Celebrate National Plant a Flower Day March 12

A Day for Everything: Celebrating National Plant a Flower Day, March 12

It seems like our calendars (or at least our social media feeds) are increasingly filled with unofficial holidays. 

Whether you’re into dancing like a chicken, telling ghost stories, talking like a pirate, or eating tacos, there’s a day for that (May 14, Aug. 19, Sept. 19, and Oct. 4, respectively). These and many similarly silly celebrations pay homage to the fun, the frivolous, and the quirky, giving us frequent opportunities to break from the ordinary.

March Is no slacker in the made-up holiday department, with days set aside for dressing up your pet, eating pie, playing bagpipes, and napping (which comes on the heels of the switch to Daylight Savings Time, meaning we all deserve and should honor it).

For gardeners, though, perhaps one of the most meaningful days is March 12, National Plant a Flower Day. 

Granted, for some people National Plant a Flower Day is just about every day. 

For those who’ve never planted a flower in a garden, window box, or patio pot — or who’ve never been successful at growing flowers — it can serve as an introduction to flowers’ beauty and other benefits. 

Reap the benefits of flowers

National Plant a Flower Day was created to inspire people to appreciate flowers for their ability to:

• Bring color and vibrancy to your garden.
• Add visual interest to landscaping.
• Attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
• Provide a habitat and meals for insects.
• Help relieve stress. Studies show that just being around flowers can improve mood, and planting produces that feel-good serotonin we all crave.

For novice gardeners, in particular, learning is a big part of National Plant a Flower Day. Which is why garden centers, Master Gardeners, and others use this time to share tips about plant selection, soil preparation, fertilizing, watering, and other topics.

What goes in the garden now?

In milder areas, however, March is a good time to plant coneflowers, lantana, and verbena.

What makes each of these so special?

Verbena

All three have a lot in common. They’re all prolific bloomers, continuously producing from spring through the first frost. They’re tough, resilient, drought tolerant and not very susceptible to pests and diseases. They can largely adapt to any soil. 

While nothing is “plant-and-forget-it” easy, coneflowers, lantana, and verbena come close. 

They’re also pollinator magnets. Lantana has a unique advantage: its nectar-filled flower clusters are flat-topped like a landing pad, making them a perfect perch for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds to use while accessing the nectar and transferring pollen.

As for coneflowers, they have seedheads that form in the fall, drawing in hungry songbirds. And if you love seeing wildlife but don’t want it munching your plants, verbena’s a good choice: Neither rabbits nor deer like it at all.

Coneflowers, lantana, and verbena all come in a variety of colors.

Coneflowers are available in classic purple, pink, yellow, orange, and red. Verbena are available in a showstopping array that includes different shades of orange, red, yellow, pink, purple, and white — and if that weren’t enough, some specimens have a mix of more than one color in a single flower cluster. Versatile verbena comes in trailing and upright varieties. If you’re looking for a plant that will cascade beautifully in a hanging basket or can be planted upright along a walkway, you’ll find a verbena that fits the bill.

Much like birthday gemstones, flowers have a 'month' as well. For March, it's the daffodil. It's when spring officially begins, and it's vibrant colors are said to represent renewal and optimism.

Problem is, those are best planted in the fall. 

The day is yours

How will you celebrate National Plant a Flower Day?

In addition to working in your own garden, encourage and help your neighbors start their own gardens, either in their yards or in containers. Talk to them about planting native plants that benefit local pollinators and are better suited (and just plain better) for your area’s climate and ecosystem. 

• Take some friends on a trip to a local botanical garden or flower show.
• Give your pals a gift basket with plants, seeds, a trowel, and some gloves. 
• Teach the kids next door about flower varieties. 
• Donate to organizations that promote gardening and conservation.

And when the day is done, share photos of your accomplishments on your social media. Who knows? Maybe next year there will be a day saluting your efforts as a top-notch flower planter and friend of the Earth.