Plants with Big Flowers
Sometimes bigger is better, and while a mix of flowers is nice, make sure to add some of these massive blooms to your beds for maximum impact:
Dinnerplate dahlia: Called dinner plate varieties, these plants produce pretty flowers of 8 to 10 inches (20-25 cm.) across. There are several types in any color you can imagine. Cultivars like ‘Hamari Gold’ and ‘Penhill Dark Monarch’ are massive dinnerplate dahlias.
Sunflower: This is the classic big flower for gardens and for good reason. Sunflowers are cheerful, dramatically tall, and (in the case of ‘Mammoth,’) up to a foot (31 cm.) wide.
Delphinium: Some varieties of delphinium, such as ‘Cobalt Dreams,’ can produce flower spikes up to 2 feet (61 cm.) tall.
Oriental lily: An oriental lily like the ‘Casablanca’ will produce 10 inch (25 cm.) wide flowers. Even more impressive are the tree lily types.
Water lily or lotus: If you have a water garden or pond, consider certain species of water lily, like Victoria amazonica, with flowers as large as basketballs. Sacred lotus also grows in water and produces large, pretty flowers.
How to Use Giant Flowers in the Garden
The best big flowers for gardens are a matter of personal taste combined with what you have room for. Follow these simple tips for basic huge plant bloom care. Before putting in plants, make sure you map out beds and determine that they can fit using appropriate spacing. Big plants and flowers can overshadow smaller, more delicate blooms. Arrange with medium-sized flowers or large clumps of smaller flowers. The tall varieties, like sunflowers and delphinium, make a great backdrop for other plants. Of course, many of these flowers are perfect for cutting and arranging. Huge plant bloom care is not necessarily different from that of other plants. Check the growing conditions specific to each type of plant to determine what it needs. The size of these large flowers may cause some drooping, making some type of support (such as staking) is necessary in these cases.
