Pink is such a charming, feminine color. In the floral world, pink flowers represent sweetness, admiration, grace, and joy. From pale blush pinks to vibrant hot pink shades, these blooms infuse any garden with beauty. If you love pink flowers, here are some of the most popular varieties to grow.
Classic Cottage Garden Pinks
Cottage garden favorites like carnations, pinks, and sweet william offer delicate pink blossoms on old-fashioned plants. These timeless flowers evoke vintage charm.
Carnations
These frilly, ruffled blooms have been cultivated for over 2000 years. Today’s carnation varieties produce large double flowers in shades of light pink, darker pink, and even striped patterns. Carnations are long-lasting as cut flowers.
Dianthus
Named for their pink hues, pinks (Dianthus) are cold-hardy perennials with fuzzy, grass-like foliage. Blooms are single or double and come in picotee patterns and variegated shades. Clove pinks and maiden pinks are traditional pink varieties.
Sweet William
Sweet william is a charming biennial or short-lived perennial that blooms in spring and early summer. Dense rounded flower clusters sit atop stiff stems. Mixes offer a range of pink, red, white, and purple shades.
Rose Garden Classic
No discussion of pink flowers is complete without mentioning that icon of romantics and rose lovers – the pink rose. From pale pink teas to rich pink hybrid teas and floribundas, pink roses captivate with their delicate beauty and fragrance.
Modern pink rose introductions showcase the wide diversity of pink tones now available, from pearl pinks, fairy tale pinks, and rainbow pink swirls. Plant pink roses en masse for a dramatic impact or mix with other pink flowers for pops of color.
Water Lilies for Ponds and Pools
For stunning pink flowers floating elegantly on the water, choose pink hardy water lilies (Nymphaea) or tropical water lilies. Hardy pink water lily varieties bloom in shades from soft pink to deep pink early in the season. Tropical pink lilies open later for summer-long color.
Hydrangeas – Big Bold Blooms
Hydrangeas flaunt huge, eye-catching flower heads that demand attention in the summer garden. Popular bigleaf hydrangea varieties like ‘Endless Summer’ and ‘Forever & Ever’ offer pink mophead and lacecap blooms. For even bolder, intense pink flowers, grow hardy macrophylla hydrangeas.
To get that coveted blue hydrangea color, you need acidic soil. But pink hydrangeas thrive in more neutral to alkaline soils. Avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer which promotes green rather than pink blooms. Prune just after flowering fades.
Azaleas
Few spring flowers can compete with the brilliant pink blooms that smother deciduous azalea shrubs. Azaleas come in shades from purplish-pink to true pink. Plant en masse or combine with white and red azaleas for a stunning display.
Hardy azalea hybrids like the Exbury, Ghent, Knap Hill, and Satsuki collections include numerous pink cultivars. Plant in part shade with rich, acidic, well-drained soil. Prune after flowering to shape bushes and remove dead stems.
Pleasing Perennial Flowers
You’ll find pretty pink blooms among many popular perennials beyond pinks and carnations. Here are a few top picks for perennial pink flowers:
Achillea (Yarrow): Flat-topped flowers good for cutting. ‘Cerise Queen’ is fuchsia pink.
Aster: Daisies beloved by butterflies and bees. Grow pink asters like ‘Alma Potschke’ and ‘Pink Star’.
Chrysanthemums: Long-blooming pink ‘mums’ for fall gardens. Try ‘Bi Time Pink’, ‘Pink Bomb’, and ‘Hillside Pink’.
Coreopsis: Cheery, daisy-like tickseed. ‘Pink Rhubarb’ is bright pink.
Delphinium: Towering spires up to 5 feet tall. ‘Magic Fountains Pink’ is a shorter pink variety.
Dianthus: Cottage pinks plus pink carnation-like blooms of ‘Pink Kisses’.
Phlox: Cottage garden staple; some pink varieties include ‘Shortwood’, ‘Franz Schubert’, and ‘Omega Pink’.
Annuals Add Long-Lasting Pink
Beyond perennials, numerous annual flowers come in pretty pink shades to provide nonstop color from spring frosts to fall:
Begonias: From wax begonias to tuberous begonias, these shade lovers offer pink flowers.
Geraniums: Standard bedding plant; pink shades include ‘ Maverick Pink’, ‘Rocky Mountain Pink’, and ‘Pink Happy Thoughts’.
Impatiens: Busy Lizzies boast pink options like ‘Super Sonic Pink’, ‘Touchdown Pink’, and ‘Bright Eye Pink’.
Petunias: Profuse bloomers for baskets and beds. Try ‘Supertunia Vista Pink’, ‘Mitchell Diploid Pink’, or ‘Supercascade Pink’.
Salvia: Pink salvias add long spires, like ‘Mystic Spires Pink’ and ‘Vista Pink’.
Verbena: Low spreading pink verbenas for full sun include ‘Quartz Pink’ and ‘Aztec Pink’.
Zinnias: ‘M agellan Pink’ and ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ are pretty pink zinnia picks.
Tropical Pink Blooms
In warm climates, showy tropical flowers provide outrageous pink blooms. High impact tropical pinks include:
Bougainvillea: Vigorous vines smothered in papery pink bracts surrounding tiny white flowers.
Ginger lilies: Exotic torch ginger varieties produce pink butterfly-like blooms on tall stalks.
Hibiscus: Tropical hibiscus flaunt huge, flamboyant blooms in bright pink shades. Hardy hybrids expand choices.
Mandevilla: Fast-growing pink-flowered vines for patio containers and summer beds.
Conclusion
Whether your taste runs to sweet, soft pinks or bold, sassy hot pink flowers, you’ll find plenty of options to fill gardens with this universally flattering shade. Embrace pink flowers as lovely accents or plant en masse for a memorable swath of pink paradise.