Indulge Your Green Thumb With These Gorgeous Flowers
You know the old saying, “It takes all kinds.” At Country Living, we find that it’s as true for garden flowers as it is for people. Planting many different types of flowers in your garden guarantees a good show with a range of colors, textures, and heights. With a mix spring, summer, fall, and even winter bloomers, you'll have something pretty to enjoy in the garden all year long.
Every type of flower plays its part. Flowering shrubs and long-lived perennials form a low-maintenance foundation, while annuals sure are a delight even though we know we'll have to replace them every year. Flowering vines can take a garden to dazzling heights, but we need humble ground covers too to cover the bald spots. And, finally, the differing light needs of full-sun flowers and shade-loving gems ensure no spot in your garden goes without color. Just don't forget your pollinator friends—there are so many options that will attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your garden haven.
Read on to learn about some of the most popular types of flowers, complete with names and pictures, that will inspire you to get your hands in the dirt, whether your garden is big or small, cottage-style or formal. Before you buy any flowers, though, be sure to read the plant tag or description and check which perennials or shrubs are a good fit for your USDA Hardiness Zone (find yours here).
62 Best Types of Flowers to Plant
Astrantia
When it blooms: Spring to summer
Why we love it: This lesser-known perennial actually is an old-fashioned cottage garden favorite. Its pretty blooms last a long time and attract tons of pollinators.
Allium
When it blooms: Late spring
Why we love it: Tall, globe-shaped flowers (some are as big as your hand!) are a striking addition to the spring garden. Rodents won't bother these bulbs.
Related: 28 Types of Purple Flowers to Beautify Your Garden
Angelonia
When it blooms: Spring to fall
Why we love it: The bright colors, cascading or upright forms and flowers that bloom non-stop are all reasons to plant this annual in your beds, window boxes, and pots. It's sometimes called summer snapdragon.
Aster
When they bloom: Mid-summer to fall
Why we love them: It's one of our favorite perennials for a reason! Aster blooms for a long period, adding color just as all the other flowers are winding down for the season.
Azalea
When they bloom: Spring
Why we love them: These pretty shrubs tell you spring is in full swing. They're gorgeous planted in masses with other spring-flowering perennials. Some types rebloom later in the season.
Related: 20 Popular Flowering Shrubs for Every Kind of Garden
Balloon Flower
When it blooms: Midsummer
Why we love it: This perennial has brilliant blue, purple or pink blooms last for weeks. Plus, the tiny balloon-shaped buds make it even more fun to admire in your garden!
Begonia
When they bloom: Spring through summer (though some types bloom year-round)
Why we love them: Begonias come in a staggering array of shapes and colors and bloom continually without any deadheading (pinching off spent blooms). They're the perfect low-maintenance annual for any garden!
Black-eyed Susan
When it blooms: Late summer to early fall
Why we love it: This sunny flower will make you smile, plus it doesn't need babied because it's drought tolerant and blooms for weeks and weeks. These are all the reasons you need this late season bloomer in your garden. Be sure to choose a perennial type.
Related: 25 Types of Yellow Flowers for the Happiest Garden in the Neighborhood
Butterfly Bush
When it blooms: Early summer to late summer
Why we love it: Tons of spikey flowers in pink, purple or white cover this fast-growing shrub. Plus, you'll love seeing all the butterflies that visit! Newer varieties are not invasive.
Caladium
When it blooms: As pretty as any flower's bloom, the leaves keep their color from spring to frost
Why we love it: Gorgeous heart-shaped leaves add style to any garden, especially in shaded areas where many flowers won't bloom.
Calendula
When it blooms: Spring to mid-summer
Why we love it: These old-fashioned favorites are easy to grow from seed, and their bright orange or yellow petals make a gorgeous contrast to flowers that are blue or purple.
Calibrachoa
When they bloom: Spring to fall
Why we love them: These adorable annuals, which also go by the common name million bells, look like petunias but actually are a different plant. They bloom abundantly until a hard frost—and come in any color (including multi-colored pinwheels) you can imagine! This type of flower has a spilling habitat, which makes it ideal for hanging baskets.
