Flowers Ideas, Tips & Guides

Hello and happy Monday, GPODers!

Ever planted a row of cheerful sunflowers, only to find them looking a bit..errr, munched on? You might have some furry visitors! Deer love a good garden snack, and sunflowers can be on the menu. Let’s see if these tall, bright beauties are a deer delicacy.

Blue flowers are like little bursts of sky in your garden, and there’s no better way to enjoy them than with a beautiful blooming bush! We’ve got a whole list of them!

Black Rose Tattoos are really personal and can allow you to showcase a ton of things with their rich symbolism. Ready to check these out?

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The summer gardening season is here, and whether you're growing your first patch of flowers or are a seasoned pro, now is the time to prepare.

For the last 19 years I have spent the third week in May at the Chelsea Flower show. It's one of those Great British institutions that just has to be experienced — a chance to see the country's best horticultural performers all in one space, to glean ideas, spot trends and talk to the people who make our gardens grow.

Every day I seem to spot the first rose of the year on yet another bush and, today, the first of hundreds on ‘Rambling Rector’; in the warmth and sunshine this afternoon there was even a hint of fragrance in the air. I can’t post any fragrance on this blog, but I can share the beauty of the roses along with their varied colour and form, beginning with ‘Olivia Rose Austin’, above, which grows into a neat and shapely bush.

If you are interested in pollinator-friendly garden practices and sustainable landscaping, you’ve probably heard of “No Mow May” before. The campaign encourages homeowners to retire their lawnmowers in May to help native pollinators as they emerge from hibernation. 

Q: We have a small back garden that includes an old wall covered in ivy. I love the ivy, but it has become home to an army of slugs that have eaten many of my plants over the years. I have tried many different things to combat the slugs (ground eggshells, coffee grinds, various different pellets), none of which have really made that much difference. I am also concerned about using products that may harm the birds that visit the garden and our dog. At this stage, I think I have to accept that the slugs are part of the garden and learn to live with them. So, I would like to look at planting some small shrubs and flowers that are not appealing to slugs. I would be grateful for some suggestions. JM

In the arc of an Irish gardening year, May is the month of magical things. The first rose. The first swallow. The first properly hot day. The first beech tree in full leaf. The first sighting of wisteria in magnificent lilac bloom, draping itself languidly against a high, sunny wall. As nature flashes its brilliant feathers, it’s also our last real opportunity before summer finally arrives to make a substantial difference to our gardens or allotments, whether that’s filling them with fast-growing annuals to provide plenty of homegrown produce for the months ahead, planting up spectacular summer containers, or fine-tuning flower borders for maximum impact. With all of this in mind, here’s a handy little to-do list to help you stay on course.

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There’s a buzz in the air at this time of the year in the gardening world, as we look forward to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The star performers at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and other flower shows are herbaceous perennials.

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Why have boring fences and hedges around your house when you can fill them up with different shades of colors nature has on offer with its stunning blossoms!

Hi GPODers!

As trends often go, what’s old is new again, and the garden is no exception. Romantic and whimsical gardens are back in style, along with many classic blooms like roses, hydrangeas, and 2024’s “it” flower—the peony. 

Foliage plants are fine but it is the flowers we all want! And if we get them sooner, like without waiting for too long after planting would be great, right? Well, you are in for a treat!

Thinking of turning your bathroom into a mini jungle? Lush greenery, steam rising like a mystical fog…well, maybe that’s taking it a bit far, but houseplants can definitely add a spa-like vibe to your bathroom. And guess what? Here are Rainforest Plants to Grow in Bathroom to make your job easier.

The Best Flowering Vines and Climbers to Grow in Garden & Containers can add vertical interest, frame doorways, or even create privacy screens. And the best part? They’re really easy to take care of. 

If you’re looking for the ultimate destination for gardening enthusiasts, then QVC is is the platform for you.

There is little you can do to control how much shade or sunlight a garden bed gets. Sure, you can cut down a tree to let in more sun or build a pergola for shade, but you can’t adjust the tilt of the earth. To find plants that will thrive in your garden, you need to get a handle on how much sunlight reaches each bed throughout the day and in all four seasons. Fortunately, with good observation skills and perhaps a new app on your phone, you can gather all the information you need to choose plants that will grow well in your garden’s brightest sun, deepest shade, and all the partially shaded places in between. 

The following plants come from habitats that are seasonally or permanently wet, yet they can thrive in drier upland regions too. They are also tolerant of different soil types and textures. 

Like many northern gardeners, I had red-hot poker envy for many years but ruled out growing them because of their iffy -chances of surviving winter in my region. However, I am very excited about some of the newer Kniphofia introductions we are growing at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Being able to overwinter a South African plant in the Midwest is pretty cool, right? 

We design gardens in northwestern Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, and many of our clients’ properties have sections that are rocky and steep. Embracing the unique contours of each site, we have built rock gardens, terraces, and plantings that flow downhill. We see each hillside as an opportunity to put together a satisfying plant palette that is easy to maintain and beautiful to behold. A bonus with slopes is that they provide good drainage by their very nature.

Don’t have a sunny part in your home or garden, but still crave for those lively blossoms? Don’t worry! We have some beautiful flowers that will be more than happy to bloom in no sunlight!

Welcome to a fascinating journey through the world of flowers that start with O. From the elegant Orchid to the charming Oxeye Daisy, this collection showcases a diverse array of blooms, each with its own unique beauty and characteristics.

These fascinating plants have an incredible ability to release oxygen around the clock through a process called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). At night, they breathe in carbon dioxide, while during the day, use stored CO2 to produce fresh oxygen for us to breathe!

When choosing flowers for graves, it’s important to consider their symbolism so that you can convey the right wishes to the lost soul.

Siberian irises are known for filling the bloom gap between late spring and midsummer. They blossom after Japanese iris (I. ensata, Zones 4–9) but before bearded iris (I. germanica, Zones 3–9). This 2024 introduction sports a compact habit that allows it to hold the stems of heavy blooms aloft without fuss. Each flower has saffron-yellow signals (outer petals) highlighted by dusty purple-blue veins. The center is a solid amethyst hue. The interesting, tiger-like striping is certainly the cat’s meow.

Name: Hydrangea arborescens ‘Kolpinbel’

Spring cleanup can be a real mess. If you cut your own ornamental grasses, that’s especially true if it’s a windy day and you’re dealing with taller ­grasses (e.g., Miscanthus, Panicum) blowing everywhere as they’re cut and fall over.

Name: Cornus kousa var. chinensis

Name: Mahonia repens syn. Berberis repens

I have grown alliums for their stunning architectural form for years, but one is by far my favorite: ‘Ambassador’. Although its bulb is related to garlic, onions, and shallots, this ornamental garden variety is a show-stopper. There are many other allium cultivars out there, ranging in size, color, and form, but ‘Ambassador’ rises to the top of my list for a lot of reasons.