151 Types of Flowers + Images and Growing Tips | Care Guide (2024)

Did you know there are over 400,000 plant species across the world? In other words, that’s more than the number of bird, butterfly and bee species, combined! While many flowers grow naturally in forests, grasslands, deserts and tundras, growing your own garden or picking up someunique flowersis a great way to create your own oasis.

How do you pick the right type of flowers for your needs? With literally hundreds of thousands to choose from, it can be overwhelming! That’s why we’ve compiled our handy guide below of 151 Most Common Flower Types in the U.S. Wondering how much sun or soil your flower will need? Where it grows best? How to make a fabulousflower bouquetfor your indoor table? Scroll through our alphabeticallistof flower names and gardening information to find your perfect bloom!

Aconite

Aconites are one of the first bulb flowers to bloom in the spring and are known for their cheerful yellow color. Plant Aconites in a large group together and you'll be able to smell their sweet, honey-likefragrance.

Ageratum

Also known as Flossflower, Ageratums come in blue, pink and white blooms. The taller varieties are best for cutting and displaying in your home, while the dwarf bedding varieties are best kept in thegarden.

Artemisia

For those seeking a drought tolerant plant that doesn't make your yard look like a dessert, the Artemisia is for you. Tolerating low amounts of water, you can create a diverse xeriscape with this silveryflower.

Aster

Named after the Latin word for "star," Asters will brighten up any garden. It attracts butterflies and comes in a variety of colors including blue, indigo, violet, white, red and pink. Unlike other colorful flowers, Asters will typically stay in bloom into cooler fallmonths.

Astilbe

Astilbes are deceptively delicate with their long, fern-like flowers. These flowers can actually withstand damp soil and shade, while still growing between one to six feet tall. Perfect to add for a pop of color to a garden that typically gets littlesunlight.

Aubrieta

Named after Claude Aubriet, a French artist who famously painted them, Aubrietas spread low with small violet, pink or white flowers. If you're creating a rock garden, Aubrietas are ideal as it prefers sandy, well-drainedsoil.

Azalea

Often referred to as "the royalty of the garden," these elegant flowers are known for their outstanding colors and foliage. With thousands of varieties to choose from, Azaleas require little maintenance once planted and can be brought inside to make a fabulous bouquet.

Balloon Flower

Balloon flowers start as hollow buds and, as it grows, eventually bursts open into a star-shaped flower. In addition to its beauty, Balloon flowers are resilient in the garden and can handle varying sunlight, water and soil.

Balsam

Bring the tropics to your garden with a Balsam plant. Easy to care for, it thrives in shadier spots, can tolerate heat and handle damp soil. Flowers come in almost every color of the rainbow, including red, orange, yellow, violet, white and pink.

Baneberry

Perfect for cool, shaded spots, the Baneberry brings a holiday-inspired look to your garden. Before the Baneberry bears ornamental fruit, it features small white flowers. Beware though, the little red berries found on the plant are poisonous to eat!

Basket of Gold

With bright yellow, low-growing flowers, no wonder where the Basket of Gold got its name. Given its short height and golden color, this makes for a perfect addition to a rock garden or xeriscape.

Bee Balm

With the name Bee balm, this ornamental flower attracts not only bees, but hummingbirds and other beneficial pollinators. Bee balms are highly valued for their deep scarlet color, but also come in blue, violet, white and pink.

Begonia

Known for their attractive blooms, the Begonia is a timeless favorite among gardeners. Consisting of more than 1,700 specie, Begonias also make for good indoor plants if kept by a sunny window and watered regularly.

Bellflower

With their happy, star-like flowers, the variety of Bellflowers available can fit any gardener's needs. Ranging from short to tall, and featuring almost every color of the rainbow, these cheery flowers are a great fit for your garden or cut to display in your home.

Bergenia

The Bergenia plant looks as sweet as its nicknames—also commonly known as Pigsqueak or Elephant's ears. While short in stature, the Bergenia makes up for it in ornate flowers and leaves that change from green to red or bronze in the cooler months.

Blackeyed Susan

Known as the official flower for the Preakness, Blackeyed Susans are a member of the sunflower family. In addition to making a beautiful indoor flower arrangement, Blackeyed Susans attract butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.

Bleeding Heart

The Bleeding Heart's appearance is as equally dramatic as its name, bearing heart shaped flowers that hang from a long stem. It also makes for an exquisite cut flower to display in your home.

Bloodroot

This flower gets its name from the bright red poisonous sap if you cut into the stem, but on the outside the Bloodroot makes for a great addition to a shaded garden. In addition to a bright white flower, the leaves are scalloped to create an elegant package.

Boneset

Also known as Flossflower, Ageratums come in blue, pink and white blooms. The taller varieties are best for cutting and displaying in your home, while the dwarf bedding varieties are best kept in thegarden.

