Outdoor ornamentals
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
A clump-forming herbaceous perennial with pink-purple rays, prominent seed cones, and useful choices between extended flowers, seedheads, and stem habitat.
Growing referenceExplore / Flowers & pollinators
Flowers & pollinators
Color with a purpose.
Choose flowers for your site, flowering season and maintenance routine. Explore native perennials, cut flowers, shade planting and pollinator-friendly containers.
Plant-spacing planner →
A useful place to start
Choose a flowering plan for your growing space.
A perennial border, a pollinator container and a cutting patch need different decisions.
01 / Match site and region
How to Choose Native Perennials for Your Actual Garden
Choose a plant suited to local conditions and its mature space.
02 / Plan a small footprint
Build a Pollinator Container Garden That Works Beyond One Bloom
Bring flowering seasons and container care together.
03 / Plan a harvest
Grow a Small Cut-Flower Garden from Seed
Leave room for sowing, supports and access to cut stems.
04 / Size a small-vase zinnia bed
Plant a Compact Zinnia Bed for Small-Vase Cut Flowers
Use a named cultivar’s spacing to plan planting positions and fill instead of assuming every cutting flower grows alike.
Get to know the plants
Flowers & pollinators: the field guides
Clear explanations. Practical next steps.
Flowers & pollinators · 7 min read
Plant a Compact Zinnia Bed for Small-Vase Cut Flowers
Build an editable 8 × 3-foot cutting project with ten Magellan Coral zinnias, measured soil quantities and room to water, inspect and harvest.
Read the guideFlowers & pollinators · 6 min read
Build a Pollinator Container Garden That Works Beyond One Bloom
Plan a small-space pollinator garden around sunlight, seasonal flowers, host plants, container care, and realistic habitat goals.
Read the guideFlowers & pollinators · 7 min read
How to Choose Native Perennials for Your Actual Garden
Use region, soil moisture, light, mature size, and flowering sequence to choose native perennials without treating every native as low maintenance.
Read the guideFlowers & pollinators · 7 min read
Grow a Small Cut-Flower Garden from Seed
Choose seed-grown flowers for useful stems, plan sowing and support, and build a manageable cutting patch with an ongoing harvest.
Read the guide
Flowers & pollinators · 6 min read
When to Deadhead Flowers—and When to Leave Them
Decide whether removing spent flowers will encourage more blooms, reduce unwanted seedlings, improve appearance, or sacrifice useful seed heads.
Read the guideFlowers & pollinators · 7 min read
Choose Flowers for Dry Shade, Moist Shade, and Partial Sun
Distinguish different kinds of shade before choosing flowering plants, with attention to tree roots, soil moisture, seasonal light, and realistic bloom expectations.
Read the guideThe next useful connection.
A successful setup brings the plant, growing conditions and equipment together. These related topics help you work through the next decision.