American Flag Flowers – How To Grow A Red, White, And Blue Garden

You can do more than just wave the flag to demonstrate your love for the country. A patriotic flower garden is a fun way to celebrate the Fourth of July or any national holiday. Red, white, and blue flowers combine to represent your devotion to the country. There are tons of combos or you can plant an American flag with your plant selections. Follow our tips on a USA flower garden that will astound your neighbors.

Planning a Patriotic Flower Garden

Making a political statement with gardening may seem a bit much, but it can be a fun and beautiful addition to the landscape. A red, white, and blue garden is about so much more than a partisan statement. It is an expression of love and devotion to the land in which you live.

American flag flowers may be perennials, annuals, or an entire bulb garden. You may even opt for bushes with colorful leaves and blooms. Choose an area where the bed will be seen and where flowers will get appropriate light. Amend the soil as needed and then it's time to select red, white, and blue flowers or plants.

Using petunias as the base provides an affordable and easy way to build a USA flower garden. There are solid or striped, single or double petals, and even creeping petunias in each of our patriotic hues. They make the ultimate American flag flowers, which will grow and blend together in a tapestry salute to our pennant.

Using Native Plants as Part of a Patriotic Garden

Native plants in the scheme pack a double whammy. Not only can they bring in the red, white, and blue tones, but they are part of this country naturally. Few things will salute our great nation as easily as plants that are indigenous to this part of the world. Some wonderful native selections might include:

White

• Arrowwood
• Silky dogwood
• Fringe tree
• Goat's beard
• Wild quinine
• Calico aster

Red

• Cardinal flower
• Columbine
• Coral honeysuckle
• Rose mallow

Blue

• American wisteria
• Passion vine (maypop variety is native species)
• Lupine
• Virginia bluebells
• Jacob's ladder
• Wild blue phlox

Tips on a Red, White, and Blue Garden

Choosing the plants is the fun part of developing a patriotic garden. You can go with the 3-toned scheme or even use plants with such thematic names like Coreopsis “American Dream,” Peruvian lily “Freedom,” the tea rose ‘Mr. Lincoln,’ and many more. Many patriotically hued blooms need full sun, but there are those that can thrive in partial to full shade.

Here are some selections that can fit into either sun or shade locations:

Shade

• Reds – begonias, coleus, impatiens
• Whites – pansy, caladium, bleeding heart
• Blues –browallia, lobelia, agapanthus

Sun

• Reds – geranium, verbena, salvia
• Whites – cosmos, alyssum, snapdragon
• Blues – ageratum, bachelor button, love-in-a-mist

As with the aforementioned petunias, many of these plants come in all three colors so you can make a sea of red, white, and blue with just one choice of flower. Easy, quick, and beautiful.