Browallia

The Browallia will grow in the darkest corners of your garden, preferring full shade and protection from the hot sun. It also makes for a great indoor plant during the summer as long as it's kept damp but not wet.

Bugleweed

Bugleweed is a popular choice to fill a garden with low, colorful greenery, but be sure to maintain it as it can easily spread and take over your garden. Most prefer shade, but if your Bugleweed variety has purple leaves, it'll do well in heat.

Bugloss

Given it's tall height, attractive blooms and unalluring foliage, the Bugloss is often grown as accent border plants. This biennial is short lived and doesn't do well with excess moisture.

Buttercup

Who hasn't held a buttercup up to their chin to see it reflect its golden yellow shade? This cheerful plant is a favorite, but requires regular maintenance to keep it from spreading.

Butterfly Weed

The aptly named Butterfly Weed is a favorite among butterflies, but also bees and other beneficial insects. Propagation may take some time, but once the Butterfly Weed starts growing this hardy plant can endure full sun and a variety of soil types.

Caladium

Caladiums are known for their heart or arrow shaped leaves and are a good addition to a garden needing some dramatic foliage. In addition to green, leaves are known to include hues of red, white, maroon, pink and cream.

Calendula

Add a pop of color to your garden with the garden-friendly Calendula. This flower tolerates the cooler months and is even edible—it's spicy leaves are often found as a garnish in salads and soups.

California Poppy

The California poppy is ideal for gardens in dry, sandy areas with full sun. Coming in a variety of colors including red, orange, yellow, white and pink, be sure to cut this wildflower to display inside.

Cyclamen

With its glossy, heart-shaped laves, the Cyclamen is a darling perennial. The Cyclamen is also a popular food source for a variety of insects and animals, from caterpillars to pigs.

Daffodil

One of the most recognizable perennials, you know its spring time once a Daffodil is in bloom. Their iconic trumpet flowers typically come in yellow, but are also grown with red, orange, yellow, white and even pink blossoms.

Dahlia

There are 42 species of Dahlia, but most popular versions are known for its bushy, tuberous flower. Dahlias can be difficult to grow, requiring well-drained soil and full sun, but the payoff is great with a colorful garden ranging in hues from red to violet to pink.

Daisy

The iconic, playful daisy is most recognized for its bright yellow center and white petals. Daisies are easy to grow and not fussy when it comes to soil types, although it does thrive in full sun.

Dame’s Rocket

Dame’s Rocket is an aggressive growing biennial and is known to attract moths. Commonly found in white or violet, Dame's Rocket spread particularly quickly in rich, wet soil.

Delphinium

Also commonly known as "larkspur," the Delphinium is highly toxic to both humans and animals. While dangerous to eat, Delphinium's tall, bell-like blooms and tall stems make for beautiful additions to gardens or cut for bouquets.

Diascia

The low growing Diascia makes for a great filler in outdoor containers, hanging baskets, window boxes and indoor pots. They are also relatively easy to grow, requiring only full sun and cool weather.

Dusty Miller

This hardy drought and frost tolerant plant makes for an ideal filler for outdoor containers and gardens. Its silver-grey foliage provides a nice backdrop to any bolder colored blooms.

Dutchman's Breeches

These sweet flowers get their name from the up-side-down hanging blooms that resemble pants. Dutchman's Breeches are one of the few flowers whose seeds are spread by ants, so don't fret if you see a colony nearby!

Epimedium

With green foliage and pink, yellow or purple flowers, the Epimedium makes for good groundcover in shady, moist gardens. As the seasons progress, their green leaves can have tints of bronze, copper and red.

Evergreen Candytuft

Know for its small, cloud-like blooms, this sun-loving flower makes for a great addition to rock gardens. Often cascading over rocks or walls, the Evergreen Candytuft is ideal for a filler in containers or to act as a border.

Fennel

When not harvested, this edible perennial herb can grow up to 6 feet tall and feature dark foliage. It also attracts beneficial insects, including swallowtail butterflies.

Fountain Grass

This ornamental grass shows off flowy, plumed flowerheads and provide a unique contrast to any garden. They are most commonly found in white, but for more of a "wow" factor, look for shades of red, violet and pink.

Foxglove

This elegant flower requires a bit of patience, as it typically takes two seasons before its iconic blooms appear. But the wait is worth the payoff and the hardy Foxglove can handle a wide range of sun and soil types.

Gaillardia

Ideal for hot, dry landscapes, the Gaillardia adds some extra spice to any garden. In bright hues of red, orange, yellow and violet, the Gaillardia makes for a dramatic wildflower bouquet.

Globe Thistle

The Globe Thistle, with its tall stem and spherical flowerhead, screams for attention. Coming in shades of blue and violet, the Globe Thistle attracts bees and butterflies, as well as making for a gorgeous cut bouquet.

