If you’re a lover of plants and reside in the Hoosier State, you’re probably wondering what flowers grow well in Indiana. There are plenty of flowering plants that grow well in Indiana, thanks to the state’s diverse climate conditions and fertile soil.
Perennial flowers that grow well in Indiana include daylilies, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans. Annual plants that grow well in Indiana include geraniums, petunias, and begonias.
Choosing the right flowers to grow in your garden can make that garden a sight to behold. Read on to learn more about the best perennial and annual plants to grow in your garden in Indiana.
Perennials That Grow Well in Indiana
Here are some flowering plants that thrive in Indiana all year long.
Hosta
This plant is primarily known for its density and ability to fill in any gaps in your garden’s landscape. It’s also known for its self-sufficiency and the ease with which you can take care of it.
There are many hosta variants, all of which will provide your garden with a vibrant green aesthetic. This is topped off by the beautiful white flower that grows centrally from this plant’s foliage.
Although the hosta plant grows year-round, it peaks in the summer. Its flowers bloom from its long stalk, enhancing your garden’s beauty and acting as a bees’ feeding station.
It’s better to place this plant in a shadier portion of your garden to receive filtered sunlight.
Daylily
If you’re a fan of the colors red, yellow, or orange, you should consider adding daylilies to your garden collection.
This gorgeous plant is highly adaptive and incredibly low maintenance, thriving in nearly any condition. So, there’s nothing to say it won’t thrive in Indiana.
Daylilies can grow up to four feet tall. They have six petals, and they flower rapidly, with each flower lasting about one day and being replaced by another one on the next.
These summer-loving plants require a significant quantity of nutrients to thrive. However, if you give them enough space so that they’re not competing for nutrients, you can expect them to fill your garden with vibrancy and joy. They’re generally easy to take care of.
Coneflower
Like daylilies, coneflowers come in various hues, including green, yellow, red, and orange. However, they’re most known for their shades of purple and their cone-like shape with inverted petals.
Coneflowers’ petals are narrow and surround a huge conically-shaped stigma (hence the moniker), making these plants a prime pollination target. Once the summer is over, coneflowers’ petals fall off.
As is the case with most perennial plants, coneflowers don’t need much in terms of care to thrive. This is especially true when they’ve fully developed into their four-foot-tall form.
These plants love sunlight, so make sure to have them in the sunniest part of your garden. However, even after the summer is over and the sunlight is scarce, petal-less coneflowers are still a beautiful sight.
Black-eyed Susans
During the summer, this plant’s 3-inch broad, golden petals are indeed a sight to behold. These petals shine under the sunlight that black-eyed Susans revere. Gazing at these petals as you sit in your garden will make your day.
The large black protruding seed heads that this plant’s petals surround, along with its oval leaves, give it a unique look in the winter when the petals are gone.
Black-eyed Susans can grow to 2-3 feet in height, and minimal effort is needed to keep them healthy and thriving. When they’re established, they only need minimal water every once in a while. You won’t have to soak them except maybe when first planting them.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Although this plant can reach 2 feet in height, it typically doesn’t reach that plateau. However, don’t doubt its resiliency based on its diminutive size; the jack-in-the-pulpit can live for a staggering 20 years.
The optimum conditions for a Jack-in-the-pulpit are ones with plenty of shade and moisture.
This plant’s flowers usually start becoming visible halfway through spring. Small flowers begin to bloom at the end of a cylindrical column, consisting of a sheath at its apex. You can also find a ‘pulpit’ in that same portion of the plant.
This pulpit protrudes up and curves over the column. During winter, the pulpit produces berries that birds enjoy feeding on.
Artemisia
Artemisia’s beautiful foliage, with its hints of silver, can perfectly complement the colorful flowering plants in your garden. There are also hundreds of types of this plant for you to choose from.
This plant requires very little care (it grows better in low-quality soil). So not only does it make your garden look amazing, but it also provides it with an intoxicating aroma.
Make sure to provide your artemisia plants with plenty of sunlight to help them grow to their full potential (up to 4 feet tall). They can survive in shade and sun alike, but they only thrive when placed under the direct sunlight.
As for the soil, artemisias need a well-draining soil, either moderately moist or dry, These flowers are drought-tolerant, so they don’t mind a bit of a dry soil.
Annuals That Grow Well in Indiana
These are flowering plants that require more specific conditions to thrive and, in turn, grow well in Indiana only at certain times of the year.
Geraniums
Geraniums are highly popular and diverse plants. There are many types of geraniums, each of which can grow in different levels of sunlight and types of soil.
In order to ensure that these plants bloom to their full potential, you should fertilize them on a regular basis. You should also keep in mind their affinity for dry conditions when deciding on the frequency of watering.
Petunias
Having over 300 variants, petunias are one of the most common garden flowers out there. Once the summer rolls around and the sun is in full swing, there’s very little that stops petunias from blooming and growing at a lightning-fast pace.
These plants are incredibly low-maintenance and versatile, not just in terms of color but also in terms of the patterns they grow in.
Begonia
Begonias are equally known for their stunning leaves as they are for their pink and crimson flowers. When not in bloom, these emerald green leaves with hints of chocolate brown take center stage.
This plant works great, whether as a container plant, in hanging baskets, or in flowerbeds. In terms of the optimum conditions for its growth, the begonia thrives in high-quality soil with plenty of water and adequate drainage. Begonias also love the shade.
Cosmos
If you’re looking to encourage pollinators such as butterflies and bees to your garden, planting a colorful cosmos is a great way to do so. Their flowers come in all sorts of hues, including white, orange, brown, pink, and red.
Similar to daisies, a bright yellow center is enclosed by its colorful petals.
Cosmos are incredibly low-maintenance for an annual plant; however, you should make sure to plant them where they’ll be exposed to plenty of sunlight.
Wrap Up On What Flowers Grow Well in Indiana
With its midwestern location within the US, the state of Indiana has a diverse mix of weather conditions over the course of the year. This makes the state a place where a huge variety of flowering plants can grow well and, in fact, thrive.
However, different flowers grow better at different times of the year. Annual plants such as petunias, begonias, and geraniums grow best during the summer months. They also require special care and attention to ensure their growth to their fullest potential.
On the other hand, there’s a myriad of perennial flowering plants that can grow in the state all year long. These plants are typically very low maintenance in nature and can grow in almost any condition. Even when these plants aren’t in bloom, they can still add a gorgeous aesthetic to your garden.
Perennial plants that you should consider growing in Indiana include hosta plants, daylilies, coneflowers, and black-eyed Susans.
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