The 40 Most Beautiful Flowers in the World
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Here at VERANDA, we are obsessed with beautiful flowers. Our pages are filled with articles celebrating them, as well as gardens of all kinds, from charming cottage gardens to practical and pretty potagers. We even have a guide to special flower meanings. What’s more, the pages of the magazine are teeming with gorgeous arrangements and flower ideas to enhance your home with natural beauty, both indoors and out.
When it comes to choosing what types of flowers to plant in your garden, your decision might be informed by the style of your home, your climate, level of care, and space. But ultimately, the flowering shrubs or blooms you grow in your cutting garden to use in a beautiful bouquet of flowers is likely all about what you find pretty.
As it would be impossible to narrow our list to the top 10 most beautiful flowers in the world (or even top 20—we could never!), we quizzed VERANDA editors to curate our very own roundup of 40 common and rare beautiful flowers. If you’ve ever gardened, it’s likely you’ve grown classics like shade-loving impatiens, sun-loving lantana, geraniums in hanging pots, lavender as a fragrant front door plant, clematis as a flowering vine near your mailbox or fence post. We have included those tried-and-true blooms, in addition to pictures of beautiful flowers that might very well become new favorites.
Wander through this list of the most beautiful flowers our editors love, like roses, tulips, ranunculus, lilies of the valley, dahlias, and more—it's like a virtual stroll through the most perfect garden ever.
Lily of the Valley
Dainty and delicate lily of the valley is a sweet-smelling perennial. Beloved by many VERANDA editors, the tiny blooms are said to be a sign of purity and love.
Poppy
Even amongst a sea of other flowers, poppies hold their own. Here, bold red blooms command attention. Pick a perennial variety so you can enjoy these happy flowers year after year.
Plumbago
With its clusters of sky-blue petals, vine-like plumbago is a favorite container plant, especially with a white exterior. It can also be found in white, pink, purple, or red, and blooms best with full sun.
Cosmos
The best way to describe easy-to-grow cosmos is that they are just plain pretty. With a long blooming period, they make an ideal addition to a cutting garden.
Aster
Packed with tiny blooms, aster plants look full and colorful when blooming. Their bright starburst petals make for pretty filler in floral arrangements.
Sweet Alyssum
We love these summery white clusters for hanging baskets and container gardens. They complement just about any other flower. Deadhead spent blooms and the plant will produce more healthier flowers!
Hydrangea
Perhaps the most classic of all flowering shrubs, hydrangeas come in all sorts of colors and styles. Whether planted in groupings along a fence line, flanking the front door, or mixed in with other flowers in beds, the big blooms impress all summer long. We love a bouquet of just hydrangeas in a pitcher on a casual summer table.
Echinacea
Also called coneflower or purple coneflower, Echinacea is easily identifiable with its pink-ish-purple petals and large rust-colored centers. This popular perennial can grow up to 3-4 feet tall and is nice addition to a mixed bed.
Calibrachoa
Belonging to the same flower family as petunias, calibrachoa come in a rainbow of colors. They are often more petite than petunias and have more of a trailing growth pattern, making them an ideal choice for window boxes and hanging planters.
Geranium
With their saturated color, geraniums are summertime classics. We especially love their ball-like clusters in window boxes and hanging pots.
Snapdragon
Snapdragons give cottage gardens vibes in a big way. They make quite a statement in a summer arrangement (we love them mixed with roses and greenery or sunflowers, button mums, and greenery). A bold color mix, as shown here, lends a casual feeling to flower beds.
Salvia
Salvia, also known as sage, boasts thin spikes of purple (sometimes bluish) flowers. It's a pretty addition to flower beds or pots and attracts pollinators (bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds) to your garden.
Lantana
One reason we love sun-loving lantana is because it will produce it's pretty, compact blooms steadily throughout the summer. These plants come in lots of hot tropical colors like yellow, orange, pink, and lavender.
Gaura
Best planted in full sun, these perennials show off all summer long. Gaura plants grow to be about 3-4 feet tall, so plan accordingly when including in beds.
Hibiscus
Red tropical hibiscus just screams vacation. We particularly love this brilliant bloom as a bold pop against a white or blue exterior. Cut back branches by late spring for bigger, showier flowers.
Impatiens
Shade-loving impatiens are a great starter plant for any new gardener. They will thrive in any setting—containers, baskets, and in the ground. Plus, they come in a variety of colors for any landscape.
Rudbeckia
Commonly known as black-eyed Susans, these happy perennials are great for flower beds, walkway borders, or along a fence line. They will mound year after year and can be divided when they become too big.
Bleeding Heart
Almost otherworldly, exotic bleeding heart blooms are pretty to look at, but don't touch. These woodland stunners can cause skin irritation, so wear gloves if cutting to add to arrangements.
Passionflower
At 3 to 5 inches wide, the visual interest of passionflower is unmatched. This fast-growing subtropical flowering vine also boasts a unique scent.
Petunias
The happiest and liveliest of blooms, petunias come in a rainbow of colors, adding riotous color to pots, beds, and window boxes. They love full sun and will bloom for long periods.
Clematis
The magical clematis vine produces large blooms that come in a many colors, including deep purple, white, red, and pink. We love this perennial stunner on a mailbox, fence, or post.
