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If you have the right growing conditions,  namely sheltered and away from cold winds, Clematis armandii is a lovely. It has pale scented flowers, with large almost waxy leaves and flowers predominantly in March and April. There is also an attractive pink variety C. armandii ' Apple Blossom' - Growing tips.

Popular and widely grown is spring flowering Forsythia . It tends to get downgraded because it is so common, but it is a cheerful welcome sight and easy to grow.  The flowers  bloom ahead of the leaves and Forsythia makes an attractive shrub which can be planted to make a colourful hedge.

On mild days, solitary bees will emerge looking for food. At these times the early flowering spring plants play an important part. Hellebores are a great source of early food for the bees and a few clumps will attract the solitary bees into your garden. The best for bees are the simple, non-double varieties

Pieris is striking, with strong red colour on the new growth which fades to become more pale over time, Pieris is an easy to grow evergreen shrub. It has lovely white flowers after the foliage and is an ideal, low maintenance, colourful shrub. It is unfussy as to conditions except the need for an acid soil.