Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Whether you’re preparing a bouquet for your own mom, a mother figure, a pet mom, or even a mom who’d recently lost their child, a thoughtful bouquet can never go wrong. Learn about the meanings behind these 8 flowers you can get for Mother’s Day and craft a beautiful bouquet!
Known as the official mother’s day flower, carnations are a classic option to get for your mom. Pink carnation, particularly, is a representation of your gratitude to someone who has shown you immense support and kindness in your life. Red carnation, with its more passionate power, symbolizes love and courage. Finally, white carnation is often given as a prayer for good fortune.
Tulips represent perfect love and affection, making them a brilliant choice to honor a mother’s unconditional love. Red and pink tulips are closely related to passion and love, and yellow tulips convey cheerfulness.
It’s also a good idea to gift your mom some tulips if you’ve had a rough relationship with her, as it shows that you acknowledge that your mom tried her best to love you in the way she knew how. Particularly, white tulips symbolize forgiveness.
Image from Pixabay
Iris
Iris is God’s messenger in Greek mythology. In modern times, irises are associated with respect and honor. Different color of irises represent different meanings and blessings. For example, blue irises stand for faith and hope. White and yellow irises are for courage and boldness (perfect for the lady boss mom). Black irises symbolize mystery and wisdom.
Gladiolus, known for its tall, majestic appearance, is a flower of respect and honor. They are amazing additions to any bouquet because they can add more depth and height to the structure. They are also perfect if you want to pay tribute to a motherly figure or a female mentor. Gladiolus symbolizes strength of character, honor, and integrity. Its root, “gladius,” means “sword” in Latin.
Don’t let chamomile’s humble look trick you. These flowers represent endurance and perseverance after hardship. While chamomiles may not stand on their own as a full bouquet, they’re perfect to add some accent to any bouquet featuring bold colors and larger blooms. Plus, you can save them for tea later.
Gerbera daisy stands for childlike innocence, wonders, and admiration. Specific meanings by colors are listed below:
Red Gerbera: fiery love
Pink Gerbera: grace and gratitude
Orange Gerbera: you are my sunshine
Yellow Gerbera: positivity and true friendship
White Gerbera: innocence and purity
There is also a hidden meaning in gifting someone three gerbera daisies: unconditional love and a new beginning. If the person receiving your bouquet has just had a rough patch in life, giving them three gerbera daisies can convey your sincere wish for them to have a fresh start.
Elegant, timeless, classic. White lilies are the queen of flowers. White lilies also carry spiritual meanings. For example, they are associated with Virgin Mary (thus purity) in Christianity, but refer to goddesses Hera (Zeus’ Queen) and Venus (Goddess of Love and Beauty) in mythology. If you honor your mom like a Queen, gift her a white lily bouquet. That will surely make her day.
Blue hyacinth can add a charming highlight to any bouquet thanks to its bold, highly saturated color. The flower is connected with the throat chakra, representing a desire to communicate. Since blue hyacinth grew from the blood of Apollo’s lover in Greek mythology, they are also sometimes associated with loss, grief, and mourning. If your mom is no longer with you, bring some blue hyacinth to her resting place. Or, if you want to comfort a friend who’d recently lost a child, blue hyacinth will be a kind gesture for sure.
Have Your Mother’s Day Flower Delivered
Don’t have a flower shop near you? Let us bring some hardy annual colors for Mother’s Day to your doorstep. With our seasonal flower service, you will always have the perfect flowers for every important holiday. Plant them in your garden or keep them potted. Clip the bloom to make a bouquet and make your mom feel special.
Pathways help you move through your landscape smoothly without causing damage to the plants. They also keep your feet clean even on muddy, wet days. Different types of pathways can also complement your landscape with attractive design elements, adding depth, texture, and complexity. Here are 5 types of pathways you can add to your landscape.
