Last Updated on February 19, 2023 by Derek
Name Five Flowers Native to Germany
Flowers are not only a significant part of the German landscape but also hold a significant part of the country’s culture and traditions. For instance, the Mainau Island, also known as the island of flowers in the middle of Constance Lake, flaunts lovely flowers.
Spring blooms lining up along Easter trees are a common sight a few weeks before Easter in German. The country is home to various flowers, including different roses, carnations, and lilies.
- Houndstongue or dog’s tongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
- Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
- European spindle (Euonymus europaeus)
- German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
- Common bugloss (Anchusa officinalis)
- Wood forget me not (Myosotis sylvatica)
- Greenspire flower (Tilia cordata)
Federal Agency For Nature Conservation
Video – What can you grow in your garden in Germany?
What Flowers Is German Known For?
Germany is famous for its abundance of flowers like lilies, roses, and carnations. Besides these blooms, more popular blooms thrive and bloom in different seasons in Germany.
The country flaunts a wide range of climates that support the growth of various wildflowers. There are also incredible garden flowers that are easy to grow and maintain in your landscape. Below are some popular flowers in Germany.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
It is an easy-to-grow annual whose blooms resemble miniature carnations, and it is the official national flower for Germany. It is also called the bachelor’s button.
- A mature plant can reach about 12 to 48 inches in height and 10 to 12 inches in width.
- It is suitable for USDA zones 2 to 11.
- It produces bright blue, red, white, pink, or purple blooms that last from spring through summer.
- It thrives best in rich, well-draining garden soil with an alkaline pH of 7.2 to 7.8.
- It prefers full sun exposure, open field typical exposure but can withstand partial shade in the afternoon. Long hours of shade cause the plant to become leggy.
It is native to Europe, particularly Germany, where the people try to eradicate it using herbicides due to its rampant growth from reseeding. It has thin stems and narrow grey-green leaves. The flowers grow on top of the limbs.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cornflower | Centaurea cyanus | 6.0 – 7.5 | Well-draining | Full sun | 3-11 |
Love in the mist (Nigella damascena)
It is an annual flowering plant that flaunts ferny, fennel-like foliage forming a mist around the blooms. It is easily recognizable from its delicate foliage and swirl of airy bracts. It produces fluffy flowers and intriguing seed pods.
The most popular cultivar is the blue-blossom love in the mist, but it has other varieties with pink, white, and purple blooms.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Love in the mist | Nigella damascena | 6.0 – 7.5 | Well-draining | Full sun to partial shade | 3-11 |
- It grows about 8 to 20 inches tall and spreads 3 to 6 inches.
- It performs best in fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral, acidic, or alkaline pH.
- It loves partial to full sun exposure.
- It thrives in USDA zones 2 to 11, and some varieties are native to Africa and Asia.
- It blossoms in spring, summer, and fall.
- It is toxic to humans.
Edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum)
It is a perennial plant famous for its woody, lance-like foliage, and white star-shaped blooms. The starry flowering plants grow naturally in the high altitudes of the Alps. They are well adapted to strong winds, rocky soil, and cold temperatures. It is a slow-grower that starts bearing flowers in its second year of growth.
- It reaches a mature height of 6 to 12 inches and spreads up to 8 inches.
- It does well in well-drained gritty soil with a neutral pH.
- It performs best in full to partial sun. Growing the plant under a taller tree allows it for dappled sunshine.
- It bears white blooms in spring through summer.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Green Wizard Coneflower | Echinacea ‘Green Wizard’ | 6.0 – 7.5 | Well-draining | Full sun | 3-9 |
Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila)
It is a genus that contains over a hundred species of annual and perennial plants. It has grey-green to narrow blue-green leaves, with some cultivars growing upright while others grow as creepers to form a lovely ground cover.
- It grows about 2 to 3 feet in height and width.
- It can survive in any soil as long as it is well-draining and has an alkaline pH.
- It blooms best in full sun, at least 6 hours of direct sunlight on most the days.
- It displays white or pink flowers in summer.
- It is toxic to pets and people.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baby’s Breath | Gypsophila paniculata | 6.0 – 7.5 | Well-draining | Full sun | 3-9 |
European White Lily (Nymphaea alba)
It is a low-maintenance aquatic plant. It takes 5 to 10 years to attain a mature size of 0.1 meters in height and 1 meter in width. It is best to grow this plant in a loam basket and cover it with pea-shingle.
- Place the basket about 15 to 25 cm below the water, then deep it 30 to 50 cm after the plant’s establishment.
- It prefers clay or loam with a neutral, acidic, or alkaline pH.
- It flourishes in partial to full sun.
- It produces pale-yellow or white blooms in summer.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
European White Lily | Nymphaea alba | 6.5 – 7.5 | Loamy, clayey | Full sun to partial shade | 3-11 |
What Flowers Originate in Germany?
