15 Colorful Flowers That Will Brighten Up Your Garden

Coral Charm peonies change color throughout their growing season, from raspberry to apricot to cream, says Regina. “The Coral Charm Peony has become a florist favorite over the years for the way the color shifts day-to-day, giving a feast for the eyes unlike any other,” he says. “It’s a perfect addition to your cutting garden or mixed perennial border.”

Spectacular, Colorful Cool Weather Flowers For A Spring Garden

Spring is a great time to revive your garden and add some color. With a few simple steps and the right plants, you can have a beautiful garden full of vibrant colors that will last through the season. Whether you’re looking for flowers, shrubs, trees, or ground covers, there are plenty of options for creating a colorful spring garden.

With the help of cool-weather flowers, you can enjoy a vibrant and lively garden full of life and energy. These flowers offer an array of colors from soft pastels to bold and vibrant shades, allowing you to choose which ones best fit your style and personality. Not only are they visually appealing, but they also provide us with an array of benefits such as pleasant aromas, attracting pollinators, and adding texture to your landscape. They are sure to bring you joy and happiness when you look at them in the springtime. With colorful cool weather flowers in your garden this season, you can be sure that they will brighten up any dull day.

Here are five of our favorite cool-weather flowers:

Dianthus – Dianthus, also known as Pinks or Carnations, is a perennial plant native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The dianthus plant has a long history as an ornamental flower and has been grown in gardens for hundreds of years. Traditional colors are white, pink, or red, but new varieties include purple, peach, yellow, and bicolor. True dianthus flowers have a ruffled appearance. The flower will bloom for about six weeks. Don’t be upset if the flowers do not appear in the first year. They can be used as cut flowers or dried for potpourri and other crafts. The fragrant blooms attract bees and butterflies which help pollinate the plant. The dianthus flower is often associated with the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite due to its romantic symbolism. Hardiness zones 7-10.

Diascia – Diascia, also commonly known as Twinspur is a relative of the Snapdragon. The plant prefers cool weather and has a long bloom time from spring to fall. Diascia makes an attractive addition to any garden bed or container arrangement, providing continuous blooms in spring and summer until frost or heavy rainfall occurs. If the plant starts to fade in the heat, just cut them back a few inches and they will come back to life when it gets cooler. Pink is the most popular color, but it also comes in orange, white, and red. Hardiness zones 8-11.

Nemesias – Nemesias are beautiful tender perennial plants that are native to Southern Africa and are usually grown as annuals. They grow best in cooler temperatures and regions with mild summers. The plant comes in a wide range of colors and can tolerate both sun and shade. The flowers bloom from spring to fall. They will die back in the summer heat. The five-petal flowers come in shades from deep purple to bright yellow and bicolor. While their beauty is undeniable, it’s not the only thing that makes them desirable. Many varieties of nemesias also feature a pleasant fragrance. Depending on the variety, this fragrance can range from subtle to strong and is often described as sweet and citrus-like in nature. Nemesias make an excellent addition to any garden, providing long-lasting color and texture. They are very easy to care for, needing only minimal watering and occasional pruning to keep them looking their best. Hardiness zones 9-11.

Osteospermum – Osteospermum is native to Southern Africa and is also known as African Daisy. It is composed of over 140 species and includes both annuals and perennials. This ornamental plant is becoming increasingly popular with gardeners due to its hardy nature, as well as its bright and cheerful flowers. The flowers come in a range of colors including yellow, pink, white, purple, and blue. The leaves are typically lance-shaped with serrated edges. Osteospermum plants are drought-tolerant and respond well to regular trimming and pruning. They do best in sunny locations with well-draining soil and require regular fertilization for optimal growth. It can be used in flower beds, borders, window boxes, and hanging baskets.

Pansies and Violas – Pansies and viola plants are grown for their bright-colored blooms. They are easy to grow, can survive in much colder temperatures than other plants, and require very little maintenance. Viola plants are admired for their beauty and fragrance which makes them popular choices for gardeners. Deadheading them will help set new buds. There are newer varieties that are somewhat frost tolerant. Plant them in full sun with well-draining soil.

