3.3K Views 2 years ago

8 Tips for Growing Beneficial Flowers in your Garden

Author Bio

Emma Gallagher is a Brit living in North Carolina. She grows organic gardens and... Read More

Whether it’s beneficial to you, the garden, or the local pollinators, there is a lot to be said for planting a few flowers in your yard. If you don’t have a yard, pop a few pots on your porch or balcony.

The benefits are numerous and, in the end, you end up with some gorgeous pops of color and texture, not to mention heavenly aromas wafting your way.

You don’t have to have super green thumbs to get a few blooms going. Here is a list of some amazing flowers that come with an array of benefits.

1. Milkweed

Land development and the use of certain pesticides have resulted in habitat loss for several significant pollinators, not least the noble monarch butterfly. With milkweed being the sole plant that monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on, its decline is proving to be problematic for this species of butterfly. Milkweed grows in the wild across the USA in different varieties, so there will likely be a species that will grow well or is native to your area. If you have a little corner of your yard that could support a pollination garden, make some local or migratory butterflies happy and learn How to Grow Milkweed and Why You Should.

2. Moisture-Loving Flowering Plants

Though we can manipulate our gardens to suit certain plants by adding soil amendments, fixing dry soil with thoughtful irrigation, and treating plants that need good drainage with raised beds, sometimes we just have to work with what we have. If this is the case, choosing appropriate plants for your garden situation is key. If you have an area of your garden, yard, or property that is just wet, boggy, or has poor drainage, and you aren’t into doing any major earthworks, there are a few plants that you could introduce to your wetland landscape. Check out these 4 Moisture-Loving Flowering Plants for Wetland Areas.

3. Wildflower Garden

You don’t need to have a huge yard or meadow at your disposal to grow a little wildflower garden. Wildflowers are a joy to see out in nature. They can be spotted along roadsides and spied beside trails in the woods. But, it needn’t stop there. See if you can spare a little spot at home to plant a few native wildflowers. Break up the monotony and damage that row after row of lawns can cause and bring back a little color, texture, food, and habitat for the local pollinators with a wildflower garden. The benefits are great for you, wildlife, and the planet. Have a look at these 5 Tips for Starting a Wildflower Garden.

4. Sunflowers

Sunflowers (Helianthus) can be a wonderful sight in a summer garden. Tall stems towering above everything else in sight, and stunning flowerheads, sometimes over a foot in diameter, watching over the flora and fauna of the yard. They are a member of the Asteraceae, or daisy, family, and that huge flower we see is a whole bunch of tiny flowers clumped together. Fortunately, sunflowers are easy to grow and provide a ridiculous number of seeds that can be used for many different projects. Sunflowers are fun to grow with kids as their growth rate is rather fast, and the kiddos can watch as the magical plant grows taller than they are in no time. Read on to learn How to Grow and Process Sunflower Seeds.

5. Winter Flowers

Let’s be honest, as lovely as a snowy winter can be, it helps to see something on the horizon, some reminder that there is a world out there full of bright hues and pleasant smells. What if the garden didn’t just give out in autumn and continued to surprise our senses? If that sounds like a great idea, then it’s worth exploring this list of 10 Plants to Grow for Flowers in Winter for some flash in the frigidity. Some of these plants will provide blooms going into winter and withstand the weather. Others will bloom early in the year, as soon as January and February.

6. Edible Flowers

Edible flowers are great for adding a splash of color and a little elegance to the dinner plate. Many edible flowers might already be residents in your flower garden, or they might be growing wild right in your backyard or neighborhood. Have a look at this list of 10 edible and medicinal flowers that you can use in your kitchen. You can even start growing some of them for yourself. Learn how to grow these 10 Edible Flowers to Beautify Your Plate.

7. Lavender

There are many varieties of lavender, with French, English, and fringe being three of the most popular. These are easy to find at nurseries or online, and with one plant, it’s possible to replicate and multiply lavender via softwood cuttings in the spring or hardwood cuttings in the fall. For those in really cold climates, lavender also grows well in pots. Now, why exactly should you be growing lavender? So many reasons. Read on to learn more about Why Lavender Is Such a Great Plant to Have Around the House.

8. Flowers for Your Veggie Garden

There is plenty of information out there about companion planting for your vegetable garden. You know how it goes–plant basil with your tomatoes and carrots with your onions. There are many benefits to doing this kind of planting from improving the flavor of one or both of the companions, to controlling the types of insects that choose to hang around. If you love to grow veggies and want to have pretty flowers at the same time, you could think about interspersing some of these otherwise ornamental flowers into your veggie patch. They can do some great jobs for you and your harvest. Check out this list of 5 of the Best Flowers to Grow in Your Veggie Garden.

Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content.Click here to Support Us