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There are few sights more instantly uplifting than a garden full of beautiful blooms in a rainbow assortment of colours, not to mention different shapes and sizes. While flowers have their own vital uses for the plants that produce them, they also offer a range of important benefits for the people who grow, cut, and admire them. In fact, did you know that flowers can not only bring us happiness but can even reduce stress and boost our productivity, purely through the act of admiring their vibrant beauty?

If you’re keen to tap into that healing ‘flower power’ and introduce some striking new blooms to your backyard, here are 5 truly show-stopping flowers guaranteed to grace any garden.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are an instant mood-booster, bringing a smile to our lips with their large butter-yellow flowers that track the sun across the heavens. Easy to grow from seed, these exquisite flowers can grow remarkably tall, providing interesting architectural elements to your garden as well as helping to attract vital pollinators such as bees and even songbirds. You can also put them to practical use yourself, harvesting the seeds and oil to add some extra nutrients to your diet.

Snapdragons

If you have an interest in the folklore of plants, then the snapdragon will surely intrigue you with the legends that have sprung up around its remarkably shaped flowers and seed pods. In fact, in ancient times, this elegant Mediterranean native was thought to boast supernatural powers, perhaps due to the eerie skull-like face that appears on the pods. It was also believed that eating the brightly coloured blooms could bring women beauty and youth for the rest of their lives.

Of course, these days, snapdragons are mostly adored for their unique candy-coloured flowers that attract bumblebees – and for this reason alone, they would make a charming addition to your backyard.

Peonies

If you love plants that produce bold, brassy, big flowers, then you are sure to appreciate the peony. With their large, soft, blowsy blooms, these flowers provide an eye-catching spectacle, which is perhaps why Edouard Manet was so keen to paint them and dedicated a whole series of paintings to catching their lush but fragile beauty.

Sadly, they only have a short flowering season, but for the month of May and some of April and June, you will be treated to a truly breath-taking display.

Carnations

You have probably encountered carnations aplenty every time you walk past a florist’s or a supermarket’s display of freshly cut flowers. Carnations (also known as dianthus) are the second most popular cut flower, thanks to their stunning blooms and the rich fragrance they exude.

If you would like to have your own source of readily available flowers to fill your vases with, growing carnations is delightfully easy. Not only are they low-maintenance, but they will also readily produce an abundance of flowers as they will bloom throughout the summer. Plant your carnations in well-drained soil in full sun in the early spring, and await your summer-long bouquets!

Dahlias

Hailing from sun-kissed Central America, dahlias are a fragile but strikingly beautiful perennial that grace the summer and autumn with their exotic blooms that come in a variety of styles and hues. Like carnations, they are a wonderful source of cut flowers, and will grow well in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil in full sun.

Although they are very tender, meaning they will require extra care and protection during the winter, if looked after properly they can bring your garden show-stopping flowers for years to come, making them another must-have addition to your backyard.

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