Dianthus, Diascia, and Nemesias photos courtesy of PlantHaven International, planthaven.com.

Osteospermum and Viola photo courtesy of Jill Mazur.

15 Colorful Flowers That Will Brighten Up Your Garden

Add a rainbow of hues to your borders and beds with these vibrant blooms.

Blythe Copeland is a contributing writer with more than a decade of experience as a freelance lifestyle writer.

Although you could opt for a flower garden that blooms in a single color—like all white or all green—showing off the rainbow of shades that Mother Nature offers is a more cheerful and vibrant option.

With more than 400,000 types of flowers in the world, there’s no shortage of colors and textures you can add to your yard: Purples and blues so dark they look black; fire-engine reds and lemony yellows; neon pinks and lime greens. Stephanie Zawada and Hayden Regina of Hoerr Schaudt and Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, share some of their favorite bright blooms to inspire your next garden masterpiece.

Wine Cup

Tiny wine cup flowers, Callirhoe involucrata, are drought-tolerant gems that expand to create a colorful groundcover. “This native perennial is covered with bright magenta, upward facing, poppy-like flowers in mid summer,” says Bunting. “It prefers well-drained soils and can also grow in soils with low fertility.”

Zone: 4 to 8
Size: 4 to 6 inches tall x 36 inch spread
Growing conditions: Full sun; well-drained or dry soil

Canna “Australia”

This striking tropical perennial is hardy in warmer parts of the country, but can be a summer annual in colder areas. “It is highlighted by glossy purple-black foliage and striking fire-engine red flowers that occur throughout the growing season,” says Bunting. “It can grow in any kind of soil, including wet soils.”

Zone: 8 to 11
Size: 6 to 8 feet tall x 18 to 24 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun; any soil

Cool Wave Pansy

Pansies add color to your garden with a variety of shades, from purple and orange to white and yellow. Zawada recommends the ‘Cool Wave’ cultivar, a purple, white, and yellow trailing plant for baskets, borders, and groundcover. “You can’t find anything with more flower color for your cool-season window boxes and containers than Cool Wave pansies!” she says. “If planted in the ground, it spreads almost as vigorously as it blooms.”

Zone: 5
Size: 6 to 8 inches tall x 24 inches wide (trailing)
Growing conditions: Full sun; rich, well-drained soil

Mandevilla

This tropical vine shows off oversized, trumpet-shaped flowers in bright red, pink, and white during the summer, says Zawada. “Hybrid varieties offer even more color choices of apricot, peach, and yellow, and tend to be bushier,” she says. “Grow this plant on a trellis or massed on its own in a planter.”

Zone: 8 to 11
Size: Up to 20 feet tall x 15 feet wide
Growing conditions: Full to partial sun; rich, well-drained soil

False Indigo

False indigo, a drought-tolerant perennial, typically comes in blue or yellow—both fun choices for a colorful garden. But Decadence-brand hybrids offer shades in other hues. “Indulge in the deep, decadent Dark Chocolate for an added layer of depth, add drifts of candy floss clouds with Pink Truffles, or punctuate a planting with the sun-kissed bronze of Cherries Jubilee,” says Regina.

Zone: 4A to 9B
Size: 36 inches tall x 36 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun; average, well-drained soil

Coral Charm Peony

Coral Charm peonies change color throughout their growing season, from raspberry to apricot to cream, says Regina. “The Coral Charm Peony has become a florist favorite over the years for the way the color shifts day-to-day, giving a feast for the eyes unlike any other,” he says. “It’s a perfect addition to your cutting garden or mixed perennial border.”

Zone: 3 to 10
Size: 24 to 36 inches wide x 24 to 36 inches tall
Growing conditions: Full sun; fertile, well-drained soil

Butterfly Weed

Citrus-toned butterfly weed improves the vibrancy of your garden in two ways: it offers colorful blooms and attracts pretty pollinators. “This native perennial is one of the keystone species and food sources for the Monarch butterfly,” says Bunting. “Throughout the summer it has vivid, bright orange flowers that sit atop the foliage.”

