Ornamental and flowering plants bring colour, scent and structure to a garden, balcony or windowsill. These guides cover flowering shrubs and climbers, bulbs and perennials, succulents and striking foliage – with practical advice on planting, pruning, propagation and getting the best display. Whether you want a wall of bougainvillea, a shelf of agaves, or a fragrant ylang-ylang, start here.
Flowering shrubs & climbers
- Bougainvillea: care, colours, in pots, as bonsai, Mini Thai & peruviana
- Hoya (wax flower), heather & rock rose (Cistus)
- Golden shower tree & Yesterday-Today-and-Tomorrow (Brunfelsia)
- Pagoda flower (Clerodendrum paniculatum)
Bulbs & perennials
Succulents & desert plants
- Agave: care & blooming, Agave attenuata propagation & blue agave
- Aloe: Black Gem, haworthioides & Quicksilver
- Desert rose (Adenium) & Alluaudia (Madagascar ocotillo)
Foliage, fragrance & specialty
- Persian shield, Amaranthus tricolor (Joseph’s Coat) & papyrus
- Ylang-ylang & patchouli for fragrance
- Orchids: Dracula orchid, monkey-face orchid & bee orchid
- Shampoo ginger & Ming fern (Asparagus myriocladus)
Equipment for ornamentals
- Pruning shears for shaping and deadheading
- Plant fertilizers for stronger blooms
- Pots, planters & supports – and orchid supplies for the orchids above
More ornamental guides
- Blue flowering shrubs
- Purple flowering shrubs
- Pink flowering trees
- Flowering hedges
- Unique flowers
- Edible flowers
- Purple plants
- Ground covers for sun
Guides in this section
Flowering plants & shrubs
- Agapanthus (not flowering)
- Alstroemeria
- Amaryllis
- Bougainvillea Mini Thai
- Bougainvillea peruviana
- Bougainvillea (complete guide)
- Heather (Calluna)
- Carnations
- Cassia fistula
- Hoya (wax flower)
- Papyrus
- Persian shield
- Rock rose (Cistus)
- Toad lily
- Yesterday-today-tomorrow
- Ylang ylang
- Amaranthus tricolor
- Arenaria (sandwort)
- Asiatic jasmine
Succulents & agaves
- Agave attenuata
- Agave care
- Alluaudia
- Aloe Black Gem
- Aloe haworthioides
- Aloe Quicksilver
- Blue agave
- Desert rose (Adenium)