1. Stepping Stone Pathway
Stepping stone pathways are affordable, durable, and can bring a natural, earthy aesthetic to your home. When laying a stepping stone pathway, ensure the stones are placed within a close distance from each other and that the stones you use are big enough. If the stones you use are too small, you’d end up tiptoeing through the tulips. For the best results, use flagstones or large pavers as stepping stones.
PROS
CONS
Affordable
Can be hazardous for elders or those with mobility issues.
Natural, rusty look
Grass, mulch, or other obstacles can get in between the stones.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
2. Gravel Paths
Gravel pathways are popular due to their affordability. Gravels also provide effective drainage as water can soak through the pathway into the soil below. Most pathway gravels are recycled from other quarry activities, making them one of the most environmentally friendly pathway options.
However, gravel paths can be difficult to roll strollers or wheelchairs on. Gravels also tend to spread into nearby beds and lawn along the path. As a result, you may need to add gravel every few years. Finally, weeds can grow through the gravel, making it harder to maintain.
PROS
CONS
Affordable prices
Gravel loss happens over time and must be refilled every few years
Easy installation, can be DIY-ed
The loose material can be difficult to walk on.
3. Concrete Pathway
Concrete pathways require minimum maintenance and are easy to keep clean. Concrete is also more accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, making it the perfect material for entryways or sidewalks. You can color and stamp your concrete for it to match your house. Concrete can also be poured and fashioned with nice, crisp lines.
Properly installed concrete pathways can last a long time and weather most storms. However, the concrete will expand with hot temperatures, causing it to crack. Soil movement can also cause water to pool up under the concrete, leading to water damage.
Finally, you should hire a professional to install a concrete pathway. Rebar must be used to make the concrete strong. Before the concrete is poured, a wooden form must be made.
PROS
CONS
Low maintenance
Will crack due to temperature fluctuation
Durable and weather resistant
May suffer water damage as soil shifts and water pools underneath
Safe for strollers and wheelchairs
Must be installed professionally
4. Paver Paths
Paver pathways add a simple, modern look to your landscape Paver paths are also great options for front entryway and can significantly improve your home’s curb appeal.
Pavers come in various sizes and styles. Choosing the right paver to blend the pathway with your home’s architecture or create a sharp contrast. Paver pathways also make it easier to transport large appliances or heavy equipment. You can even lay down pavers in amazing patterns to add some personality.
Once installed, paver pathways are easy to maintain since you can replace a single paver if it heaves or cracks instead of redoing the whole pathway. However, the upfront investment for a well-laid paver pathway can be higher than other options.
PROS
CONS
Elegant, modern aesthetics
Higher initial cost
Makes it easier to transport heavy items
May heave and shift as time goes by
Can be spot repaired
Requires regular maintenance
5. Bridges
Does your pathway cross a drainage swale, creek bed, or water feature on the property? You need a well-constructed bridge. Bridges can be built with various materials, including natural wood, composite wood, PVC, stone, tile, or pavers.
Bridges can add complexity to your landscape. When installed in the front yard with a water feature, it can significantly improve your home’s curb appeal. They provide a clean and effortless way for you to get over a pond or creek, turning your landscape into a watery sanctuary.
PROS
CONS
Adds complexity to your landscape
Higher cost
One of the most decorative options
Can be high maintenance
Image found via Google
6. Ramps
Ramps make areas more accessible. They can be used in place of stairs or right next to them. Accessible ramps can be integral to your pathway to make life easier for elderly household members or individuals with mobility issues.
PROS
CONS
Improve your home’s accessibility
Must meet specific requirements (such as ADA specifications)
Make it easier to move heavy things around
Needs to be installed by a pro.
Can Pathways Increase Your Property Value?
Properly installed paver and concrete pathways, well-designed bridges, and wheelchair ramps that meet ADA requirements can make your property more attractive to high-end buyers, whereas gravel paths rarely have a direct impact on your property value. To maximize your investment in pathways, make sure you stay on top of seasonal maintenance. Broken pavers and cracked concrete won’t really help when it’s time to sell your home.