Zone: 3 to 9
Size: 24 inches tall x 24 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun; dry, sandy soil

Bat Face Cuphea

Plants don’t come much more eye-catching than the Bat Face cuphea, with its orange-red “wings” and purple-black “face.” “Don’t let the name scare you—whether a broadleaf evergreen perennial or annual addition in your zone, the cuphea is sure to bring saturation and conversation to your plantings,” says Regina. “Blooming late spring through frost, the peculiar flower shape and gentle arcing habit is the perfect edge planting condition for your garden or containers.”

Zone: 10 to 12
Size: 12 to 18 inches tall x 24 to 26 inch spread
Growing conditions: Full sun; average, well-drained soil

Lollipop Itoh Peony

Hybrid Itoh peonies are a mid-century icon in stunning shades. “A horticultural marvel of the 1960s, when first introduced in America the plants sold for over $1000 each,” says Regina. “Singing in the Rain provides an ever-changing color story, Bartzella offers an electric yellow alternative to standard pinks, and, if you can’t decide, Lollipop will provide the best of both worlds.”

Zone: 3 to 10
Size: 24 to 36 inches wide x 24 to 36 inches tall
Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade; fertile, well-drained soil

Nasturtium

Bright nasturtiums provide a dose of color to your plate as well as your plantings. “Garnish your next salad with these vibrant, edible flowers that grow in shades of red, cherry, orange, peach, yellow, pale yellow, and burgundy,” says Zawada. “With pretty, round green leaves, nasturtium are easy to grow from seed with dwarf bush varieties that can fit in any garden, or vining varieties that trail in window boxes or containers.”

Zone: 9 to 11
Size: 12 inches to 10 feet tall x up to 36 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil

Blue Wonder Fan Flower

Though the fan-shaped flowers on this plant look delicate, Zawada says, they are hardier than they seem. “Available in white, blue, purple, or pink, this trailing annual plant is a knockout in hanging baskets, window boxes, or containers, and can be planted in the ground,” she says. “It just loves hot and humid weather, as long as it’s well watered.”

Zone: 10 to 11
Size: Up to 18 inches tall x up to 24 inches wide (trailing)
Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade;

Hardy Ice Plant

Delosperma Granita® Raspberry, a hybrid ice plant, is a cold-hardy spring bloomer that thrives in gravel gardens, says Bunting. “Covering the ground and reaching only 4-inches tall, it is covered in stunning fuchsia-colored, star-like flowers from late spring to early summer,” he says.

Zone: 6 to 10
Size: 4 inches tall x 10 to 14 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun; well-drained soils

Rose Mallow Hibiscus

Hibiscus Summerific® Holy Grail rose mallow is “a fabulous bold perennial for the garden,” says Bunting. “The foliage is dark purple, and in mid-summer to early fall it is covered in large, upward-facing, bright red flowers, which contrast beautifully with the foliage.”

Zone: 4 to 9
Size: Up to 5 feet tall x 4 to 5 feet wide
Growing conditions: Full sun; any soil type

Midnight Mystic Hyacinth

Up the drama in your garden with rich, purple-black Midnight Mystic hyacinth. The glossy blooms emit the same distinctive fragrance the plant’s more springtime-ready lavander, white, and pink cousins are known for.

Zone: 4 to 8
Size: 7 to 8 inches tall x 3 inches wide
Growing conditions: Full sun to part shade; loose, well-drained soil

Limelight Hydrangea

This color-changing panicle hydrangea is a fast-growing shrub that offers a burst of vivid lime green to your planting beds in spring. As the season progresses, a creamy white plays well with your other mid-summer blooms, and a washed pink complements other late-summer flowers.

Zone: 3 to 9
Size: 6 to 8 feet tall x 6 to 8 feet wide
Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade; rich, well-watered soil