Flowers Kids Enjoy

Answer: Here are some that have proven to be favorites over the years, in no particular order.

• Daffodils. Include lots of them for picking big spring bouquets. Did you know the blooms usually face south?

• Impatiens (we call them "poppers") blooms absolutely glow in shady spots and, once their seeds are ripe, put on another great show by exploding at the slightest touch. Stand back!
• Lunaria, "the money plant," is a biennial beloved for its silvery coins. To reveal the money, harvest the tall stem after the seed pods form, and gently peel off the brownish papery layer.
• Cleome, or spider flower, is a fascinating plant with lovely spiky flowers and peculiar-looking seed pods. In a spot to its liking, it will self-seed from year to year. The big seeds are also easy for kids to save.
• Water lotus. The flowers are big and bold like giant cabbages held high up over the water. The woody seed capsules look like tall shower heads and hold their seeds like jewels.
• Sunflowers are amazing because they grow so tall. Not only that, but it's fun to mark a child's height on the stem of a sunflower and check back on it in a few weeks.
• Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina) are often suggested for children's gardens because their silvery, felted leaves are soft and furry, just like a lamb's ear.
• Balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) are amazing, with blue buds shaped just like their namesakes. They are one of the few "easy" blue flowers for the perennial garden.
• Snapdragons make wonderful talking puppets.
• Lady's mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is a showstopper when it is wet: The foliage holds water droplets so they shimmer like diamonds.
• Zinnias are brightly colored and long-lasting in the vase. The more they are cut, the more they bloom.
• Red salvia is fire-engine bright enough to satisfy any child, and it attracts hummingbirds, too.
• Cats-and-kittens or hens-and-chicks (sedums) are endearing in both looks and name. They are also easy to propagate and easy to grow in an old shoe or any sort of fun "found" container.
• Johnny jump-ups may "jump" around when they self-sow into unexpected spots in your garden. Their little faces are cheerful, and best of all, the blooms are edible.
• Four o'clocks and morning glories are lovely flowers that can (almost) tell time.
• Moonflowers are huge and intensely fragrant in the evening but close up in the morning.
• Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' makes eye-popping bold red flowers the size of a plate.
• Gladiolas are very rewarding for children; they are simple to plant, grow quickly, and produce extravagant blooms. It is best to set plant stakes next to the corms at planting time so you know where each one is planted.
• Mint, although not a flower per se, is a favorite plant among children. It tastes good fresh and also makes a delightful hot herbal tea (try it with honey) when dried. Feel the square stems.
• Verbena bonariensis is an oddity to look at: purple balls atop very tall, bare, wiry stems, and it is an absolute butterfly magnet on a hot summer afternoon.
• Clove pinks look very delicate but smell spicy. You can smell them from far away.
• Scented geraniums of all kinds are a delight. Can you guess which one is which by the scent?
• Pineapple sage. Can you tell why it is called that?
• Love-in-a-puff (Cardiospermum) is an old-fashioned vine from Colonial times. It has tiny white flowers followed by hearts inside big round papery pods; be sure to wait until the pods are brown before you open them.
• Blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) blooms sweetly enough, but by fall the seeds enough to satisfy any child, and it attracts hummingbirds, too. The seedheads look for all the world like blackberries. Save them for arrangements.
• Rosa rugosa has beautiful huge hips. Children are amused that a plant can have hips and that the hips are the seedpods and look like little apples. In fact, they are related to apples and you can even make jelly out of them. The flowers are very nice, too.
• The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), last but not least, grows amazingly fast and blooms for months late in the season. It really does attract clouds of butterflies, sometimes so many it looks like the bush is dancing. It is a must in any flower garden for children, or adults!