Every flower guide on this site feeds one open table: 85 flowers, 25 documented facts each, all drawn from university and extension sources. Each ranking is a published 100-point formula over that table, and any score opens into the lines that made it.
87CatmintShade
100AnthuriumVase
94Russian SageBeginners
92PetuniaBaskets
86LilyFragrance
98ImpatiensAllergy
93ViburnumZone 3-4
93CoreopsisClayThe four most asked
The rankings people open first. Switch the tab, or open any one in full.
Anthurium100/100
Alstroemeria91/100
Chrysanthemum91/100
Carnation89/100
Black‑eyed Susan71/100
Blue Salvia
Globe ThistleDescribe your spot, get your shortlist
Answer any of the four questions; the list narrows with every answer.
Your matches will appear here.
One verdict for every question
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.
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.
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?
Anthurium vs Calla Lily
Even split, 2 lines each: it depends what you need
the sculpture contest
Hellebore vs Anemone
Hellebore wins 2 lines to 0
two shade-lovers, one bed
Hydrangea macrophylla vs Peonies
Peonies win 2 lines to 0
the June giants, head to head
Geranium vs Petunia
Petunia wins 3 lines to 0
the window-box incumbents
Begonia vs Impatiens
Impatiens wins 1 lines to 0
the shade bench, decided
Coneflower vs Black‑eyed Susan
Coneflower wins 2 lines to 0
the prairie twins
Coreopsis vs Catmint
Even split, 1 lines each: it depends what you need
the low-maintenance title fight
Daylily vs Lily
Daylily wins 2 lines to 0
same name, different flowers
Chrysanthemum vs Dahlia
Chrysanthemum wins 4 lines to 0
who owns the fall porch?
Azaleas vs Camellia
Even split, 2 lines each: it depends what you need
the southern shrub rivalry
Gardenia vs Jasmine flower
Jasmine flower wins 3 lines to 0
the white-scent duel
Amaryllis vs Poinsettia
Amaryllis wins 2 lines to 0
the December gift, decided
Christmas Cactus vs Cyclamen
Christmas Cactus win 3 lines to 2
the winter windowsill seat
Carnation vs Alstroemeria
Alstroemeria wins 2 lines to 0
the vase workhorses
Delphinium elatum vs Snapdragon
Snapdragon wins 4 lines to 1
cottage spikes, hard mode and easy mode
Hibiscus vs Bird of Paradise
Even split, 1 lines each: it depends what you need
the tropical statement piece
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. The flowers that win most often, counted by place, not by fame.
| Flower | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian Sage | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Viburnum | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Petunia | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Lily | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Catmint | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | Coreopsis | 3 | 2 | 3 |
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 the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself. The full method ↗
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