Hiring the Right Paver Contractor
Pathway installation is labor-intensive and highly challenging. The land must be prepared before laying down the materials. The sod must be removed, gravel or sand must be laid down first. A poorly installed pathway can cause uneven surfaces, pose security risks, or reduce the pathway’s lifespan.
Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has the skills, experience, and crew to do this right. Our team can design the perfect path with bridges, ramps, and other important features. We also offer cleaning, sealing, and maintenance services to ensure your pathways always stay at their peak. Let us help you install a new pathway or repair an existing one.
Whether you live in the suburbs or within the city limits, you’ve probably seen many trees flowering over the past few weeks. Every year from early April to mid-May (the latest), flowering trees in Kansas City become a unique, colorful scene gorgeous enough to cheer anybody up on a bad day. Let’s take a look at 6 of the most common flowering trees in Kansas City and learn about their names and properties.
Color
Flower
Blooming Months
Crabapple
White or different shades of pink
5 petals; some may have double & semidouble (6-10 or more) flowers
April & May
Redbud
Pink or purple
Small clusters of 4-petaled T-shape flower
Early March through late April
Dogwood
White or pink with a colored tip
4 petals, diamond shape
April & May
Magnolia
White, yellow, pink
Large flowers with six or more pointy petals
From later spring to summer spending on variety
Serviceberry
White
Small, five-petaled flowers
Late April or May
Ornamental Cherry
White or Pink
Five petals with a small split at each one’s tip. Hexagon shaped.
Did you know that there are a total of 25 types of crabapple trees that can be found in the US? If we count the variations, the number can easily go over 47! Crabapple flowers usually have five petals. However, Coralbust crabapples have double or semi-double flowers that can sometimes have more than 10 petals. Crabapple flowers are usually pink, white, or dusty pink. They typically bloom in April and May.
Loose Park on the plaza, included in our list of family-friendly activities in Kansas City, features several crabapple trees throughout various areas. Can you count how many different types there are?
Although they’re called “Redbud,” the flowers are usually pink or purple. When Redbud trees are in full bloom, they look like a floating flower cloud. Redbuds are native to North American and flowers bloom on the branches in small clusters.
A variation of the same plant, called Whitebud because of its white flowers, can also be seen in Kansas City. Both trees bloom from early March through late April. Come May, you’ll find the ground covered with fallen flowers after the rain. Romantic, isn’t it?
Flowering dogwood, Missouri’s state tree, is also a popular early blooming perennial tree used in landscaping. Dogwood is resilient and can adapt to various weather conditions as long as there is enough water, which Kansas City is never short of. Most dogwood trees are 15 to 30 feet tall, but some can grow up to 50 feet.
Dogwood flowers are usually white with red tips or pink with white tips. They have four petals and open into a diamond shape. Dogwoods bloom from April through May and are often seen in people’s front yards.
Magnolia’s magnificent bloom and elegant figures make it a classic choice for many homeowners. Naturally, it is one of the most common flowering trees you’d see around Kansas City. Magnolia flowers can have single or double flowers with 6 to 10 petals on average. The color can be different shades of pink, white, and yellow.
There are several species of magnolias you’ll see locally, such as Saucer, Jane, Ann, and Royal Star magnolias. Different varieties bloom at different times. For example, Royal Stars can bloom in late winter, whereas Jane and Ann bloom in late spring to early summer. The flower of some species can reach 12” when in full bloom!
Serviceberry is a native flowering tree in Kansas City that presents small, white, five-petaled flowers. The flowers often emerge before or at the same time as the leaves do. That said, the best time to enjoy its beautiful white flowers is late April to early May. The actual berries are also edible, either consumed directly or turned into jams and preserves.
It’s difficult to find a more romantic flowering tree in Kansas City than the ornamental cherry or the flowering cherry trees. The fleetingness and delicacy of cherry blossoms have made them the symbol of young, fragile love, and their influence has long radiated out of their country, Japan.