Glory of the Snow

Glory of the Snow is an early bloomer, making it a popular choice for gardeners looking for a low growing plant to carpet their landscaping. Be sure to maintain their growth, as once established they tend to quickly form large clumps.

Goatsbeard

These feathery white or yellow blooms grow as tall at 6 feet, providing a striking backdrop to any garden. Goatsbeard performs best in partial shade and prefers a moist environment.

Golden Marguerite

The daisy-like Golden Marguerite is short lived, so take in its aromatic foliage and sweet flowers while its around. Towards the end of the season, you can collect them and use the flowers as a natural fabric dye to produce shades of yellow.

Gomphrena

The globe-like flowerheads of the Gomphrena brighten any garden. Hardy and easy to grow, the Gomphrena is a popular choice in dried flower bouquets and Hawaiian leis given it'll hold it's compact shape after being cut.

Heliotrope

Derived from the Greek words for "sun" and "turn," the Heliptrope actually performs best when planted in partial shade. Their tiny, delicate cluster of blue, violet or white blooms make for good outdoor containers and can even be brought indoors in a cool, sunny spot in your home.

Hepatica

The small woodland Hepatica features blue, violet, pink or white blooms. Named after the Greek word for "liver," Hepatica foliage is a clump of three-lobed leaves that resemble a humanliver.

Hollyhock

Hollyhocks are known for their tall spikes of trumpet-like flowers, commonly found in bright red, yellow, violet, white or pink. Hollyhocks can grow as tall as 8 feet, so have some stakes handy to prop them up and encourage growth.

Hosta

These shade tolerant plants are most popular for their large foliage shape and color. Acting as groundcover, Hosta foliage is commonly found in dark green and white, but can also feature blue andyellow.

Hyacinth

This popular bulb plant produces bulbous-like flowers in vibrant shades of blue, indigo and violet. An easy to grow plant, Hyacinths can be grown for for a variety of uses, such as outdoor containers, rock gardens or indoors.

Hyssop

The versatile Hyssop is grown in a variety of ways, including containers, around garden borders or clumped together. Hyssops can grow in poor soil and tolerate drought.

Impatiens

Impatiens make for great container plants, either indoors or outdoors, given their ability to tolerate damp soil and shady areas. Their low, dark foliage will spout a range of colors, including red, orange, violet, white and pink.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Given its equally playful name, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit foliage grows unexpectedly, creating a hood-like shape once fully grown. Before the flower appears, it's often confused as poison ivy.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob's Ladder doesn't get its name not from its blooms, rather the arrangement of the leaves going up the stem that resembles a ladder. The dainty, bell-like flowers of the Jacob's Ladder make for a beautiful garden favorite.

Lady's Mantle

With foliage loosely resembling cabbage, the Lady's Mantle is most well known as a medicinal herb. If you're looking to add some green to your bouquet, the Lady's Mantle looks elegant once cut.

Lantana

Also known as Yellow Sage, the Lantana blooms in combinations of red, orange, yellow, violet, white and pink. While popular for outdoor containers and houseplants, some have found the subtle citrus scent to be off putting.

Lavender

Popular in gardening, fragrance and cooking, you can't go wrong with a Lavender plant. In addition to its versatility, Lavender is easy to grow, requiring very little water and full sun.

Lavender Cotton

Despite its name, the flowers on Lavender Cotton have an unpleasant scent, but perfumeries will extract its oil to use in colognes and perfumes. For gardening, this shrubby evergreen tolerates many soil types and full sun.

Leadwort

Starting in the late summer, but lasting until early fall, Leadwort features dainty, dark blue flowers. While you may have to wait a while to see blooms, Leadworts are fine when left with morning sun and afternoon shade.

Lemon Balm

Love the smell of citrus? The bright lemony scent of this plant is perfect for you. Easy to grow and quick to spread, Lemon Balm is ideal for filler and background in a garden or outdoor container.

Maiden Pink

These sweet flowers produce fringed petals in bright shade or red, pink or white. Maiden Pink is hardy but also known to be an aggressive plant that self seeds, so its often used for groundcover or garden borders.

Pearly Everlasting

Pearly Everlasting blooms into mid-fall, making a perfect fit for the frost prone garden. Requiring damp soil, Pearly Everlasting is easy to grow but must be maintained to avoid overgrowth.

Perennial Flax

The Perennial Flax has a short lifespan and is moderately difficult to care for, requiring well-drained soil and full sun. Once in bloom though, it will self seed and grow to a large, cushion clump.

Periwinkle

This long lasting plant (known to grow over three seasons) is simple to manage and produces vibrant flowers in violet, white or pink. Keep the bloom lasting into the winter by bringing it indoors and placing it in full sun.

