27 Vibrant Rainbow Flowers to Plant for a Garden that Celebrates All Colors

Planting rainbow flowers in your landscape goes beyond gardening, it creates an immersive outdoor experience. They offer an explosion of color every time you stroll through your space.

The Top 27 Most Intriguing Rainbow Flowers to Plant for a Rejuvenating Outdoor Space

Because rainbows are different for everyone, begin by defining what a rainbow means to you. Is it a collection of all colors or an arch that includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet? Do not worry if you are not sure what kind of rainbow you would like to bring to life. Experimenting with different types of rainbow flowers can be a fun and exciting way to learn more about your botanical style. These options also provide the perfect backdrop for various types of evergreen trees.

1. Petunia (Petunia)

Even though petunias are easy to grow, they offer bright bursts of color. Floppy petals and velvety foliage come together to soften your landscape. Because they are available in any color except brown or black, they are the perfect addition to a rainbow-themed space. Petunias are also available in attractive bicolor patterns.

2. Tulip (Tulipa)

In springtime, tulips reign supreme and, except for true blue, can be found in any color. Because each type of tulip holds a unique meaning, you can use a rainbow of tulip colors to spell different messages. To make sure that message comes across, you will want to plant tulip bulbs in groups.

3. Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Southern Hospitality’)

Famous for their early springtime bloom, daffodils offer low-maintenance yellow flowers. You can choose whether to display a single hue or showcase yellows and oranges. As shown in these images of rainbow flowers, double daffodils offer a fancy twist to a timeless classic. This variety uses elegant multicolored ruffles to channel orange and yellow.

4. Bells of Ireland (Moluccella Laevis)

Because green flowers are rarer than their colorful counterparts, one of the greatest challenges of creating a rainbow-themed garden is incorporating green. Bells of Ireland brings impressive green inflorescences to the botanical party through the summer into the fall. Perhaps you will also reap some of the good luck they are rumored to bring.

5. Tufted Pansy (Viola Cornuta)

With a wide range of colors and patterns, tufted pansies make it easy to cultivate a rainbow-themed space. You can choose to plant single colors in patterns or all mixed as shown in these pictures of rainbow flowers. Because tufted pansies are annuals, you can have fun switching them up every year.

6. False Indigo (Baptisia ‘Blueberry Sundae’)

If planning a rainbow-colored garden is your goal, false indigo’s intense blooms are a staple. These flowers are reasonably hardy and can survive a wide variety of growing conditions meaning that they can go wherever you have room. ‘Blueberry Sundae’ is a compact variety that showcases a more intense indigo hue than the species.

7. Spring Crocus (Crocus vernus ‘Purpureus Grandiflorus’)

As winter fades, seeing the first spring crocuses emerge feels like waking. With an intense purple hue and velvety petals, this variety of spring crocus is everything you could wish to channel the purple stripe in the rainbow. Cheerful yellow stamen provide a pleasing contrast. Spring crocuses can also be found in a bright yellow-orange color.

8. Rose (Rosa ‘Ausdir’ Tradescant)

As a classic landscape element, roses should be in every landscape designer’s arsenal. This variety of English shrub rose produces rich, wine-red roses, but the color options are nearly limitless. If a red shrub rose does not fit your landscape, you can choose any rose type or color to fill in your rainbow-themed landscape.

9. Azalea (Rhododendron ‘Gibraltar’)

With an azalea, you can soak in radiant blooms throughout spring. Often, these flowers are white, pink, or red. However, as you can see in pictures of these rainbow flowers, this variety offers a luminous orange. As you pursue a rainbow-colored landscape, springtime orange flowers can make your color-loving dreams come true.

10. Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus)

Because of their immense height, sunflowers are like the skyscrapers of the landscape. When planted as a rear border, friendly yellow flowers stand above your other rainbow-hued flowers. If the yellow petals with a brown disk are not right for your space, these types of rainbow flowers can be found with red petals and purple centers.

11. Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea ‘Green Jewel’)

As you can see in images of these rainbow flowers, this variety of coneflower is the perfect way to add a pop of green to your landscape. Cool green rays contrast gracefully with a dark green cone. Because coneflowers are native wildflowers, they can adapt to a wide variety of gardens.

12. Clematis (Clematis ‘The President’)

In shades ranging from purple to blue, clematis flowers provide a chic indigo element to any rainbow-themed garden. These climbing flowers can fill any blank spaces to ensure your landscape is carpeted in color. This clematis cultivar contributes flashy blue and purple flowers so reliably that it holds a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit.

13. Polyanthus Primrose (Primula Veris x Primula Vulgaris)

If you live in a cool climate, polyanthus primrose might be the perfect rainbow flower to plant. Because they can be found in any color except green, polyanthus primrose can bring the rainbow into your garden. During its springtime bloom, this flower will happily fill shady areas with color.