Germany’s climate and landscape allow the growth of different varieties of flowers. Many flowering plants are growing all over the world whose origin is Germany. For example, many flowers in the U.S have come from Germany, evaded domestication, and grow as invasive weeds. Below are some of the flowers originating from Germany.
- European spruce (Picea abies)
- Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- English holly (Ilex aquifolium)
- Yellow plum (Ximenia americana)
- Water lilies (Nymphaeaceae)
- Sea lavender (Limonium)
German Native Plants and Flowers
Infographic – 5 popular German plants
The Most Popular German Flowers
You cannot talk about the German landscape without mentioning the gorgeous blooms like roses and carnations. Besides the knapweed or cornflowers, the national flower, there are many annual and perennial blooms in the country. Below are some popular flowers in Germany.
Common name | Scientific name | Facts |
Oleander flower | Nerium oleander | It bears clusters of 2-inch blooms in shades of white, peach, pink, salmon, or burgundy red from summer to autumn. |
Daffodil | Narcissus | If grown in autumn, it blooms in winter and early spring. |
Tulips | Tulipa | They can either be early or mid-season bloomers. Early bulbs appear from March to April. |
Greenspire | Tilia Cordata | It is a slow grower with a dense crown that casts a large shade. It blooms from June to July. |
Dandelions | Taxacum officinale | They bloom from May to October, but flowers are abundant in May and June. |
Common German Wildflowers
Germany is also home to various wildflowers beside the incredible garden blooms. Some of them have won the flower of the year rank in the wildflower campaigns.
It has a range of favorable climates to support the growth of these beauties, especially in the highlands. The following are some of the most common wildflowers in Germany.
- Marsh gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe)
- Wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)
- Summer pheasant’s eye (Adonis aestivalis)
- Red helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra)
- Mountain arnica (Arnica montana)
- Western marsh orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis)
- Stemless carline thistle (Carlina acaulis)
- Great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis)
- Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)
- Maiden pink (Dianthus deltoides)
WildflowerSearch.com – German Native Wildflowers
What Is the Most Popular Flower in Germany?
The carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus), a flowering perennial, is Germany’s most popular and widely grown flower.
It is to identify a true carnation from its ruffly appearance and the spicy, faint clove-like fragrance. It belongs to the dianthus or pinks family, and its flower color ranges from various shades of pink to white, red, and coral.
- It grows about 12 to 18 inches tall.
- It appreciates excellently-draining fertile soil with an alkaline pH of 7.8.
- It performs best in full sun, but it can stand some shade. Too much afternoon sun may cause fading of the brightly-colored petals.
- It blooms in late spring, but it can rebloom.
What Plants Are Unique to Germany?
Different plants dominate central Europe, including Germany, with many growing in the higher mountains and the sandy soils. The following are some unique plants in Germany.
- Bavarian scurvy (Cochlearia officinalis)
- Elbe hair grass (Deschampsia wibeliana)
- Allgäu Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla cleistophylla)
- St. john’s wort (Hypericum perforatum)
- Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
- Common twayblade (Listera ovate)
- Vervain mallow (Malva alcea)
- Blue bugle (Ajuga genevensis)
- Meadow sage (Salvia pratensis)
- Early forget me not (Myosotis ramosissima)
Plants in the Black Forest
The black forest is a vast forested area in the mountainous terrain, 200 to 1500 meters altitude in southwest Germany. It is a habitat for various plants and animals due to its diverse climatic conditions, heights, and soil conditions. Here are some of the most common plants in the black forest.
Common Name | Botanical Name | Soil pH Range | Soil Type | Sunshine | Growing Zones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carnations | Dianthus caryophyllus | 6.0 – 7.0 | Well-draining, slightly alkaline | Full sun to partial shade | 6-9 |
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
- Water lilies (Nymphaeaceae)
- Beech tree (Fagus)
- Mosses and ferns
- Oak tree (Quercus)
- Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)
- Dogwood (Cornus)
- Golden bell (Forsythia)
- Boxwood shrub (Buxus)
- Common juniper (Juniperus communis)
Edelweiss German Flowers
Edelweiss (Leontopodium nivale) is a short flowering plant that grows only 8 inches tall as a wildflower and 16 inches tall in cultivation. It is famous for its small fuzzy leaves and white wool-like blooms when mature. The white petals are more of bracts, modified leaves than actual petals.
Edelweiss consists of two major varieties; the Alps edelweiss of Germany and the Asian varieties. Below are some edelweiss cultivars.
- ‘Mont Blanc’
- ‘Mt. Everest’
- ‘Tibet’
- ‘Matterhorn’
The white edelweiss flower commonly grows in the Alps of Europe, though it also grows in other regions. It is also Switzerland’s national flower. Growing in its native area, the plant will display its blooms from July to September.
Edelweiss flower is of significant value, especially in herbal medicine. Some manufacturers use its extract to make anti-aging serums and skin-soothing cosmetic products today.
Other resources relating to German plants and flowers
Plants & Animals of Germany – Sciencing
Native Plants in Germany – Garden Guides
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