My Top 5 Favorite Flower Catalogs

Now that the holidays are over, my thoughts turn to flowers. Specifically, I’m thinking of the flowers that will soon come up in my garden. I’m wondering what survived the cold and squirrels and moles or which flowers just didn’t have the will to go on or had a lack of survival skills necessary to make it in my somewhat-though-not-entirely-neglected garden.

I guess what I am truly thinking of is what can I plant this year? What do I need to replace? Can I squeeze any more flowers into existing beds? Or, should I create another flower bed?

All of this thinking leads me to ordering flower catalogs. This is when I rush to open my mailbox…what catalog came today! I will dog-ear the pages, circle and star my selections, then deconstruct those glorious flower catalogs until I find just the right plantings for my garden.

Winter is the perfect time to dream of spring.

Here is my list of top 5 flower catalogs.

#5

Spring Hill Nursery

Huge lovely variety of beautiful flowers from perennials to roses, climbing flowering vines to low blooming ground covers, plus flowering trees and shrubs, this catalog is all-inclusive. Watch for the new Spring Hill Annuals catalog and Spring Hill Select catalog this spring!


Full disclosure: yes, I do work for the company that owns Spring Hill Nursery but I (sadly) do not have anything to do with the plants nor do I work in the same state as the nursery (again sadly…). But I do have insider knowledge of the 2 new catalogs mentioned above that will be out this spring...  J

#4

Jackson & Perkins

Not only is this catalog filled with stunning roses, it also has beautiful perennials for your flower beds too! But the roses…awww…the roses are breath-taking! Floribunda’s, Grandiflora’s, tree roses and hege roses and so many more!

#3

Hidden Springs Flower Farm

This online catalog is loaded with stunning peonies of every variation. It is has sections by bloom time, A-Z peonies, rare peonies, award winners, heirloom, cottage garden peonies…you get the picture! They have every peony imaginable all in one place.

#2

 

David Austin Roses

 

 

 

 

I love roses! Love them! This catalog has the most stunning roses ever created.

Full, lush, stunningly gorgeous roses.

 

 

 

 

#1

White Flower Farm

This is the most gorgeous flower catalog ever created. Their photography is amazing and dream-worthy. The potted annual collections are inspirational!



12 Pink Flowers for 3 Seasons of Blooms

Love pink flowers? So do I! Here are some 12 perennials that bloom in shades of pink for 3 seasons of pretty pink color!

In order of bloom time starting with late winter/early spring and heading to fall:

Peppermint Ice Select Double Hellebores

Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart

Sorbet Peony

Little Princess Miniature Hollyhock



Pink Jewel Allium

Razzmatazz Coneflower

 

Sherbet Drink Phlox

 

 



Coral Stone Daylily

 

Strawberries & Cream Sedum

Coral Daisy Hardy Mammoth Mum

Raspberry Mousse Toad Lily

Carl Sedum



Happy gardening!

Flower of the Day - Party Time Peony

Today's flower of the day is Party Time Peony. These stunning flowers have pale pink feathery petals on the inside surrounded by raspberry pink petals on the outside. This peony has 6" blooms that flower best in full sun to part shade in lucky zones 3-8.

Happy gardening!

Flower of the Day - Hot Papaya Coneflower

Today's flower of the day is Hot Papaya Coneflower. With its bright red double blooms, this coneflower attracts hummingbirds and butterflies to your cottage garden. It blooms all summer into fall and makes a great cutting flower. It grows best in full sun for lucky zones 4-9.

Happy gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #15

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Anemone blanda ‘White Splendor’ with Rheum palmatum ‘Atrosanguineum’

The fine white flowers of the Anemone contrast well with the dark coarse foliage of the Rheum.  The Anemone blooms before the leaves of the Rheum get too large, and then the Rheum grows to cover the old foliage of the Anemone.  Rheum would be a good companion for many bulbs because of its large leaves.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #14

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Allium karataviense 'Ivory Queen' with Aster macrophyllus

The Allium leaves match the Aster foliage nearly perfectly, allowing for the blooms to show with no worry of unattractive foliage. The two plants grow at the same rate and the blooms are still visible.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #13

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Hyacinth ‘White Pearl’ with Rheum palmatum ‘Atrosanguineum’

Just as the Rheum contrasted with and then covered the Anemone, it does the same for the Hyacinth. This combo could be even better if a multiflora or "looser" white hyacinth was used.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #12

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Hyacinth ‘Jan Bos’ with Penstemon 'Husker Red'

The emerging Penstemon leaves are dark purple just as the hyacinth is blooming, creating a nice color scheme.  It seems as though many cultivars of Hyacinth can be combined with Penstemon 'Husker Red'.  The Penstemon is slow enough to allow the Hyacinths to finish blooming and fill their bulbs, and then takes over before the foliage becomes unsightly.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #11

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Ipheion uniflorum ‘White Star’ with Potentilla argentea

The interesting texture of the newly emerging Potentilla leaves makes complementary surroundings for the blooming Ipheion.  The Potentilla then grows tall to sufficiently cover the browning leaves of the Ipheion, making a useful combination.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!

Successful Bulb & Perennial Flower Combos #10

Perennial flowers anchor our landscapes, but can take quite awhile before the blooms of some types appear each season. But what if the flowers of a different plant were to ride above those leaves early in the season, and then magically disappear just before the perennial’s flowers show up? That’s what happens when you drop the right Spring bulbs into the right kind of perennial.

Narcissus ‘Fortissimo’ with Papaver orientale 'Turkenlouis'

An excellent functional combination whereby the narcissus flowers slightly above the developing poppy leaves. The leaf texture contrast between the Narcissus and Papaver make for an interesting mix early on, and the fast growth of the Papaver covers the Narcissus foliage quickly.  Any combination of poppy and similarly sized daffodil would work.  The poppy flowers after the daffodil, so color is not an issue.

Fall is a great time to plant bulbs and perennials!

Happy Gardening!