Most ornamental cherries in Kansas City will have white and light pink flowers, although some may have a darker pink. Most ornamental cherry trees bloom in March or April, and only last one to two weeks. If you’ve missed the season this year, you’d better mark the calendar for 2026.
Wondering why some home gardens seem to be abundant all seasons? The secret lies in succession planting. Succession planting is an essential gardening technique that not only increases your harvest yield but also improves plant health and helps with pest control. Interested? Keep reading and get to know the basics of succession planting.
Succession planting is a gardening technique where the same crop is stagger planted to allow continued harvesting throughout the season, often until two to three months before the first frost. It is sometimes referred to as successive planting.
Benefits of Succession Planting
Succession planting can maximize your yield. Even if some crops get damaged by pests or diseases, you can count on other crops to thrive. It also allows you to start anew if you notice signs of plant illness, preventing the problem from spreading to the rest of your garden.
Succession planting also ensures regular harvesting throughout most of the year. If your goal is to grow your own vegetables and reduce grocery spending, this method will help you save the most.
Finally, succession planting keeps your soil healthy and prevents erosion by keeping soil covered with vegetation.
Three Types of Succession Planting
There are three common types of succession planting, each suitable for different vegetables:
Stagger plant the same crop every few weeks: Use this method for your favorite vegetables to ensure a steady supply.
Switch to a different crop after each harvest: This method works best with crops with shorter maturity times, ensuring diversity and frequent harvesting.
Mix up faster-growing crops and slower ones: Similar to the second method, this method maximizes your harvest and ensures you can enjoy different types of vegetables throughout planting season.
Best Vegetables For Succession Planting
Technically, you can succession plant pretty much everything. But some crops work better using this method than others. For example, early spring vegetables are great options for succession planting because they help you start your harvesting cycle sooner than other crops. Here, we’ve picked the best crops for succession planting.
Maturity Cycle
Sowing Intervals
Head Lettuce
4-8 weeks
3 weeks
Cucumber
Approximately 2 months
3-4 weeks
Sugar Snap Pea
55-75 days
3-4 weeks in spring, slightly longer in the summer
Basil
60-75 days but can be harvested sooner as younger leaves
Head lettuce is a great option for those new to succession planting. Head lettuces are easy to grow and come in many variations, allowing you to test around until you find a variant that grows the best in your garden.
There are two ways to harvest head lettuce. If you cut the head above the growing point, the crop will grow a new head. If you cut the entire head out at the base, you can plant something else in its place.
Maturity cycle: 4 to 8 weeks. Sowing interval: about 3 weeks.
Salads, pickles, stir-fry, cold snacks… cucumbers are certainly one of the most robust cooking ingredients in the kitchen, especially during warmer weather. Since cucumbers are prone to pest damage, succession planting often allows you to break the pests’ breeding cycles. Since cucumbers are more fragile, it’s best to plant several successions per season so you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Maturity cycle: approximately 2 months, but may fluctuate depending on the variants. Sowing interval: 3-4 weeks or longer (during warmer weather)
Sugar snap peas do great in cold zones, making them perfect for Kansas City’s lingering chill every spring. They can also handle wetter conditions than many other crops. Again, perfect for our rainy seasons.
To grow sugar snap peas, dig a trench down the center of a garden bed (or two trenches on each side). Plant peas with an inch or so in between and cover them with soil. After the peas begin to sprout, add grids, wood sticks, or a fence for the peas to climb up.
Maturity cycle: 55 to 75 days. Sowing interval: 3-4 weeks.
Love home-made pestos? Use succession planting to grow basil! Many basil varieties today have higher disease tolerance, making them much easier to plant at home. If you only harvest leaves off the stem, the basil plant can keep growing without being replanted.
Note that basil is extremely vulnerable to cold weather, so make sure you start planting after the last frost.
Maturity cycle: 65 to 70 days to reach full maturity. Sowing cycle: 3-4 weeks.
Spinach is a winter-hardy leafy vegetable. It’s perfect as “fillers” for conditions that may not be suitable for other corps. You can grow spinach during earlier seasons and later into fall after the temperature drops. However, you still need to stop planting before the first frost.