Related: 22 Best Outdoor Hanging Plants and Flowers to Add Garden Charm
Catmint
When it blooms: Early summer to fall
Why we love it: If you want a perennial that requires almost no work, this is the plant for you! The silvery spicy-sweet foliage and the long-lasting blooms of catmint keep tons of pollinators buzzing for weeks and weeks. It's also drought-tolerant and grows well on slopes.
Chrysanthemums
When they bloom: Late summer to late fall
Why we love them: Mums come in ton of different types and colors ranging from hot pink to pumpkin orange. Plant these perennials in the spring so their roots can get established and survive winter; if you wait to fall to plant, they'll give a good show but likely won't return next year because they're putting their energy into blooming, not putting down roots.
Clematis
When it blooms: Spring to late summer
Why we love it: Clematis is a beautiful vine for fences, arbors and lamp posts. But be patient; it often takes perennials such as clematis several years to get established and take off.
Related: 20 Gorgeous Flowering Vines to Add Vertical Color to Your Garden
Columbine
When they bloom: Spring
Why we love them: The delicate flowers are so exotic-looking, yet these perennials are tough and very cold-hardy. Plant them with other spring perennials and annuals for best effect. They're also sometimes called Granny's bonnet (how cute is that!).
Coneflower
When it blooms: Early to late summer
Why we love it: These perennials are super-tough and drought-tolerant. Coneflower (a common name for echinacea) comes in an array of bright and beautiful colors from lime green to hot pink and deep red.
Related: 20 Types of Drought-Resistant Plants and Flowers for Dry Climates
Crocus
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love it: These tiny flowers pop up in early spring, often when snow still is on the ground. Plant in the fall for spring blooms that return year after year.
Daffodil
When they bloom: Early spring
Why we love them: Their bobbing heads are one of the earliest signs of spring--plus, rodents won't bother these bulbs (unlike tulips and crocuses). Plant in the fall for spring flowers, which should return for many years.
Related: 13 Types of Spring Flowering Bulbs for the Prettiest Garden on the Block
Dead Nettle
When it blooms: Late spring to mid-summer
Why we love it: We promise this shade plant is way better than its strange name! Also called lamium, it has pretty foliage and pink or purple flowers. It makes an incredibly low-maintenance perennial ground cover because it's drought tolerant and not fussy about soil types.
Related: 25 Best Shade Perennials That Thrive Out of the Sun
Dianthus
When they bloom: Late spring to early summer
Why we love them: These sturdy perennials come in every shade of the rainbow! They work well as a ground cover, planted in rock gardens, or placed at the front of a mixed border.
Daylily
When they bloom: Mid-summer
Why we love them: When nothing else will grow for you, plant daylilies! These super-hardy perennials come in various heights and stunning, saturated colors. As they multiply, you can divide and replant elsewhere.
False Indigo
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love it: This perennial, also called baptisia, is a spring bloomer in shades of bright purple, pink, or yellow. It has pretty blooms which become interesting seed pods in the fall! Pollinators love it, too!
Fan Flower
When they bloom: Spring to hard freeze
Why we love them: Fan flowers are a reliable annual which come in a variety of colors including pink, white, and purple-blue. They're beautiful cascading from baskets and window boxes.
Forsythia
When they bloom: Early spring
Why we love them: Forsythia are one of the earliest signs of spring, and their blooms appear before the foliage does. Look for newer varieties that remain much neater and more compact so they fit in smaller gardens.
Four O'Clocks
When they bloom: Summer
Why we love them: These old-fashioned annuals, which open in late afternoon, have a sweet scent that attracts butterflies during the day and moths in the evening.
Fuchsia
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love it: The exotic-looking blooms of this annual brighten up any shady area. It's incredible in baskets and window boxes, and pollinators such as hummingbirds love it!
