What Flowers Grow Well in Oklahoma? Well, if you live in Oklahoma, you should pick flowers that are suitable for USDA planting zones 6 to 8. Thanks to the warm weather, some of these flowers will provide you with a longer than usual blooming season, adding an attractive pop of color to your garden regardless of its type.
In this article, we’ll list some of the best flowers that grow well in Oklahoma weather, so you can pick the right one for your garden setup.
9 Vibrant Flowers that Grow Well in Oklahoma
When you’re choosing a plant to grow in your garden, you shouldn’t just think about the color of its blooms. You should also evaluate the soil’s status and consider your experience level. Here are some popular flowers that you can successfully grow and enjoy in Oklahoma.
Daffodil
Daffodils are often grown in mid to late fall, showing their first blooms in early spring. However, they bloom all spring and summer and reach their peak blooming season about one week before the first frost.
Most daffodils are yellow, although some varieties grow pink and white blooms. Despite their beautiful shape, these flowers are toxic to humans and pets and can be fatal when ingested. The bulbs also cause skin reactions when handled.
Daffodils are suitable for novice gardeners, and when the flowers wither, you can dig the bulbs up and reserve them for fall. This will allow you to plant another flower to keep your Oklahoma garden vibrant and delightful.
The flowers need access to full to partial sun, with some shade in midsummer. The soil should be rich, moist, and well-draining to protect the bulbs from rot.
Lenten Rose
Despite its name, the Lenten rose is actually a perennial that belongs to the buttercup family. The name is attributed to the plant’s blooming season, which coincides with the Christian season of Lent.
The blooms can come in different colors, from white, cream, yellow, pink, rose, and purple to maroon. They can have markings or veining of another color, and they can be smooth or ruffled.
These flowers are among the easiest to grow as long as the soil is fertile, well-draining, and moist. Mulching will encourage healthier growth, keeping the soil moist but not too soggy.
Lenten roses thrive in partial to full shade but should be protected from strong winds. Thanks to their hardiness, they’re perfect for woodland gardens.
Zinnia
Zinnias are beautiful flowers that come in bright shades of yellow, green, orange, pink, red, purple, lavender, and white. They add the needed pop of color to your flower garden and offer a tasty food source to pollinators.
The plant can grow to be 4 feet tall as long as it enjoys full sun exposure. It’s highly versatile, as you can grow it in your flower bed or even a window container, although it doesn’t thrive as an indoor plant.
If you’re a novice gardener, zinnias can work for you because they don’t need much care, although the soil has to be well-draining. They’re among the longest-blooming flowers in your Oklahoma garden, blooming from late spring to the first fall frost.
Pansy
Pansies are grown as perennials, but in Oklahoma, they can be grown as biennials, thanks to the warm winter. The flowers bloom in spring and summer and are grown in containers to complement spring-flowering bulbs.
The blooms have face-like markings in the center and can be white, yellow, purple, and blue, with many flowers showing bi-colors. They’re highly versatile and can thrive in full sun to partial shade.
Pansies are heavy feeders, so you need to fertilize your soil a lot to keep them healthy. They prefer slightly acidic loose soil and need regular watering. When grown in pots, you should ensure enough drainage holes to prevent the soil from becoming too soggy.
Garden Phlox
Garden phlox or tall phlox is a low-maintenance plant with colorful blooms that attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. The flowers appear on tall stems that can reach the height of 4 feet, depending on the cultivar. The blooms come in shades of purple, lavender, pink, lilac, salmon, and white.
In Oklahoma, it’s best to grow your garden phlox in an area where it can enjoy partial sun exposure. It thrives in rich fertile soil that should be well-draining. Overhead watering should be avoided, and the soil shouldn’t be soggy to help the flowers bloom.
Overwatering the plant can increase the risk of powdery mildew. Deadheading the spent flowers will extend the blooming season, which usually lasts till the end of summer.
Petunia
Petunias are fast-growing annuals that bloom in spring, summer, and fall until early November. There are several bright-colored varieties that you can grow in Oklahoma, and they come in almost every shade except true blue.
The plant reaches a maximum height of 24 inches, so it’s perfect for borders and containers. Different hybrids can be single or double blooms with smooth or ruffled petals. The flowers can be of solid colors or show veins and other patterns.
Petunias prefer full exposure to the sun, but partial shade is recommended in the midsummer heat. They prefer to grow in light, fertile, and well-draining soil, which can be slightly acidic.
Too much watering can lead to root rot, although they typically need more water when grown in containers. Adding compost at the time of planting will help the plant grow stronger. After that, you can fertilize with a special liquid fertilizer every two to three weeks.
Bearded Iris
Bearded iris is a hardy flower that grows in USDA zones 3 to 9, so it can tolerate the weather in Oklahoma. In the first growing season, the bearded iris can grow in a nursery pot, and it will start blooming in its first year.
The plant can be 40 inches tall, with flowers growing in shades of red, orange, blue, purple, yellow, white, and pink. Many blooms are also bi-color.
Bearded irises are suitable for less experienced gardeners as long as they’re planted in well-draining soil with full access to sunlight. The plant will grow fewer flowers in full shade and succumb to diseases. Unfortunately, these attractive blooms are toxic to dogs and cats.
Peony
Most peonies grow from herbaceous perennials, although some are woody shrubs. Peonies are planted in fall, six weeks before the ground freezes, to give the roots a chance to settle. The flowers usually bloom in late spring to late summer and can grow in different types of soils, as long as it’s well-draining.
Peonies’ blooms are showy and come in different shades of white, pink, red, rose, purple, and coral. When taken care of, peonies can last for decades in your garden.
Because of the heavy blooms, peonies should be planted where there’s some shelter from the strong wind. Full exposure to sunlight is needed to support the growth of flowers and protect the plant from fungal diseases. The attractive blooms are slightly toxic to humans but highly toxic to pets.
Shasta Daisy
The white Shasta daisy is named after the snowy Mount Shasta in California, but it’s an excellent addition to your Oklahoma garden. Some types of Shasta daisies are double blooms, but all types have a bright yellow center surrounded by snowy petals. In the warm weather of Oklahoma, the dark green leaves are considered evergreen and will remain all year round.
Shasta daisies thrive in full sun but can tolerate partial sun and shade areas. They need to grow in rich, fertile, well-draining soil, so adding compost and fertilizers once a year will benefit your plant.
These plants are sensitive to soggy soil, so overwatering should be avoided. Shasta daisies are short-lived perennials, and the flowers are toxic to pets.
Wrap Up: What Flowers Grow Well in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma weather supports the growth of different perennials and annuals that can transform your garden’s look.
When planning your landscape design, make sure that you choose flower varieties that complement each other. Luckily, in our list, you’ll find a lot of suitable flowers to plant whether you have a sunny or shady garden.
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