Maturity cycle: 21 to 40 days (vary by crops) Sowing cycle: 2 to 3 weeks
Tomatoes take a long time to sprout. However, if you know how to propagate tomatoes using large cuttings, you can plant several successions during the season. Simply take a cutting with multiple nodes mid-late season, plant it in a pot for rooting, then move it outdoors in 2 to 3 weeks.
Determinate tomatoes, like Roma tomatoes, also mature faster so you can get more harvests going.
Maturity cycle: 50 to 85 days Sowing cycle: 4 weeks
Believe it or not, homegrown carrots are juicier and crunchier. You can also grow whatever variant you want, instead of being restricted to the standard orange carrots in most grocery stores.
Since carrots are winter-hardy, you can start planting as early as February. Cold temperature also makes carrots sweeter. After sowing, cover the carrots with a row cover and water daily to provide enough moisture for them to sprout again.
Maturity cycle: 2 to 3 months. Sowing interval: 21 to 30 days.
Start Succession Planting in Your Home Garden
It’s never too late to start succession planting as long as you’re sowing the proper types of crops, since cool-weather veggies don’t grow as effectively once the temperature warms up.
Another thing you must do to start succession planting is create a sowing schedule. Choose the vegetables you want to grow, write down the date you planted them, then build a sowing schedule using the sowing intervals provided in the table at the beginning of this article.
Happy growing!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best window for succession planting?
You can begin planting winter-hardy plants as early as February. However, you should wait until after the final frost for plants more vulnerable to the cold. Most plants can be harvested through summer and early fall. Finally, you’d usually stop succession planting 4 to 6 weeks before the first frost of the year.
Do I need a greenhouse for succession planting?
A greenhouse will extend your planting season throughout the year, but it is not mandatory for succession planting. This technique works just fine in your regular garden and doesn’t require any specific equipment or facilities.
Perennials are sure-safe additions to your garden thanks to their robust vitality, sophisticated color and forms, and the fact that you only need to plant them once. If you’d like to add some spring colors to your home sooner this year, here are 9 early blooming perennials to add to your garden before spring is in full swing in Kansas City.
Bleeding heart got its name from its pink, heart-shaped flowers and the white-and-red droplet-like petal that extends out of the pointy bottom. The flowers line up on a stem and hang over an arch shape, making them a beautiful garden liner in early spring.
Bleeding hearts do best in partial shade and reach up to 3 inches when fully mature. They do best in moist, well-drained soil and thrive in cool-to-warm weather that’s between 55 and 75 ºF. Most bleeding hearts bloom in early spring with some variations blooming in mid- to late- spring.
Columbine is a popular perennial for its design versatility. After all, the plant comes with 60 to 70 species of variations! These star-shaped, dual-color flowers produce a light, elegant appearance. The most common columbines have blue petals on the outer ring and white petals in the center. Other common variations can be pink, red, smoky rose, and yellow.
Columbines do best in cooler conditions and should be planted in partial sun to full shade. They are fairly hardy and can tolerate a range of climate conditions, making them perfect for Kansas City’s spring temperature fluctuation, heavy wind, and storms. Fully mature columbines can reach 12 to 36 inches and bloom through spring and into early summer.
When daffodils bloom, spring arrives. These resilient, bright flowers are one of the most commonly seen early blooming perennials in Kansas City. Daffodils are drought-tolerant and do best in full sun. They are prone to rotting, so make sure you have well-drained soil around and prevent planting them where water tends to gather and pool.
Daffodils bloom once a year in late winter or early spring. The most common daffodils you may see around Kansas City are Narcissus “Baby Boomer”, a type of miniature daffodil that yields 6 to 8 small, golden flowers that are about 1.5 inches across.