Gardenia
When they bloom: Summer
Why we love them: A type of evergreen flowering shrub, gardenias shine in the summer when their dreamy white blooms fill the air with a heady fragrance. The pale petals glow softly under the moonlight, making gardenias an ideal flower type for a night garden.
Related: 20 Best White Flowers for Your Garden
Hellebore
When they bloom: Mid to late winter
Why we love them: These gorgeous perennials appear in winter or early spring, often blooming when snow is still on the ground in northern climates. They look delicate, but they're actually super-hardy.
Hollyhock
When they bloom: Summer
Why we love them: Big blossoms in luscious colors make these a must-have for any cottage garden. They can grow up to seven feet tall, so keep them at the back of borders.
Hyacinth
When they bloom: Mid to late spring
Why we love them: These pretty bulbs have a strong scent, and they bloom for weeks. Plant in the fall for spring blooms. They're a good choice if you're dealing with digging chipmunks and other rodents because they don't like these bulbs.
Hydrangea
When they bloom: Early summer to fall
Why we love them: With hundreds of types, you'll find one to love! Read the plant tag: Some need shade, with a little sun so they'll flower, but others will withstand full sun. The dwarf varieties work well in pots, too.
Ice Plant
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love it: Ice plant, also called delosperma, is a low-growing succulent that doesn't mind heat, is drought tolerant, and blooms all summer long. Incidentally, this is not the invasive species, also called ice plant, which you see growing wild in the southwest.
Impatiens
When they bloom: Spring to fall
Why we love them: These shade-loving annuals brighten up dark corners of the yard. Even better? They're reliable non-stop bloomers until frost, and they work equally well in beds, planters or hanging pots.
Lantana
When they bloom: Spring through fall
Why we love them: These vibrantly-colored plants are super-hardy and extremely drought-tolerant. In cold climates, they're annuals, but in milder parts of the country, they may last year-round.
Lavender
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love it: This incredibly-scented perennial is gorgeous planted in large swaths. Make sure you choose a variety that will survive winters in your region.
Lilac
When it blooms: Late spring
Why we love them: These hardy old-fashioned shrubs can live for decades! Their sweet scent and heart-shaped leaves should be part of any garden. New varieties rebloom later in the season.
Lobelia
When it blooms: Spring and early summer
Why we love it: This charming annual loves cool weather so it's great for providing early season color. Once it gets hot, it fades; trim it back and it may rebloom in fall.
Lupine
When they bloom: Late spring
Why we love them: These flowers naturalize readily, so you'll have plenty more in time. Their pretty spikes look best at the back of borders.
Mandevilla
When it blooms: Spring to freeze
Why we love it: This vining plant needs a trellis to show off its gorgeous trumpet-shaped blooms that come in shades of pinks and reds. You even can bring it indoors to winter it over until next spring, but give it tons of bright light.
Related: 28 Types of Red Flowers to Add Bold Color to Your Garden
Marigold
When it blooms: Spring to fall
Why we love them: These hardy flowers will take anything you throw at them: They're pest and disease-resistant, drought-tolerant and not tasty to rodents. They'll even survive a light frost!
Nasturtium
When they bloom: Summer
Why we love them: These cheery flowers come in fiery shades of red, orange, and yellow, hot pink and salmon. The pretty round leaves and the flowers are edible, too, so toss them on salads and or use them to decorate cakes!
Related: 12 Types of Edible Flowers for Decorating Your Dinner Plates
Nemesia
When it blooms: Spring to fall
Why we love it: Profuse flowers in white, yellow, shades of pink and purple cascade beautifully on this annual and bloom and bloom until a hard freeze in the fall. Plant it in baskets or pots for the most dramatic effect.
Pansy
When it blooms: Early spring or fall
Why we love them: These charming annuals often reseed, so you won't have to plant them again. Their pretty little faces can be used to dress up salads and baked goods, too, because the flowers are edible.
Peony
When it blooms: Late spring to early summer
Why we love them: These eye-catching perennials are the queens of the garden with magnificent form and scent. They're extremely long-lived plants, surviving for decades. Don't worry about any visiting ants, which are not hurting the plant but only coming to sip the nectar.
