Flowering Plants for Mother's Day

Delphinium

• Hybrid bee delphinium (Delphinium x elatum) is a hardy perennial that can make a striking addition to the back of a cutting garden. Its blooms, which come in a range of colors on stalks reaching up to 6 feet tall, first appear in May and may last through July in cool areas. The plant is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 3 through 7. Delphinium should be grown in a location the receives full sun exposure and has moist, well-drained soil. The numerous Delphinium cultivars include "Volkerfrieden," a 2- to 3-foot-tall specimen with blue flowers; "Innocence," which reaches 6 feet tall and has white flowers; "Blushing Bride," which can grow 4 to 6 feet tall and has pink blooms; and "Blue Lace," which can grow to 6 feet high and has true-blue flowers.

Lily of the Valley

• One of the first hints of spring in the garden, lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is a shade-loving perennial that blooms for two to three weeks in May. Its fragrant, white, or sometimes pink, bell-like flowers line up vertically on a stalk. Lily of the valley is a native plant that grows in the rich, moist soil of woodlands, but the 4- to 8-inch tall plant also is used as a ground-cover beneath deciduous trees. It is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8.

Bloodroot

• Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is native wildflower that grows in partial- to full-shade gardens with moist soil. It gets its name from the red sap that seeps from its rhizomes when they are cut. This member of the Poppy family, which is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, has white flowers that appear from March through May. The plant becomes dormant in midsummer.

Peony

• Peony (Paeonia lactiflora) is a showy, herbaceous perennial with large flowers, some as big as saucers, that appear from mid- to late spring. Peony, which is a slow-grower when young, does best in well-drained, loamy soil and full sun. Its flowers can be double, which is the most common kind in traditional gardens, single or semi-double, and the flower colors include white, pink, magenta, red, cream and yellow. The blooms are used as cutting flowers; blooms last up to 10 days in a vase. Peony is hardy in USDA zones 2 through 8.

Columbine

• Columbine (Aquilegia hybrida) is a simple-to-grow perennial that also works well as a cut flower plant. The delicate-looking flowers bloom atop stalks that reach 2 to 3 feet tall. Columbine requires rich, well-drained soil and exposure to sunlight or partial shade. Its blooms come in a variety of colors and shapes, thanks to hybridizing. Flower colors include white, red, pink, yellow, orange, purple and blue. Flower shapes include bell, trumpet and double, but all have five petals surrounding the inner calix. Columbine is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9 but requires heavy mulching for winter protection in cold areas.