There are many different types of flowers to grow in your garden, adding interest, colour and food for wildlife. Types of flowers can range from annuals to perennials, climbers to ground cover, and spring flowers to summer flowers. Flowers also come in a variety of different shapes, sizes and colours.
Annual flowers bloom and set seed within a year. Those sown in spring will provide summer colour and there are many that flower for several months, including cosmos and zinnias. These are a good budget friendly option for filling gaps in the border.
Perennials are plants that come back every year. Many will die down over winter, then produce new growth in spring. Aim to include a mix of perennials that flower in different seasons. If you have limited space, plant long flowering perennials, such as hardy cranesbills.
For structure and year round interest, shrubs are essential. Shrubs are woody plants that bring architectural interest as well as flowers. They can be evergreen (keep their leaves all year) or deciduous (lose their leaves in winter), working well as both feature plants or as a backdrop to more showy perennials.
To cover boundaries, wigwams in containers and trellis, plant flowering climbers such as clematis or roses. There are also many fast-growing annual climbers with bright flowers that will boost colour in your garden and are easy to grow. The bonus of the climbers listed below is that provide plenty of flowers but take up little ground space.
Other types of flowers worth planting in your garden include bulbs such as crocus, daffodils and tulips. These plants grow from an underground storage organ. The term ‘bulbs’ often refers not only to true bulbs, but plants that grow from corms, rhizomes and tubers.
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