Petunia
When it blooms: From spring until frost
Why we love them: Petunias are tough little flowers. They look best cascading from planters and window boxes, but they're also lovely as ground covers. Older types must be deadheaded (have spent blooms removed after they fade) to keep blooming; new types don't require fussing.
Phlox
When it blooms: Late spring to summer
Why we love it: You'll find many different types of phlox, but most are sweetly scented and perfectly suited for a cottage garden. Look for newer varieties which are more disease resistant.
Portulaca
When it blooms: Spring to fall
Why we love it: This low-growing annual, also called moss rose, is extremely drought tolerant and boasts gorgeous shades of yellow, red, pink, salmon, white and orange. It could care less about heat!
Rhododendron
When it blooms: Spring
Why we love them: This shrub has gorgeous blooms in shades of pink, red, white and purple, plus glossy, green leaves. It's also an evergreen so it works well as a foundation planting.
Rose
When it blooms: Spring to hard freeze
Why we love them: Believe it or not, roses are extremely sturdy plants, and many new types are more cold-hardy and disease resistant. Shrub roses are especially tough and bloom all season long.
Rose of Sharon
When it blooms: Late summer
Why we love it: The pretty blooms of this shrub appear late in the season when the rest of the garden is beginning to fade. They come in white, pinks, purples and even pale blue.
Salvia
When it blooms: Late spring to late summer
Why we love it: These sturdy perennials attract pollinators with their pretty long-blooming spikes of purple, pink, red or white flowers. Their silvery-green foliage is attractive even after they're done blooming.
Related: 17 Types of Flowers That Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard
Shasta Daisies
When it blooms: Midsummer to early fall
Why we love it: This low-maintenance perennial looks like the common daisy but grows in bushes that span about 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.
Related: 25 Colorful Types of Daisies That'll Brighten Your Garden
Snapdragon
When they bloom: Spring to hard frost
Why we love them: These charming annuals will take a little cold, so they can be planted sooner in spring than more tender annuals. Their colors range from white to pale yellow to deep hues of orange, red, and pink.
Sunflower
When it blooms: Late summer to early fall
Why we love them: They're fun and come in every color and size from tiny to gigantic! Plus, they're easy to grow from seed, though you may need to protect the seeds and seedlings from birds and rodents with a chicken wire cage formed around them.
Related: 15 Different Types of Sunflowers to Plant in Your Garden
Stonecrop
When it blooms: Late summer to early fall
Why we love them: This autumn perennial blooms just as everything else is fading in your garden. They are tough as nails, drought-tolerant and you almost can't kill them! Plus, they make long-lived cut flowers.
Sweet Alyssum
When it blooms: Spring to hard freeze
Why we love it: The sweetly-scented, delicate blooms attract pollinators and look incredible tumbling from planters and window boxes.
Sweet Pea
When they bloom: Early spring
Why we love them: Delicate and graceful, these old-fashioned garden plants do best in cooler weather. Give them a net or trellis to climb, although some varieties are more compact.
Thrift
When it blooms: Late spring to mid-summer
Why we love it: This lesser-known perennial has tiny, cute mounds of grassy foliage topped by minute ball-shaped flowers. It makes a charming plant for rock gardens.
Tulip
When they bloom: Spring
Why we love them: Their stately blooms announce that spring has arrived! Plant the bulbs in the fall, but be aware that they're often sketchy about coming back. If they do, they're usually lackluster in successive years. Treat them as annuals and replant new bulbs the next fall.
Yarrow
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love them: These tall perennials come in many different colors and are extremely drought-tolerant. Deer tend to leave them alone.
Zinnia
When it blooms: Summer
Why we love them: These hardy annuals are tough and low-maintenance and come in shades ranging from whites to pinks to reds. Pollinators love them!
Related: The 18 Best Annual Flowers and Plants to Bring the 'Wow' Factor
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