Plants are an essential component of both gardens and homes these days. With more and more people considering planting flowering plants in their surroundings, cultivators have started growing more species or varieties to suit their demands.
The common demands are colorful flowers and easy to grow. If you fall in the same category, here is something unique for you.
In this guide, I have discussed the top 12 flowering plants starting with the letter D. Moreover, the list has got you covered whether you are searching for indoor plants or outdoor varieties.
Flowers That Start With D
In the following section, I have shortlisted the top 12 indoor and outdoor flowering plants starting with the letter D.
1. Daffodil
The scientific name of Daffodil is Narcissus spp. It is native to North America. However, you can find it in the hottest and wettest areas, such as South Florida.
It is because the plant can’t tolerate too much heat and moisture. Being a fall-planted bulb, you should plant them in autumn for its flowers to bloom in late winter or early spring.
Talking about the traditional daffodil flower, it features six petals in a trumpet shape.
Note that the flowers are either yellow or white with a slightly showy nature. You can plant daffodils either as a standalone plant or in groups with other varieties.
The plant is suitable for both indoor and outdoor planting.
2. Dahlia
The scientific name of Dahlia is Dahlia. It is a perennial plant native to Mexico and Central America. It is a member of the Asteraceae family that includes other plant species such as sunflower, zinnia, daisy, and chrysanthemum.
There are several varieties of the dahlia plant, most of which can grow up to a height of 4 to 5 feet. Moreover, another reason why dahlia flowering plants are everyone’s favorite is their assortment of color shades.
Some species of the family bloom into flowers with petals size of 2-inch while others may develop petals as giant as 15-inch.
The plant’s growing season is of at least 120 days, and it admires moist and moderate climates. Hence, avoid planting it in extremely hot climates such as in Texas or South Florida.
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3. Daisy
The scientific name of Daisy is Bellis perennis. It is another common yet popular European species belonging to the Asteraceae family. Other common names of the plant include common daisy, lawn daisy, and English daisy.
However, this particular species of daisy is different from the other ones since it consists of 15 to 30 white ray flowers surrounding a spherical yellow bulb that attracts bees and butterflies.
Daisy is native to Europe and some parts of Asia. Today, some varieties of Daisy are also grown in the United States. Being a perennial plant, it can reach up to a height of 60 cm (2 feet) on maturity.
4. Daphne
The scientific name of Daphne is Daphne spp. or Daphne x hybrids. It is native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, and there are over 70 species of plants available in the world.
Among these, a small proportion of species are grown for landscape cultivation.
These species include odora, D. mezereum, D. transatlantica, and the likes. Being a shrub, Daphne produces bright colored blossoms in May in shades such as white to Pink.
Note that Daphne is a small flower. Hence, it is not ideal for big settings like yards or gardens. You can plant them indoors or in clusters with other plants outdoors.
5. Day Lily
The scientific name of Day Lily is Hemerocallis. It is native to Asia and Europe. Since a day lily can last for only a day, it is called day lily.
It is very little maintenance or no perennial maintenance plant. The plant can also withstand drought conditions. If you are a beginner, you should try growing a day lily first.
Besides, it is disease and pest-free, unlike other plants.
You can either grow a day lily in spring or early fall, before the frost.
Although, as mentioned, the plant can survive even in less than ideal conditions, it is better to provide it with full sun and well-drained fertile soil. The day lily plant must be watered once in a week as its root hates drowning.
6. Delphinium
The scientific name of Delphinium is Delphinium. It is native to the Northern Hemisphere and the high mountains of tropical Africa.
Despite over 300 species of perennial flowers, Delphinium is one such plant that requires more than ideal conditions for growing and is a tough plant to deal with here. Furthermore, it is toxic to humans and animals. Hence, it would help if you were careful while bringing it home.
The plant requires moist and cool summers being a mountainous plant.
Also, it thrives in well-drained soil with full sun and protection from sudden winds or downpours. It is a major attraction of insects and pests like slugs, snails, and cyclamen mites.
