If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.
—Alfred Lord Tennyson

The poet beautifully links flowers and love and friendship, and for color in your garden for you and loved ones to enjoy here are ten flowers I recommend.

Cosmos
These daisy type flowers in red, pink and white dance on graceful feathery foliage, and love full sun and heat. “Sensation mixed” is a blend available in six packs that will give you flowers ideal for cutting, and plants that will reach three feet tall. Cosmos are grown as annuals.

 

Zinnias
There is a zinnia for every garden, from the dwarf six inch tall Thumbelina and Fairyland, to the “Dahlia-flowered mixed” with two foot tall stems and big flowers. Zinnias come in red, yellow, pink and even green. “Envy Double” has green flowers. Zinnias last long in bouquets, and are annuals hardy to 32 degrees F (zone 10).

 

Godetia
One Godetia plant looks like a full bouquet when growing, and comes in white and shades of rose and pink. Varieties grow from eight inches to 3 feet tall, love full sun, are okay in dry soil, and are often paired with their cousin, Clarksia. The tall “Duke of York” and “Shamini Carmine” produce excellent cut flowers and the dwarf “Salmon Princess” is gorgeous.

 

 

Gloriosa Daisy
Gloriosa Daisy is a much loved garden flower, and has earned several other names including Black Eyed Susan and Cone Flower, in addition to its Latin name of Rudbeckia hirta. This plant offers golden petals and chocolate centers and two to four inch wide flowers. “Goldilocks” is a tall variety and “Toto” reaches just ten inches tall.

 

Foxglove
Foxglove is a stately and old fashioned flower always welcome in my garden, since it reaches three feet tall, blooms over a long period, and is ideal planted at the back of a garden spot, with shorter plants in front of it. The tall Digitalis grandiflora is admired for its large flowers which remind me of bells. Dappled shade is ideal, but sun is okay, since foxgloves are not demanding plants, bless their hearts. These are biennials and perennials, and will reseed if you leave a few stems to develop seeds.

 

 

Penstemon
This plant has flowers that remind me of snapdragons, as they form all along the tall stems. Penstemon is a perennial which will bloom in spring and again in fall if you cut back the spent flowers. The plants grow two to four feet tall and have a wide color range, from crimson red to pale pink and deep purple.

 

Aster
Aster is a perennial which is admired for its lavender blue flowers in the variety “Monch”, which reaches two feet in height, New England aster has mostly blue flowers, and “Climax”, which can reach four to six feet tall, has the desirable true blue blooms.

 

 

Yarrow
Yarrow has flowers ranging from yellow to white, rusty red, and salmon. “Coronation Gold” and “Moonshine” varieties have yellow flowers. This plant grows from four inches to five feet tall, depending on the species and has flat heads of small flowers and fern-like foliage. Yarrow grows in full sun or light shade, and must have soil that is not too rich and that is well-drained. No feeding is needed and water deeply but only occasionally.

 

Geum chiloense
For brilliant scarlet flowers try the perennial Geum chiloense “Mrs. Bradshaw” or “Blazing Sunset” and for sunny yellow “Lady Strathedon”, which bloom on tall spikes rising from mounds fifteen inches tall and two feet wide. The flowers look like miniature roses, and grow in full sun to part shade, preferring rich, well-drained soil.

 

 

Salvia
This plant is justly very popular and attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, with blooms of hot red, darkest blue and yellow. Salvia thrives on heat and needs little water. Salvia cacaliifolia has gentian blue flowers and prefers bright shade, while the butter yellow Salvia madrensis requires more sun. Mexican bush sage is a favorite plant at my house with flowers that are velvety and encourage you to touch them. Mexican bush sage comes in varieties with purple flowers, white flowers or flowers that are both purple and white. Salvia are perennials in their native Texas and Mexico but are treated as annuals in northern climes.

 

Copyright © by Terra Hangen

Photo Credits from Wikimedia.org, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License:
Cosmos by Kurt Stueber. Penstemon by Stan Shebs. Godetia by Stephen Lea. Aster by Magnus Mansk. Yarrow by "Calibus". Geum chiloense by Kenpei. Salvia by Stan Shebs. Share

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