Which Plants Give The Most Color? Try These 10 Colorful Plants For A Bold And Beautiful Garden

The addition of bright, vibrant tones with well selected annual and perennial plants can create bold and dynamic spaces. However, choosing the best colorful plants for beds, borders and containers isn’t always clearcut. Height, bloom time and a variety of other cultural factors need to be considered. Still, if you’re after some quick inspiration, here are some of the most colorful plants for color that you can grow – all guaranteed to create dynamic and enduring ornamental displays.

Choosing the Best Colorful Garden Plants

Growers are drawn to bold, colorful garden flowers and plants for a variety of reasons. They have a unique ability to draw the eye – and many also attract pollinators. Native species like hummingbirds, bees and butterflies adore the bright hues of nectar-producing plants like bee balm and lobelia.

Many plants are also recognized for their ease of care. Easygoing colorful plants for garden displays often include wildflowers and popular species of tender annuals. Several of the options listed here are ideal for low-maintenance front yard landscaping ideas. And let’s not forget perennial bulbs, hedges and flowering trees. A few of the most attractive, highly saturated bold plant options are included here.

1. ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ Coneflower

‘Cheyenne Spirit’ coneflowers are best known for their hot orange and red tones. Large flowers are held atop tall stems and are in high demand with pollinators. These colorful garden plants are especially attractive when sown en masse, resulting in a vast profusion of color through late summer.

These hard to kill perennials are resistant to disease and they are also extremely drought tolerant flowers to grow. You can pick up seeds for ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ in the Gardening Know How Shop. Coneflowers are considered hardy throughout USDA zones 4-9.

2. ‘Coral Charm’ Peony

Among the first peonies to begin blooming in spring, these large, semi-double flowers seem to glow in beds and borders. Bright yellow stamens offer further interest to pollinators, attracting impressive numbers of honey bees and beneficial insects.

If you are growing these peonies for the first time, you can expect shrubs to thrive with relatively little care. These are some of the best perennials flowers to grow early in the gardening calendar and are considered hardy through USDA zones 3-8.

3. ‘Funfair Mix’ Zinnia

Beginner gardeners will love growing zinnias – but they are also a joy for more seasoned ornamental lovers. These low-maintenance colorful outdoor plants feature a vibrant array of colors and distinctive patterns. Their unique yellow-pink blend is especially attractive when used in pollinator beds or cutting gardens.

With a little deadheading, you will find these annual flowers bloom all summer long. This annual is likely to reseed where conditions are ideal. However, direct sowing seeds of ‘Funfair Mix’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, in spring will help to ensure a steady supply of flowers.

4. ‘Green Twister’ Coneflower

Although there are several vibrant kinds of coneflower, ‘Green Twister’ plants are unmatched in color and contrast. Blooms open to reveal striking green-purple petals. Tall stems lend well to growth in mixed borders as well as containers.

‘Green Twister’, available as part of the Plant by Number Native Cutting Flower Garden Kit in the Gardening Know How Shop, gives an impressive long season of growth. Flowers persist from summer up to the first frost. Plants are hardy, behaving as a perennial, through USDA zones 3-9.

5. ‘Harlequin Mix’ Livingstone Daisy

Short-statured daisy plants are ideal for use as essential groundcover plants and as easy fillers for pots or containers. ‘Harlequin Mix’ offers a wide mix of colored flower heads, each with finely-toothed petals. The plant's beauty is enhanced by its evergreen habit, adding winter interest where it is hardy.

You can grow Livingstone daisy plants as perennials in USDA zones 10-11. Still, most gardeners will be able to grow ‘Harlequin Mix’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, as an annual.

6. ‘Kaleidoscope’ Kalmia

Known most commonly as mountain laurel, kalmia remains among the best choices for those looking to add color to shaded beds. The flowers of ‘Kaleidoscope’, available in the Gardening Know How Shop, open to reveal especially attractive pink-red hues.

Blooms serve as a magnet to pollinators, covering large, established shrubs with ease. Growers through USDA 5-8 can expect plants to return dependably, demonstrating an impressive tolerance to disease.

7. ‘Queen Victoria’ Lobelia

This lobelia is exceedingly popular in hummingbird gardens and pollinator beds. Its bright red lobelia flowers make spectacular additions to any planting plans aimed at attracting hummingbirds. ‘Queen Victoria’ is especially striking, due to its deep purple foliage. Though hybrid, the variety is praised for its nectar-rich blooms and unforgettable color.

Like other Lobelia types, plants are generally considered hardy throughout USDA zones 5-9. If you are impressed with the color of this lobelia, you will also love Lobelia cardinalis, available in the Gardening Know How Shop.

8. ‘The Impressionist’ Rose

Bold varieties of rose can be used to impart dramatic color into the landscape. This is especially true of climbing varieties, when used to add height and vertical interest. Those growing ‘The Impressionist’ for the first time can expect brilliant orange-pink blooms. Their unparalleled fragrance only further contributes to their appeal, serving as a true harbinger of spring.

Like most climbing roses, these shrubs are hardy in USDA zones 5-10. This is one of the easiest roses to grow if you are new to roses. That said, there are plenty more gorgeous colors of roses in the Gardening Know How Shop.

9. ‘Vanilla Fraise’ Hydrangea

Like several other paniculata hydrangeas you can grow, ‘Vanille Fraise’ gives an abundance of bountiful white-pink floret cones. Each immense floral head helps to create a memorable garden display. These eye-catching blooming cones give a distinctly ‘ice cream’ vibe which is visually arresting in beds and borders.

These are some of the best flowering bushes you can grow as hedging or to enhance privacy. You can find Vanilla Strawberry panicle hydrangeas in the Gardening Know How Shop. Shrubs are considered hardy in USDA zones 4-8.

10. ‘Wild Scarlet’ Bee Balm

A staple among pollinator beds, ‘Wild Scarlet’ bee balm is equally suited to growing in informal and naturalized plantings. The highly fragrant flowers are especially attractive to beneficial insects and hummingbirds, which continue to feed from plants through late summer.

If you grow this bee balm in USDA zones 4-9, you can expect bushes to return dependably. They require little care to maintain once established.

More Bold and Beautiful Thematic Ideas for Your Yard

• If you want hardworking plants that look good and make your home more desirable into the bargain, check out these 10 front yard plants that add value to your home – they’re sure to give your yard a lift.
• Dreaming big but worried about space? These small front yard landscaping ideas will help you fill every possible corner with color and character, no matter how small your growing area might be.
• Even modest backyards can be transformed into heavenly sanctuaries – and you don’t have to pay a fortune! Read our 10 small backyard oasis ideas that can help you create an easy garden hideaway.
• If our zinnia picks have fired up your imagination, be sure to check out our curated seed selections and grab some zinnias for cutting in the Gardening Know How Shop.
• Want even more inspiration, advice and expertise delivered straight to your inbox? Make sure you sign up for the free Gardening Know How Newsletter!

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