Bird of Paradise
For an instant tropical feel, opt for a tall Bird of Paradise. These lush plants add loads of visual interest to any garden and make you feel like you're on vacation!
Lavender
Whether planted in the ground or in a rustic terracotta pot, lavender is a classic beauty. Lavender has calming characteristics, but it's the light, fresh fragrance it's best known for.
Dahlia
Dahlias are truly some of the most magnificent flowers you can grow (and a favorite of VERANDA editors!). They come in many forms, ranging from tiny balls to dinner-plate sized blooms. The colors and detail are astounding! Plant dahlia tubers in spring in full sun after all danger of frost has passed. In cold climates, you’ll need to dig up the bulbs in fall after the first frost to save for next year.
Tulip
A favorite of VERANDA editors, tulips come in every shade you can imagine and bloom in early, mid- or late spring, depending on the variety. Some have double petals so they look more like peonies, while others have feathery, ruffled blooms for a quite exotic appearance. Plant the bulbs in full sun in the fall for spring blooms. They’re typically treated as annuals because their bloom power fades in subsequent years.
Hyacinth
Hyacinths have individual teeny-tiny florets that make up the flower spike. Their strong, sweet scent is a sure sign spring has arrived in earnest. Plant the bulbs in full sun in the fall for flowers the following spring. They’re a good choice if you have digging rodents in your garden, such as chipmunks, because they tend to leave these bulbs alone.
Ranunculus
Ranunculus almost don’t look real. With their ethereal, papery blooms in every color you can imagine, they are especially lovely as cut flowers. Plant bulbs in spring or fall, depending on where you live, and and plan to dig them up for the winter in cold climates. Give ranunculus full sun.
Bearded Iris
There are more than 7,000 registered varieties of these striking perennials. With sword-like foliage and flowers that range in heights from a few inches tall to up to five feet tall, there’s an iris for every garden. Bearded irises have elongated tufts of hairs that look like tiny beards on the large colorful flower. Give these perennials full sun.
Sunflower
These bold, sunny-faced flowers come in colors and sizes ranging from just a foot to 15 feet tall. Plant seeds directly in ground or in pots in full sun over the course of a few weeks for a longer bloom time. Of course, hence the name, they need plenty of sun to bloom.
Delphinium
Also known as larkspur, this old-fashioned favorite is a must-have in cottage gardens with its elegant, informal spires of pink, purple or white blossoms. These bloom-filled cone-shaped stalks grow up to five feet tall and make lovely bouquets or dried flowers. There are both annual and perennial types. Both prefer full sun.
Peony
This shrubby perennial offers lush, exuberant flowers in late spring. There are many different varieties, some of which are strongly scented. Give them plenty of sun, and they’ll be happy and thrive for decades. Don’t worry about the ants; they’re just visiting to sip the nectar and won’t hurt the plant.
Columbine
These lovely flowers bloom in early to mid-spring with the most intricate, interesting blooms. These perennials like morning sun; a little afternoon shade in hot climates does them good.
Nasturtium
Nasturtiums have rounded leaves and flowers that climb or mound, making them ideal additions to window boxes or tumbling over walls. These annuals come in an array of colors, ranging from peach and coral to red and rose and will bloom all season until a hard frost. Plant them in full sun. Bonus: Both the leaves and flowers are edible, so add them to salads for a spicy kick.
Sweet Pea
This annual vine is an old-fashioned favorite that adds cottage style to your garden as they climb up a trellis or obelisk. They’re easily grown from seed, but plant in early spring because they don’t tolerate heat well and will fade by early summer. Some types have an especially sweet scent. Give them full sun.
Hellebore
Also known as Lenten roses, these stunning shade-lovers bloom in mid- to late winter. Their exquisite blooms and evergreen foliage make them eye-catching in any season. They’re extremely cold-hardy and deer- and rodent-resistant. Popular colors are white and light green.
Lisianthus
These gorgeous flowers have delicate-looking blooms from late summer until a frost. They're a little tricky to grow from seed, so purchase plants instead.
Rose
Roses come in a staggering number of forms, colors, and varieties, and they’re not as fussy as some people believe. In fact, two VERANDA editors are serious rose growers themselves! From tiny easy-to-grow shrub roses to climbing roses that ramble with abandon over fences or walls, roses deserve a spot in every garden. Shrub roses are the easiest for beginners. Give all roses full sun to thrive.
Love in a Mist
These romantically named flowers have dainty, star-like blooms and lacy foliage in rose, white, and sky blue. The charming blossoms turn into papery little lanterns that can be dried for arrangements. This annual grows easily from seed; it needs full sun.
Fuchsia
The exotic-looking flowers of this annual are stunning draping over the edges of hanging baskets. They come in white, pink, red or purple and need mostly shade or just a tiny bit of morning sun. Hummingbirds adore them!
Viola and Pansy
These funny-faced darlings of cool weather have the most adorable flowers in saturated purples, pinks, oranges, and creamy white. They don’t mind cool weather and grow equally well in spring or fall. Although they may fade out in summer’s heat, trim them back and they may rebound when cooler weather returns.
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