14. Bearded Iris (Iris Germanica)

Named after an ancient Greek rainbow goddess, bearded irises are a mainstay of the rainbow-themed garden. With their cascade of ruffled velvety petals, bearded irises can be found in whichever colors fit your approach to a rainbow flower garden. To add a sense of drama to your garden’s design, include a border of ostentatious irises.

15. Bee Balm (Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’)

Bee balm might grace your garden with an impressive display of scarlet flowers, but it still only gives you one of the colors of the rainbow. However, these spiky flowers attract golden-striped honeybees and an iridescent rainbow of hummingbirds. To increase the number of colorful hummingbirds visitors to your garden, plant bee balm in groups.

16. French Marigold (Tagetes Patula)

French marigold can fill your space with hues of vivacious yellow, golden orange, and rich burgundy. With a long flowering season and little required maintenance, French marigolds are one of the easiest rainbow flowers to plant for a colorful space. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage the profusion of ruffled flowers to continue.

17. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’)

Black-eyed Susan flowers are a great way to invite bright yellows into your garden. Like many native types of rainbow flowers, black-eyed Susans thrive in a wide range of environments while producing lavish clouds of color. Although these flowers only channel a single shade of yellow, they also attract birds and butterflies to your garden.

18. Prickly-Pear (Opuntia Humifusa)

While prickly-pear flowers are an optimistic shade of yellow, this plant introduces a unique green element to your rainbow space. When seen among lush plants, cactus pads help the color green to shine. Of course, in the summer, your garden will benefit from the ruffled golden petals shown in these pictures of rainbow flowers.

19. Blue Lotus (Nymphaea Caerulea)

Blue lotus can fill your water features with delicate blue petals, yellow stamen, and resplendent green lilypads. Because they prefer aquatic conditions, these types of rainbow flowers can bring bright colors to ponds and water gardens. To enjoy a sweet fragrance, plant these flowers near a walkway or seating area.

20. Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla)

A single hydrangea plant can offer flower clusters in true blue, lilac purple, and lively pink. Along with its amiable green foliage, this ability makes the hydrangea a great addition to a rainbow-themed space. Pair a hydrangea with red, orange, and yellow flowers to achieve a landscape that features all the colors of the rainbow.

21. American Wisteria (Wisteria Frutescens)

American wisteria makes it possible to enjoy a lilac-blue waterfall of flowers without having to worry about the aggressive habits of invasive Asian wisteria. As a wisteria, it will need a structure to climb. Because American wisteria still does require pruning, it is best suited to gardeners who enjoy pruning as a relaxing activity.

22. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia Aristata ‘Bijou’)

A flower that promises a carpet of color all season with very little water seems too good to be true. However, with rich reds and opulent golds, this is exactly what blanket flowers can bring to a garden design. This variety of blanket flower is shorter and more compact, making it an ideal border front.

23. Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum Morifolium)

As a garden’s color begins to fade in late fall, the late-blooming chrysanthemum can be a powerful force for revitalization. Images of these rainbow flowers show how beautiful they can be when arranged in colored stripes in a bed. Rainbow stripes are just one possibility. Develop dimension by using mums to depict simple shapes or designs.

24. Hyacinth (Hyacinthus Orientalis Etouffee)

Tight clusters of highly fragrant pastel flowers can bring rainbow vibes to spring gardens. This variety of hyacinth features flowers in multiple colors including blue, purple, and pink. To experience all the shades seen in a rainbow, interplant hyacinth bulbs with other bulb-based perennials that bloom in spring such as tulips and daffodils.

25. Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis)

With an origami-like shape and plenty of color options, columbine offers a perennial display that will never cease to amaze. This variety is native to the United States and features reddish pink and yellow petals. When you plant a plot of columbine, you not only get to enjoy expressive flowers but also the jewel-like hummingbirds they attract.

26. Pretty-By-Night (Mirabilis Jalapa)

Beyond this flower’s exceptional ability to produce flowers with dazzlingly unique patterns, it also stays open through the night. These flowers open in the late afternoon to close the next morning, imbuing your landscape with nocturnal color. While it is beautiful when showcased as a specimen, this flower achieves Victorian gravitas when used as a hedge.

27. Verveine (Lantana Camara)

Verveine is unique among the many types of rainbow flowers because each floral cluster promises a mixture of many hues. Every bunch has the potential to showcase red, orange, yellow, purple, and white. Plant these flowers next to a blue-flowering plant with green foliage, and you can bask in all the colors of the rainbow.

27 Unforgettable Rainbow Flowers to Plant in a Garden that Craves More Color

When you walk into a garden filled with rainbow flowers, it can feel like anything can happen. Just as everyone has a unique style, there are many ways to approach a rainbow-themed garden. One strategy is to interplant flowers that showcase a single vibrant color for an overall rainbow effect. Another is to choose multicolored flowers to achieve an explosion of color. Maybe the right approach for you is to combine these two strategies and plant a mixture of single-colored and multicolored flowers. Among the many types of rainbow flowers, you will also need to decide whether your garden will emphasize gentle pastel hues or energizing jewel tones.