Hyacinths bloom around the same time as daffodils in early to mid-spring. Each bulb typically yields one stem that reaches 8 to 10 inches when fully mature. On top of the stem, a flower cluster forms a cone shape. Most hyacinths come with pink, purple, or blue flowers with six pointy petals. A popular variation, called grape hyacinth, have round, blue-purple flowers that look like clusters of berries.
Plant hyacinth in full sun with the proper interval to get the largest flowers and straightest stems. However, they will still grow and bloom in partial shade. Like most early-blooming perennials, hyacinth thrives in well-drained soil.
Primroses are winter-hardy plants that can tolerate snow and low temperatures, making them the perfect early blooming perennials to add to your garden while Kansas City weather decides if it wants to be warm and cozy or bone-chilling cold with a hint of blizzard.
Primroses thrive in partial shade. A great spot to plant them would be under a tree where the sun shines through the branches and leaves. They prefer moist, well-draining soil with plenty of organic matter. Primroses bloom in late winter to early summer, depending on species.
Fun fact: Missouri has its own native primrose, called the Missouri Evening Primrose. They yield bright, 4-petaled, yellow flowers that can reach up to 4 inches wide.
Peonies are loved by many homeowners thanks to their luxurious, extravagant look. They also come in many different colors, making them the perfect centerpiece for anybody’s front yard.
Peonies need a lot of sunlight to grow, so they prefer to be planted under full sun. While some varieties can tolerate partial shade, the flowers still need sufficient sunlight to bloom fully. Most peonies can reach 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide with some that can reach 7 feet in both directions, so leave plenty of room in between when planting them.
Peonies bloom in late spring to early summer, and the flowers only last 8 to 10 days — enjoy the view while they last!
If you are looking for an early-blooming perennial shrub that can add some color close to the ground, try creeping phlox. Creeping phlox is a needle-like foliage that forms a blanket of five-petal flowers when it matures. The most common creeping phlox has pink flowers. Other popular varieties have lavender, white, red, and blueish purple flowers.
Creeping phlox can grow to 4 to 6 inches tall and spread up to 2 feet. It should be planted under full sun where the plant can receive 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Routine watering is key to keeping your creeping phlox alive and happy, especially during the first year of planting.
Snowdrops are another great option that will thrive through Kansas City’s lingering winter weather. They bloom in late winter to early spring, or sometimes in mid-spring. As the name suggests, snowdrops create white, drooping flowers that point downward. They are great additions for those looking to develop a cottage/woodland aesthetics in their yard.
Snowdrops should be planted in partial shade with well-draining soil. Most bulbs begin to root within a week or two, but you won’t see any real activity until it’s closer to blooming time. Also, snowdrops takes a year to become established, so you might see few flowers during the first year. Just remember that your patience will be rewarded!
Looking to catch up with the native plant landscaping trend? Add some blue false indigo to your yard. This early blooming perennial is native to Missouri and the Midwest. Blue false indigo is a large, upright bush with long strings of indigo-blue flowers that bloom as early as April.
Blue false indigos live for a long time but grow slowly and take a year to mature. But they will thrive through Kansas City’s freezing winter and scorching summer. Once mature, these early-blooming perennials can reach 4 to 5 feet in height and width. Plant them in full sun or partial shade after the frost season.
Where to Buy Perennials
Your local hardware store and large retailers usually have perennials on sale, such as potted plants or roots. You may also find some online plant stores that will ship you bulbs in the mail.
But your easiest option would be signing up for our seasonal flower subscription. Our horticulture experts will design, source, and plant your containers for you based on your choices of palettes and container design styles. We will deliver your pots with fresh potting soil and fertilizer. You can keep them in the container or plant them in your garden.
Should You Hire a Pro?
Since most perennial bulbs come with planting instructions, it wouldn’t be too challenging for you to plant them yourself in the garden. However, if you don’t want to get your hands messy, hiring a local landscaping company is always the best option.
Working with a pro also allows you to bundle up other spring landscaping tasks into one project to get your front yard up to speed for the new year. Does that sound like something you need to do? Book a consultation with us today, and let’s get your front yard going for spring.
