Fleeting beauties

Discover our pick of the best fleeting beauties, below.

Peonies

The peony bears opulent blooms over a tantalisingly short period. Herbaceous peonies flower in May and June, where individual flowers may last only a week on the plant. If you cut stems to bring indoors, do so when they're in bud to maximise their potential as a cut flower. Despite their short flowering time, the plants themselves should live for many years. If you need to prune them, do so in winter, when the plant has completely died back.

Poppies

Whether it’s the simple annual red cornfield poppy that we associate with Remembrance Day, or the more blowsy perennial varieties such as the ever popular ‘Patty’s Plum’, poppies are a joy to have in the garden. The flowers are reliable but fleeting, with the paper thin petals easily destroyed by wind or rain. Both annual and perennial poppies are easy to grow and look fantastic when grown in drifts through a mixed border.

Bearded irises

Although the distinctive sword like foliage of the bearded iris has a good architectural presence, it’s the ruffled glamour of the flowers that come in May and June that holds a fascination for so many gardeners. The blooms are elegant and some, like ‘Sable’, are also scented. Irises are prized and admired for the exoticism they bring to a border and are a good choice for dry soils and gravel gardens.

Daylilies

Perhaps the most fleeting of all flowers are daylilies (Hemerocallis). Their blooms literally last a day, although plants do bear plenty of them throughout summer. Daylilies love a sunny location and with flower colours ranging from yellow through orange to deep maroon, the bold clumps look good in a border of mixed perennials.

Magnolias

One of the joys of spring is the sight of furry buds on magnolias. They hold all the promise of the season ahead and when they open out into graceful blooms they're a fanfare for spring. The starry blooms of Magnolia stellata maybe be delicate, but it's a great choice for a small garden. Guaranteed to bring seasonal joy, it looks wonderful when underplanted with bulbs to make a real spring centrepiece.

Cherry blossom

Ornamental cherry trees such as Prunus ‘Kanzan’ are celebrated in Japan for the very nature of their ephemeral beauty. The abundant cherry pink or white flowers symbolise new beginnings and the fleeting nature of life. The festivities in Japan mark the start of spring and traditional cherry blossom picnics are known as ‘Hanami’. The April blossom is the show-stopping moment for cherry trees, which make a beautiful focal point in a garden.

Chimonanthus

There are winter showstoppers, too – plants need to work hard to attract pollinators in the cold months so flowers are often small but very fragrant. Shrubs such as Chimonanthus praecox or wintersweet are cherished for the amazing scent produced by the delicate flowers in January and February. They have an understated elegance, appearing on bare stems and are good for cutting and bringing into the house when little else is flowering.

Witch hazel

Another winter jewel, witch hazel, also bears flowers that are exotically beautiful and bewitchingly scented. They have a relatively short-lived stand out moment in the winter garden, with golden and reddish ribboned blooms and their own distinctive fragrance. The rest of the year they fade into the background.

Nerine

Autumn flowering, nerines bring a touch of elegance at a time when other plants are competing in an all-out final fanfare of hot colours. The delicate pink and red flowers look fantastic when planted in larger groups in mixed borders, among grasses and other perennials that are just fading. Or they can be potted up as a single display in a container for the patio.

Eranthis hyemalis

One of the first flowering plants to appear at the end of winter, the small, buttercup-yellow blooms of winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, shine bright at this time of year - but you need to get up close to appreciate their beauty. It looks good naturalised in a woodland border or lawn, or planted in groups in wilder planting schemes.

Pulsatilla

Commonly known as the Pasque flower, Pulsatilla traditionally represents the arrival of Easter. The purple flowers appear in April and, although the soft ferny foliage that follows is attractive, the plant has had its moment in the spotlight. Good for dry, sunny locations, Pulsatilla vulgaris works in gravel gardens and also as a container plant.

Tips for making the best of short-lived flowers

Choose plants that will suit your soil type and the aspect of your garden – if you have a shady border, don’t choose a peony. It’s better to have the right plant in the right place to get the best performance out of a shortlived bloomer.