Every flower guide on this site feeds one open table: 85 flowers, 25 documented facts each, all drawn from university and extension sources. The numbers pick the winners; no taste, no sponsors, and every loser is named with the reason.
95HelleboreShade
100AnthuriumVase
96Mexican SunflowerBeginners
100CoreopsisDeer-resistant
95PetuniaBaskets
94Jasmine flowerCat-safe
96Morning GloriesBees
91LilyFragranceThe four most asked
The rankings people open first. Switch the tab, or open any one in full.
Anthurium100/100
Alstroemeria89/100
Carnation89/100
Black‑eyed Susan74/100Hellebore71/100
Azaleas
Impatiens
Christmas Cactus
Sweet Alyssum
Gerbera Daisy
Scarlet Sage
Catmint
Globe ThistleDescribe your spot, get your shortlist
Answer any of the four questions; the list narrows with every answer.
Your matches will appear here.
Twenty-eight jobs, one verdict each
One open table judges them all. The verdict is on the card; open one for the protocol, the runners-up, the flaws, and everyone who did not qualify.
Place
Where the flower has to live: the shade under a tree, a windy coast, heavy clay, a pot on a hot balcony.
Wildlife
Who else you are planting for, and who you would rather keep out.
Pets and health
Cats, dogs and hay fever. The one group of rankings where a wrong answer costs more than a dull border.
Easy wins
Rankings for the gardener who wants the plant to do the work.
The vase
Flowers judged by what happens after they are cut.
Occasions
Rankings tied to a date rather than a place.
The upset and the snubbed
Two things a ranking should never hide: the winner nobody expected, and the famous name the numbers turned down.
Carnations, often dismissed as filler flowers, last in a vase for up to 34 days. Peonies drop petals after 3 to 7. Most people plant the wrong one for cutting.
Straight from the vase-life column of the table.
Famous names, honest numbers. Every nomination lists its snubs with the field that decided it.
Where the famous flowers land
The names everyone knows, with their honest positions. Fame is not a criterion; the duels and the occasion pages are where these stars play.
Not a workhorse of the low-effort beds, and the table says so rather than bending a rule.
Blooms one month, deer love it, and it is on the cat-toxic list. Its real stage is the spring duel against the daffodil.
No top-10 finishes to its name, and we will not bend a formula to fake one.
Expensive, seasonal, thirsty out of water. Adored in every bouquet, it wins no duel outright, and the table prices that dream honestly.
Twelve duels, verdict by verdict
Each card carries the count. Open one for the lines behind it, and for the third flower named when neither answers the question.
Peonies vs Ranunculus
Ranunculus wins 2 lines to 1
which one earns the wedding budget?
Tulips vs Daffodils (Narcissus)
Daffodils (Narcissus) lead 2 lines to 1, without taking every count
which one actually comes back every spring?
Peonies vs Carnation
Even split, 2 lines each: it depends on the job
the dream against the working horse
Roses vs Peonies
Roses win 4 lines to 2
the two queens, honestly compared
Dahlia vs Zinnias
Zinnias win 5 lines to 1
tubers or a packet of seeds?
Hydrangea macrophylla vs Lilacs
Lilacs win 3 lines to 0
which shrub earns the corner spot?
Roses vs Gardenia
Roses win 4 lines to 1
the scent duel
Lavender vs Russian Sage
Russian Sage wins 2 lines to 1
the purple haze mix-up
Anthurium vs Calla Lily
Even split, 2 lines each: it depends on the job
the sculpture contest
Marigolds vs Zinnias
Marigolds win 2 lines to 1
the beginner's first packet
Ranunculus vs Roses
Even split, 3 lines each: it depends on the job
the budget bride's question
Hellebore vs Anemone
Hellebore wins 2 lines to 0
two shade-lovers, one bed
Count the medals, or set your own rules
Two ways to read the same table: who wins most often, and what wins by your weights.
Gold, silver and bronze across all the live nominations. One flower keeps winning, and that is the table's honest verdict, not ours.
| Flower | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coreopsis | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | Mexican Sunflower | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Petunia | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 |  Viburnum | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Jasmine flower | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  Great Blue Lobelia | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The table behind every verdict
85 flowers, 25 fields, every value backed by a quoted source. Check us, quote us.
Gift plants for winter, planting picks for spring, wedding flowers for early summer, planning by zone for fall. The rankings themselves do not change with the calendar.
We keep one table of 85 flowers, with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it. A flower that does not fit a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself. The full method ↗