If your pulse quickens at the sight of a dogwood or peony in full bloom, this is the episode for you. Although a restrained, foliage-focused design is always a safe bet, fabulous floral textures and colors offer a level of excitement that leaves alone can’t provide. For many of us, a love of flowers was the gateway that brought us to gardening. Follow along as Danielle, Carol, and expert guest Wambui Ippolito discuss some of the beautiful blooms that make their hearts sing. 

Expert: Wambui Ippolito is an award-winning landscape designer, horticulturist, and author based in New York City. 

Danielle’s Plants 

‘Bowl of Beauty’ peony  (Paeonia lactiflora Bowl of Beauty’, Zones 4-9) 

Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia, Zones 5-8) 

‘Mistral Bordeaux’ poppy anemone (Anemone coronaria ‘Mistral Bordeaux’, Zones 8-10) 

Pink flowering dogwood (Cornus florida f. rubra, Zones 5-8) 

Carol’s Plants  

‘Storm Cloud’ blue star (Amsonia tabernaemontana ‘Storm Cloud’, Zones 4-9) 

‘Orange Wonder’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus, Zones 7-10) 

Walk in Beauty™ Watermelon Man prickly pear (Opuntia ‘OP099’, Zones 4-9) 

‘Fascination’ and ‘Adoration’ Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum cvs., Zones 3-8) 

Carol’s beloved copy of The Golden Egg Book, by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard 

Expert’s Plants  

Wild mullein (Vebascum roripifolium, Zones 5-8) 

Threadleaf bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii, Zones 5-8) 

 ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia (Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’, Zones 7-9)