Beginner florists often choose flowers based on the beautiful picture on the package without paying attention to the characteristic features of growing the plants and the seeding terms. A lot of these flowers, however, have short term blossom and some do not resist even to slightly colder weather conditions, or want permanent care.
If you are not one of the most constant gardeners, but you want a beautiful garden then choose something beautiful and unpretentious. It is good, however, to know which plants respond to this criteria in advance.
We have prepared a list of flowers that do not need a lot of attention and are suitable for beginner florists, or people that haven’t got the whole day to dedicate to their beloved flowers:
Nemophila – A beautiful 25 cm high plant with hemstitched leaves which is sold in many varieties. In the flower shops you can find three sorts of Nemophila: bright blue, white with blue dots, and nearly black with white edges. Put these three varieties and you will receive a very soft composition which will grow perfectly even in shadowy spots. Plant the Nemophila in the soil during the first half of May and in July you will enjoy its blossoming. Nemophila is not afraid of the slightly colder weather so it does not need to be covered neither during the spring nor during the autumn.
Limnanthes douglasii – Still, a rare guest in our gardens. Its flowers are quite small, but elegant. Limnanthes deserves to become famous. The decision is your. It is unpretentious, it has a lot of compact shrubs and beautiful, soft flowers. Limnanthes is also called “poached eggs”. It really reminds of that classical dish. Its flowers have a yellow center and white petals. It can be planted at the borders of the bed together with higher plants or in the alpine garden. Seeds that are planted in the beginning of May will turn into beautiful shrubs covered in blossoms in July.
Eschscholzia californica – This plant feels great exposed to the bright sun and dry sandy soil as it originates from California. The Eschscholzia species have flowers in multicolored, simple fascicles. Every blossom lives only for a day, but during the whole time of the blossoming, which is approximately a month and a half, it can be a decoration to your garden. Eschscholzia begins blossoming a month after it has been planted, Which means you can sow it until the beginning of June. Just try not to grow it in the shadow of clay soils because you will not succeed.
Phlox drummondii – This close relative of the perennial Phlox is loved by everyone who likes rich blossoming. There are two varieties: simple and star-like. The shrubs are around 20 to 45 cm high and they are covered in racemes and multiple flowers. The seeds of the phlox are often sold in mixes. But while the star-like form has flowers in white, pink and red, the simple variety has multicolor variations. The blossoms are bright or pastel, often with a contrasting center. Besides the long blossoming period, from July to October, Phlox drummondii has another advantage. It is resistant to dry conditions. That is why it grows well and looks beautiful in a basket or a container on the balcony.
Cosmos – This is a well known flower, but the new species allow its appearance to be changed. Most people are used to relate the Cosmos with a very high plant which is constantly titled by the wind. The new species however will assure you of the opposite. For example, the plants from the Sonata species are compact (40-50cm). The new species are beautiful and resemble a countryside garden with the traditionally high Cosmos.
Godetia – The favorite of many, Godetia, looks like Azalea with different colors which are from the same shade or are multicolored. When buying Godetia flowers small species are to be preferred. They do not need to be supported or tied. Godetia begins blossoming a month and a half, or two after being planted. Its racemes are very beautiful. Godetia is usually sold in a mix of several colors.
Lavatera – Do you want to achieve a classy bed with minimum efforts? Then plant the seeds of Lavatera and in two months its big bell-shaped flowers with pink-white and raspberry colors will make your garden beautiful. By the way, Lavatera blossoms until autumn especially if you remove the faded blossoms. It re-plants itself so that there is no need to do anything next year.