When the season comes around, there’s nothing better than looking at a light orange flowers display to get the summer vibes started.
Orange is one of those colors that immediately makes us think of the sun and of summer.
Summer is a time when plants are their most mature and this means that the flowers will be in all their glory. So, orange is a great color to display the best of your flower and the best of the summer colors.
Moreover, light orange and other orange colors are a great way to bring a pop of color to your flower beds, borders, and flower arrangements.
Whether you are creating a bouquet to celebrate a happy occasion, or are simply looking for some color in your beds, orange is a great color to choose.
Orange will complement other colors as well and stands out well against dark soil and is also complimented well by grass.
What is not love about this color? Keep reading to find our favorite cultivated flowers that are light and orange!
1. Tithonia Rotundifolia ‘Torch’
Tithonia is part of the wider sunflower family, Asteraceae, but are much more elegant and dainty in terms of their inflorescence.
Many refer to the genus as the Mexican sunflower due to its relation to the sunflower and its distribution across Southern America and the United States.
One great thing about Tithonia is that they will flower through to the fall which is great for getting the most from your plants and from your flower displays.
The Tithonia rotundifolia is similar to the sunflower in its stem and height, but the flower is much cuter and delicate.
They have almost daisy-like petals that are layered and surround a circular head. The flowers are generally a bright orange color that compliments the yellow head really well – its name ‘Torch’ is apt.
This cultivar will certainly bring some light and bright orange colors to your beds and borders as well as some great height, so maybe think about putting them near the back of a bed to get the best results.
2. Watsonia Pyramidata ‘Peach Glow’
The Watsonia is a genus native to Southern Africa and it seems to have absorbed the strong African sun into the plant’s genetics as it displays some really beautiful light orange to peach colors in its inflorescence.
The genus is part of the Iridaceae family, but the Watsonia is rather overlooked within this family and eclipsed somewhat by the Gladiolus genus.
We think Watsonia is great for a summer flower display in any climate.
This is a great cultivar to complement the previously mentioned Tithonia as, even though they are from much different plant families, the Watsonia grows pretty tall like the Tithonia and are a good pair for the back of a bed or a border for their height.
It requires little effort to draw out the bugle-shaped flowers that have a rich orange color to them that looks really light and bright when the sun shines through them.
In full sun and with good watering these plants will last a while and are fairly self-regulating and low maintenance.
3. Eschscholzia Californica ‘Orange King’
This genus comes straight from California itself, the land of oranges, so it’s no surprise this ‘Orange King’ is sought out by horticulturists for its elegant but bold flowers.
Moreover, this specific flower is the state flower of California so what more could you want from an orange flower?
For those in the Golden State, there’s no surprise that this grows extremely well, and is also a great grower for other dry climates – the Californian poppy can withstand a decent amount of drought but thrives well when watered regularly.
Although, the plant also remains pretty hardy in cold climates like in Britain
The little cups of flowers grow from the long stems and have silky smooth petals that are brightly orange colored as the name suggests.
One cool feature is that they close at night but open back up again in the morning, adding some curiosity to your night walks in the garden.
Another great feature of the Eschscholzia is that they can last from February all the way until September if treated well.
They are a great way to fill holes in your borders and beds with some summer sun!
4. Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’
Geum is a genus of hardy perennial flowers that adapt well to a few different environments, making them popular among horticulturists and gardeners for their adaptability and as well as ability to grow back for the following season.
They can grow to around a meter in height so can sit well in front of tall flowers such as a sunflower of Watsonia.
Generally, the Geum’s flowers are delicate and wrinkled and come in groups of around 5 which surround the stamen.
This particular cultivar has an apricot-colored flower that is quite light and brings some welcome light colors to a bed or border.
One seed can produce quite a few flowers that can become quite unruly if left unpruned. However, the Geum is pretty self-regulating and hardy so requires very little maintenance.
These are great ones to plant in your beds and forget about beyond mild pruning so that you can focus on plants that need more attention.
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5. Achillea ‘Walther Funke’
The Achillea is a unique flowering perennial that is a great way to introduce some different forms of inflorescence into your beds, they are popular in bouquets for their unique inflorescence.
Colloquially referred to as a ‘yarrow’ the Achellia, is a pretty hardy plant that flowers for a long period, and once established in the soil they can remain hardy for a long time.
The only thing we would suggest is to cane them up a little before their flowering period to encourage the plumes of flowers to erect upwards rather than spread too widely, especially for use in a bed or border.
This specific cultivar, ‘Walther Funke’ has an interesting inflorescence of forming small dense clusters of flowers that emerge from a single stem into many.
The colors are usually quite dark at the beginning of their flowering period but by the end of the season, they can become much creamier and light in their orange color.
More so, horticulturists find this cultivar can push through the wettest winters and still retain its unique and bright flowers. Get them quick, as this cultivar is a popular one, and for good reason.
6. Lilium ‘Orange Pixie’
Lilies, for all their effort and short bloom time, remain one of the most popular and romanticized flowers in all of horticulture.
This specific lily is referred to as an ‘Asiatic lily’ which reaches a much greater height than the more common Oriental lily, making them perfect for beds and borders.
More so, this lily variety has some great foliage too that is striking enough on its own. This is great for a specific bed that needs acidic soil, the lily will be the center of attention within an acidic bed.
The color of this lily is really the center of attention and is a great show flower for the height of summer. The peachy but light orange color is really deep but remains pretty light and bright.
The soft petals that surround the darker stamens are a great contrast to each other. The rather unique inflorescence of the lily flower will really draw some attention just like an ‘Orange Pixie’.
We really think you could fill a whole bed or border with a bunch of these lilies for a really striking bed that is simply a field of summer joy – just don’t let your cats at the bed!
Our Final Word
As you can see, there are a huge amount of orange flowers, there are many more, both light and bright, outside the ones we mentioned but these are our favorites and we feel give a good representation of the different sort of inflorescence to choose from.
You can achieve this bright and light orange color you desire with many different types of flowers.
This color can add a lot of brightness to your beds, boards, and bouquets, whether that is through a show flower that is the centerpiece of your display, or if you’re simply filling holes with some bright and summery colors, orange is a great color to choose as it is very complimentary to others.
Conversely, a lot of these flowers work well on their own in pots to bring some color to your cottage or around the pool during summer.
We have also seen many beds that simply want to show off the variety of plants that are orange, this is a great way to show off your plant knowledge too, and can look pretty cool in the summer sun.
Moreover, some plants such as the lilies, as well as the others, can look great in a bed of their own, especially fussier plants like the lily. These can bring a pop of color to your larger garden rather than just in one specific bed.
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