Spring is here, and with it comes a beautiful array of spring flowers. As you drive down the road, you see fields of wildflowers, or beautiful roses in someone’s yard. All that beauty can’t help but make you smile.
If it makes you smile so broadly when driving, why not let that beautiful vision greet you each day in your own yard? Embracing life with beauty is as simple as adding a flower garden. it’s just a matter of choosing which ones!
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Outside or Inside?
For me, the whole point of having flowers in a bed outside, is so I can embrace the beauty of life inside as well. Once or twice a week, I want to bring that beauty inside to enjoy all day long. When I choose my plants, I consider what they will look like in a bouquet.
I also consider height and color. Depending on the cultivar, some flowers can range from as little as one foot to 5 feet. When it comes to color, I opt for several different ones. But when I consider height, I prefer to stick with either or.
As with everything, there is an exception to that rule. Sunflowers can come in dwarf sizes up to 10’ tall. I love an arrangement that is solely varying heights and colors of these cheerful flowers!
Fun Vases
If it will hold a flower, it will work for a vase. I have used just about everything to hold my arrangements. If you want to go formal, most everyone has a crystal cut vase in a cabinet somewhere. Although I have been known to use them in a pinch, I like the less formal look to my container.
To find a suitable vase, look in your cabinets. I have used a salad dressing carafe and vintage Mason jars. I collect vintage enamelware, so quite often larger bouquets end up in a pitcher.
Vintage milk and cream bottle make perfect vases for simple arrangements. The most unusual thing I have used is an old glass measuring cup that was originally used for photography chemicals.
Another great idea is to gather up all those old medicine bottles you picked up at flea markets. Place a single stem (or two) in each one, and line them up across the kitchen table or on a window ledge.
What To Grow
This is where the sky is the limit, if you have the space. If you aren’t able to plant 100 acres of nothing but flowers, you may need to pick and choose.
The first consideration is your Gardening Zone. (Don’t know what it is? Find out HERE.) Some flowers, such as zinnias, love our hot summers. But there is no way I can successfully grow in this hot, humid climate.
A second consideration is the lighting. If your yard is rimmed with trees that keep it shady all day, look for flowers that can tolerate shade. Some flowers, such as yarrow, will grow in shade, but they tend to get leggy.
Last, but not least, spring flowers also contribute life giving food for some beautiful insects. Even if we are primarily growing for cut flower arrangements, it is always the best idea to offer food to beneficial insects. Most of the flowers on the chart below will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
But did you know that peonies mainly attract what we consider a pest? That big, fluffy, beautiful bloom secretes a sap that is a great food source for ants! Let me debunk a myth here. You may have been told that ants feeding on the sap is what helps the blooms to open. No. Those blooms are going to open regardless.
For a few ideas on what to grow, here is a list of twenty great flowers to use for fresh flower arrangements:
Spring Flowers
| Flower | Height | Light | Season | Type | Attracts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ageratum | 6" to 24" | Full Sun/Part Shade | Summer/Fall | Reseeding | Butterflies |
| Baby's Breath | 12" to 36" | Full Sun/Part Shade | Summer/Fall | Annual | Bees |
| Black-eyed Susan | 1' to 3' | Full Sun | Summer/Fall | Bees/Butterflies | |
| Butterfly Bush | up to 7' | Full Sun | Summer | Shrub | Bees/Butterflies |
| Chrysanthemum | 1' to 3' | Full Sun | Fall | Perennial | Butterflies |
| Cornflower | up to 30" | Full Sun | S/S/F | Annual | Bees/Butterflies |
| Daffodil | 6" to 16" | Full Sun | Spring | Perennial | Minimal |
| Daisies | 3' to 4' | Full Sun | Summer | Perennial | Bees/Butterflies |
| Delphinium | 5' to 8' | Full Sun/Part Shade | Summer | Annual | Bees/Butterflies |
| Gladioli | 2' to 5' | Full Sun | Summer | Perennial | None |
| Iris | 6" to 40" | Full Sun | Spring | Perennial | Butterflies |
| Lavender | 20" to 24" | Full Sun | Summer | Perennial | Bees/Butterflies |
| Peony | 1' to 7' | Full Sun/Part Shade | Summer | Perennial | Butterflies |
| Ranunculus | 10" to 24" | Full Sun | Spring | Perennial | Bees/Butterflies |
| Salvia | up to 5' | Full Sun | Summer | Perennial | Bees/Butterflies |
| Sunflower | 6' to 10' | Full Sun | Summer | Annual | Bees/Butterflies |
| Sweet Pea | 2' to 8' | Full Sun/Part Shade | Spring | Annual | Bees/Butterflies |
| Yarrow | 2' to 3' | Full Sun | Summer | Perennial | Bees/Butterflies |
| Zinnia | 10" to 3' | Full Sun | Summer | Annual | Bees/Butterflies |
Show them Off
Now that you have a beautiful garden, lush with spring flowers, it’s time to bring a few inside. Arrange them in your chosen vase, and find the best place to display them. The first place you want to put them is right where folks first enter the house. Cut flowers have a way to saying ‘Welcome!’, and brings a smile to a visitor’s face.
Spring flowers are also a perfect stress relief, so add some to the kitchen table. If you have problems sleeping at night, place a few stalks of lavender in a vase by your bedside.
Having overnight guests? Be sure to add a fun selection on their bedside table. You can also go so far as to add another vase in their bathroom.
Take them to a Neighbor
Flowers have the ability to ‘speak’ many languages. They fluently speak ‘Get Well!’, ‘I miss you’, ‘Welcome to the Neighborhood’ and many others. (They also say “I’m sorry!” extremely well!)
Because of their linguistic skills, create a few vases and take them to your neighbors. Not only will they appreciate them, but you may get a story gift in return. “Oh! My mama used to grow the most beautiful __________!” (Those stories are some of the best gifts I have ever received!)
With a little work, you can easily share the beauty of life with a garden filled with spring flowers. It’s time to grab our garden plan, gloves and our seeds. Let’s start planting!
Let’s take this conversation a bit further. What are your favorite spring flowers? Tell me your favorite way to display them or share them. I can’t wait to hear from you!
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