Ranunculus

These lustrous flowers include more than 60 species, including the popular Buttercup. Other varieties come in red, white, purple, orange and pink colors, known for their bulbous, closely formed petals.

Red Valerian

This low maintenance plant handles a variety of soil types and excels in full sun. Featuring dense, fragrant flowers, Red Valerian doesn't only come in red, but also blue, white and pink blooms.

Rock Soapwort

Used primarily as an ornamental plant in rock gardens, the Rock Soapwort features small blooms in shades of red and pink. Despite its tolerance of droughty and low fertile soil, it doesn't perform well in hot, humid weather.

Sanvitalia

If you're a Sunflower fan seeking a shorter substitute, look no further. The small Sanvitalia resemble their taller cousins with dark brown centers and golden yellow petals. Add them to windowboxes or other outdoor containers where they can get a lot of sunlight.

Shirley Poppy

The ruffled, delicate flowers of the Shirley Poppy come in a range of red, orange, yellow, violet, white and pink hues. You can cut Shirley Poppies to bring inside, but they must be carefully prepped by sticking the cut stem in boiling water for 30 seconds in order to close the cut.

Shooting Star

Resembling a star shooting through outer space, this dazzling wildflower prefers moist soil and partial to full shade. In addition to the popular white, Shooting Stars come in violet and pink shades too.

Silvermound

Its name is not misleading, the Sivlermound's fine silver leaves and dense clump make for a showy addition to your garden. While small yellow flowers are known to bloom, they're often removed to keep its silvery-green foliage.

Skunk Cabbage

If you guessed the Skunk Cabbage gives off a less than favorable scent, you guessed right! It blooms very early in the season—as early as late January—but should be grown further from the home if you're concerned about the smell.

Snapdragon

These easy to grow flowers are known for their mouth-like petals that can open and close by pressing gently between your fingers. Enjoy the Snapdragon while its around, as it has a short lifespan, but make for great bouquets and indoor arrangements.

Snow in Summer

The Snow in Summer is exactly that—dotted star-like white flowers that bloom even in sandy, drought prone soils. Spread it along rock gardens and xeriscapes to add as a simple backdrop.

Snowdrop

Resembling little droplets of snow, this early flowering bulb features delicate, pure white blooms. It performs well in containers, indoors or outdoors, as long as its kept in cool and moist.

Data source: Home Gardening | Cornell University

Photo credit:AngeloniaCC Imagecourtesy ofTANAKA Juuyohon Flickr,BaneberryCC Imagecourtesy ofLazaregagnidzeon Wikimedia Commons,BonesetCC Imagecourtesy ofR. A. Nonenmacheron Wikimedia Commons,BrowalliaCC Imagecourtesy ofC T Johanssonon Wikimedia Commons,CatmintCC Imagecourtesy ofTANAKA Juuyohon Flickr,CorydalisCC Imagecourtesy ofarudhioon Wikimedia Commons,Cushion SpurgeCC Imagecourtesy ofH. Zellon Wikimedia Commons,Dame’s RocketCC Imagecourtesy ofAndre Engelson Wikimedia Commons,EpimediumCC Imagecourtesy ofMaja Dumaton Flickr,Fountain GrassCC Imagecourtesy ofJ.M.Gargon Wikimedia Commons,GauraCC Imagecourtesy ofStan Shebson Wikimedia Commons,HyssopCC Imagecourtesy ofH. Zellon Wikimedia Commons,Lady’s MantleCC Imagecourtesy ofJina Leeon Wikimedia Commons,MazusCC Imagecourtesy ofAlpsdakeon Wikimedia Commons,MoonflowerCC Imagecourtesy ofEd!on Wikimedia Commons,NierembergiaCC Imagecourtesy ofFirst Lighton Wikimedia Commons,Pearly EverlastingCC Imagecourtesy ofPeter Stevenson Flickr,Perennial FlaxCC Imagecourtesy ofDenis Barthelon Wikimedia Commons,Polka Dot PlantCC Imagecourtesy ofKENPEIon Wikimedia Commons,Rock SoapwortCC Imagecourtesy ofHectonichuson Wikimedia Commons,Shooting StarCC Imagecourtesy ofbrewbookson Flickr,Skunk CabbageCC Imagecourtesy ofJonathan Billingeron Wikimedia Commons,Snow in SummerCC Imagecourtesy ofHeron2on Wikimedia Commons,Sweet WoodruffCC Imagecourtesy ofJack Pearceon Flickr,ToreniaCC Imagecourtesy ofPatrick McNallyon Flickr,Virginia BluebellCC Imagecourtesy ofHoodedwarbler12on Wikimedia Commons,Wild SennaCC Imagecourtesy ofStan Shebson Wikimedia Commons.