Favorite Outdoor Plants and Flowers

Flowers and plants make my heart happy. I find so much enjoyment of being surrounded by them in our yard. I thought I’d share my favorite outdoor plants and flowers with you today.

The above is the pool gate and a walkway we installed last fall. You can read more about that here.

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means it’s time for some Cozy Living hosted by my friend Jennifer over at Town & Country Living. Whenever I’m out in our garden – gardening or resting – I feel like time slows down. Growing and tending plants and flowers epitomizes hygge.

I didn’t always have a green thumb when we lived in London I had no clue about plants and flowers. It’s only been since we’ve had our own homes and yards that I’ve found a joy in creating beautiful spaces for our family. I tend to plant flowers and plants that feel coastal or that I adore in bouquets because I love to bring plants inside our home.

Here are a few of my favorites with a bit more about them.

My Favorite Outdoor Plants and Flowers

Endless Summer Hydrangeas

Beautiful blue hydrangeas that are full globes say coastal living to me. Their intense blue color makes my heart so very happy. These hydrangeas bloom all summer long and do even better if you clip them regularly. In the fall they change colors to beautiful purples and pinks and I enjoy drying them as you can see in this free printable. Click here for tips on drying and making a wreath with them. We cut ours back in the fall.

Peonies

Peonies remind me of my grandmother. They have the most beautiful buttery fragrance. The only thing I wish is that they lasted longer. They last only about a week, but they sure are beautiful when in bloom. We have two varieties in our yard – Sorbet Peony pictured above and Common Peony pictured below. These plants love the sun and I’ve found they won’t flower unless they get enough. We moved them from our backyard last year. I recommend getting supports for your peony to help keep them standing tall.

Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas

This species of hydrangea was introduced in 2009 and is from France. This is our first year enjoying them. My mom gave them to me last year and I’m really excited to watch them grow. They just started blooming and soon the flowers will be turning a pale pink to red. You can read more about them here.

False Blue Indigo

A friend gifted this to me when we moved into our home 7 years ago. It’s one of my favorites – the beautiful indigo flowers and lovely leaves. They look gorgeous in cut flowers, too.

I was actually quite worried about this plant. When we put the pool in, they took fence panels down and drove all the heavy equipment where this plant usually comes up. I thought it would have killed the plant, but in May we saw the green shoots pushing through the hard packed dirt. It took all the plants might but it rebloomed. There were only a few flowers that year but each year it is bigger and better than the year before.

Butterly Bush

I know some people might find this plant invasive but I absolutely love it! It has beautiful cone like purple flowers and make such as statement in our yard. I also love the nature it attracts – butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths. Can you see the monarch sitting on top? It blooms in July and August. We cut it back hard in the the spring to a third of it’s height. I think this is the biggest it’s ever been!

We actually have a baby Butterfly Bush next to it and it has purple and white flowers. Isn’t that amazing?!?

I plan on transplanting this to another part of the yard.

Ornamental Grasses

We have many types of ornamental grasses in our pool area. We planted these 2 years ago and they love our yard. Look how big they are! I chose ornamental grasses because they don’t require much care and also give a very coastal look.

Two of my favorites are zebra grass:

I also have a few Varigated Japanese Silver Grass:

I love watching them move in the salt breeze and also love they softness they add to landscaping.

Limelight Hydrangeas

These bloom in summer and say summer by the sea to me. We have three in our pool area and I love clipping them for simple bouquets in our home.

Knock Out Roses

These bloom from spring through to fall. We have two bushes and they were a gift from my parents shortly after moving to our home. I can’t believe how big they’ve grown in 7 years. I deadhead the old heads.

Sedum

Sedum is a perennial plant which has succulent leaves. We have a few of these in the pool area. They start off green and turn to a brilliant pink in the fall. They look beautiful in simple arrangements.

Mountain Hydrangea

We first planted the Mountain Hydrangea when we did the She Shed. It is such a lovely plant and has the most gorgeous delicate flowers. I love putting a few stems in glass vases for an understated look.

Zinnias

I only just discovered Zinnias this year and absolutely love them. I bought some seedlings at Holly Hill Farm and I’m growing them in containers all over our yard. The more you cut them, the more grow.

Please let me know if you have a specific questions about our plants or flowers and I’ll try to answer them. Many people wonder about the crushed shell mulch. We used this in the front and also in the pool area. The crushed shells have a lovely coastal look and provide added nutrients to plants. We’ve gotten ours from The Green Connection and Go Green which are local to us, but I’ve heard there is a shortage of crushed sells with everything going on.

I thought you might want to see all the plants in our pool area. I snapped this while Luke was swimming laps:

Be sure to visit all my friends for more cozy living ideas:

Finding Silver Pennies / Making It In the Mountains / Town and Country Living / Sincerely Marie Designs

Vinyet Etc. / It All Started with Paint / Duke Manor Farm