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7. Desert Rose
The botanical name of Desert Rose is Adenium obesum. As its name suggests, a desert rose thrives in desert-like conditions and develops a thick trunk, thin leaves, and dark pink trumpet-like flowers.
Being a slow-growing plant, it can only reach up to 12-inches a year and is native to Africa, the Middle East, and Madagascar. In warmer zones, it is a worthy outdoor plant and an indoor species for cooler climatic conditions.
Note that too much frost and low temperatures can kill the plant. Hence, it must be grown in the spring. Some varieties of desert rose are toxic to both humans and pets.
Upon maturity, the plant can grow up to a height of 3 to 9 feet and 3 to 5 feet width.
8. Dianella
The scientific name of Dianella is Dianella. It is a member of the Asphodelaceae and is also known as flax lily. It is native to Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Australia.
The plant is a perennial plant; however, its distinguishing feature is its fibrous or fleshy roots.
There are several applications of every part of the plant. For example, you can use the leaves of Dianella in weaving baskets. The flower is an edible and common addition to salads and desserts.
Under ideal growing conditions, the plant can reach up to a height of 30 inches. However, make sure you provide it with full sun, well-drained fertile soil, and adequate moisture.
9. Dianthus
The scientific name of Dianthus is Dianthus spp. Due to their bright pink color, the plant is also called “pink.” Its distinguishing characteristic is the spicy fragrance of cloves and cinnamon the blooms emit.
Since there are over 300 species of the plant, you can find hardy annual, biennial, and perennial varieties across the world.
Again, the plant Dianthus is slow-growing and small, with a machine height of 6 to 18 inches (15-46 cm).
Besides Pink, the flower is also available in other salmon, red, and white shades. To grow Dianthus, you must ensure at least 6 to 8 hours of full sun or partial shade alongside fertile and well-drained soil.
10. Diascia
The scientific name of Diascia is Diascia barberae. The plant belongs to the Scrophulariaceae family and is sometimes called twin spur. It is native to South Africa.
It is a highly delicate and bubbly plant whose varieties grow upright, and others surround the pot.
There are over 70 species of the plant widespread to Lesotho and neighboring areas. You can choose from an assortment of color shades such as Pink, white, coral, orange, red, and plum.
The plant can grow up to a height of 6 to 12 inches and attain a width of 18 inches.
To grow a Diascia, you need to ensure full sun to partial sun, well-drained fertile soil of pH in the range 6 to 6.5. Furthermore, the blooming time of the plant is spring and fall.
11. Dietes
The scientific name of the plant is Dietes iridioides. One species of the plant, Dietes robinsoniana, is native to Lord Howe Island off the coast of Australia. Its cultivation is more prominent in southern and central Africa.
The plant grows well in USDA hardiness zones 8b or higher.
It has witnessed decent growth in popularity over the past few years due to its attractive spiky foliage and multiple showy blooms in white, blue, and yellow shades.
The plant is a type of herbaceous ornamental grass and thus, is a bit tricky to grow and maintain outside the blooming period.
Still, full sun to partial shade, sandy soil, and frequent watering cycles are great for the plant to flourish.
12. Dutch Iris
The scientific name of Dutch Iris is Iris × hollandica. It belongs to the Iridaceae family and is native to Portugal, Spain, and North Africa.
It appears like grass with colorful flowers attached to the top. The various color options are pale blue, lemon, deep purple, bronze, rose, and gold.
Although the plant thrives in full sun, partial shade is not harmful to the plant either.
It is advisable to grow it in zones 5-9. Furthermore, the soil you tend to use must have good drainage and adequate water retention to avoid dryness around the roots.
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Conclusion
Growing flowering plants and non-flowering plants are two different things, with the former being a little tricky. Hence, experts don’t recommend flowering plants for beginners.
However, some plants, like the above 12 options, are the best choice for beginners due to their low or no maintenance. So, which one out of the above 12 is going to make it to your garden or home?