Available in abundance.
Cotoneaster reliably begins leafing out even before the weather has warmed up, which makes it easy to predict for the shop. Long, linear, and shapely stems are the perfect texture, especially when the other flowering bushes are slow to make an appearance.
Springtime favorites like spirea, viburnum, and lilac are variable each spring depending on the weather, which makes them tough to predict. When they do begin to bloom, flowering perennials last for only a few weeks each year, which is what makes it such a special shop item.
We must pay close attention in late April and May, once these novelties begin to bloom, we'll only be able to enjoy them for a few short weeks!
Spirea
Variable between May - June
7-10 stems per bunch, 18"+ stems
Spirea is a springtime favorite, but timing these beauties varies each year. In 2025, we saw spirea in the shop from early May to mid-May which was a couple weeks earlier than what we've seen in the past.
The local cuts are full of bounce and character.
Snowball Viburnum
Variable between May - June
7-10 stems per bunch, 18"+ stems
Shapely greens and delightful white flowers, snowball viburnum is a cross between foliage and flowers.
Like spirea and other flowering perennials, snowball viburnum's stint in the shop is short and sweet, lasting for only a few weeks each year.
Leather Leaf Viburnum
May - June
7-10 stems per bunch, 12"+ stems
There is something about the perfectly shaped foliage and sagey essence of leather leaf viburnum that we can't resist. Plus, the sweetly smelling pink and white blooms make this fun to design with, too. The leathery foliage holds up in bouquets.
