Unusual Flowers Worth Growing

Beyond the familiar rose or tulip, there's a wide world of more unusual flowers — some exotic and demanding, others surprisingly easy to grow at home.

Tropical and Unusual

Torenia, or the wishbone flower, produces striking pouched blooms in white, blue, purple, and lilac, and thrives in warm conditions above about 70°F. Pentas is native to tropical Africa, easy to care for, and known for drawing hummingbirds with its red, pink, white, and lavender flowers. Portulaca, native to Brazil, wants full sun and sandy soil and rewards with bright, colorful blooms up to an inch across. Abutilon, or flowering maple, does surprisingly well as an indoor potted plant, with blossoms ranging from red through blue and orange.

Easier Than They Look

Lamium (also called White Nancy) is a shade-loving ground cover with heart-shaped variegated leaves and small pink flower spikes, tolerant of a wide range of soil. Sedum comes in hundreds of varieties, blooms late in the season, and tolerates both drought and rain — a genuinely low-maintenance choice that often stays attractive into winter. Gazania, native to South Africa, is a hardy perennial ground cover with daisy-like flowers in yellow, orange, white, and pink, and does best with plenty of sun and well-drained soil.