Eucharis/Amazon Lily

Eucharis Grandiflora, known as the Eucharis Lily or Amazon Lily, is a Central and South American flower known for its deep green foliage and fragrant white flowers often emerging in the spring. The flowers, found in clusters of 3-6 on each stem, resemble the Daffodil in shape, as they also have a star-shaped parianth with a prominent corona, often with a tinge of green.

Forget-me-not

Forget-me-not flowers, although typically found in blue, white or pink, have been cultivated to show mixtures of colors. Typically blooming in Spring or Summer, depending on the species, Forget-me-not flowers are small and flat, with 5 petals and a white or yellow "eye" in the center. Mostly native to New Zealand, Asia and Europe, the Forget-me-not, specifically the species Myostis alpestris, is the state flower of Alaska.

Forsythia

Forsythia is a flowering shrub in the olive family, mostly native to eastern Asia and southeastern Europe. Generally growing between 6 and 10 feet tall at maturity, the Forsythia bush has unmistakable and unique yellow flowers, each with 4 petals joined together only at the base. Forsythia flowers bloom in early spring and are often referred to as "Golden Bells".

Freesia

A favorite of many florists for their long vase-life and elegant form, Freesia flowers are also highly sought after for their intense, citrusy fragrance. 5-10 single or double Freesia flowers open along the stem and typically bloom for about 7 days. Native only to Africa, mostly to Cape Province, South Africa, Freesia flowers are longer-stemmed, come in a variety of colors and generally can be found in bloom year round.

Gardenia

Gardenias are evergreen shrubs, native to China and Africa, with bright white, highly fragrant flowers emerging in stark contrast to the deep green color of the leaves. While Gardenia flowers are now typically available year-round at florists, the plant itself is very sensitive to ph levels and soil contents and it can be difficult to get the plant to bloom.

Geranium

Geranium is the botanical name for Cranesbills, but it is also the common name for Pelargonium, a different genus of flowers. Both genera are in the same family, and are today distinguished by name as "hardy geraniums" for Cranesbills, as they are a much hardier plant than Pelargonium. They can be visually distinguished by looking at the flowers: Cranesbills, or hardy Geraniums, have symmetrical flowers, while Pelargonium has irregular or maculate petals. Cranesbills are named for the appearance of the seed-heads, which resemble that of a crane's beak. Containing 5 petals in rose, pink, blue or white colors, the hardy Geranium is often grown as much for its decorative foliage as it is for its flowers. Pelargonium, commonly referred to as just Geraniums, have showy flowers and are usually grown indoors in pots, as they don't handle the elements well.

Gladiolus

Also referred to as the Sword Lilly, the Gladiolus is a member of the Iris family and is endemic mostly in Africa. Famed for its ease of use in floral arrangements and its strong fragrance, these highly hybridized flowers now come in a wide variety of colors throughout the year.

Gloxinia

While commonly referred to as Gloxinia or "Florist's Gloxinia", these flowers are not true Gloxinias. True Gloxinias do not flower, and these flowering perinnials are called "Sinningia speciosa." They do belong to the Gloxinia family and share siblings such as the popular African Violet. Native to Brazil, these bell-shaped flowers come in a range of colors and can be found in bloom year-round.

Heather

Heather, known botanically as Calluna vulgaris and belonging to the Ericaceae family, shares similarities to another genus known as Erica. Both are commonly called Heather and are pictured here. True Heather is a small shrub found widely in Asia and Europe, and is the state flower of Norway. Emerging in late summer, the flowers are usually purple or mauve shades. Erica, also a small shrub, has needle-like leaves, and the flowers are usually outward or downward facing and white.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus, often referred to as rosemallow, are grown mostly for their showy, trumpet-shaped flowers, but are often used as a landscape bush as well. Native to warm, temperate tropical and sub-tropical areas throughout the world, various species of Hibiscus are used for such things as paper making, herbal teas and jams, and as an offering to Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha in Hindu worship. Flowering year-round in its native tropical areas or simulated environments, the Hibiscus comes in a variety of colors with both single and double flowers.

Hyacinth

Named after a handsome young Greek named Hyakinthos, who as legend has it, was killed by the Greek god Zephyr out of jealousy, the Hyacinth flower grew from his drops of blood. Native to Turkey and the Middle East, along the shores of the Mediterranean, Hyacinth was introduced into Europe in the 16th century, where it gained most of its modern-day popularity. One of the most fragrant flowers, Hyacinth bloom mostly in spring, from March to April, and March 7 is World Hyacinth Day. There are "Summer Hyacinth" varieties that bloom for a month in mid-summer as well. Hyacinth come in single, double and multiflora varieties in white, peach, orange, salmon, yellow, pink, red, purple, lavender and blue.

Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are one of the very few plants to accumulate aluminum, released from acidic soils, and gives Hydrangeas their blue color. Most species of Hydrangea are white in neutral pH soil, but changes in the pH of the soil can turn the flower blue (more acidity), or pink and purple (less acidity). Native to southern and eastern Asia and North and South America, Hydrangea flowers are also extremely common on Faial Island, Portugal, which is known as the "blue island" due to the vast number of hydrangeas on the island. Hydrangeas produce flowers from early spring to late autumn, and the flowers grow in flowerheads at the ends of the stems.

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