Have you ever bought a plant just because the flower had an interesting pattern or unusual markings? When I see a flower with bicolored petals, I am simply drawn to it. Many insects agree: Veins, stripes, picotees (a flower that is one color but the edges are another) and bicolored throats often point the way to a nectar payoff.
COMPLEMENTARY PAIRINGS To really show off a beautifully patterned flower, pair it with other plants that are more subdued. Mixing multiple flowers with bold color patterns may create a look that is busier than you’d like. For instance, use foliage plants in shades of green to surround a container with a showy bloomer so the flower is the star. In a mixed container or garden border, use a patterned flower alongside companions with smaller blooms in a solid color that match or accent the interesting markings.
If you, too, are drawn to patterns like a bee to a blossom, here are 10 plants with unique flowers that are sure to catch your eye.
Petunia
Petunia hybrids
With petunias, you’ll find stripes, speckles, picotees, starbursts, veins, streaks, and swirls in a huge array of colors. These tender perennials are easy to hybridize, so the cultivars in the gallery at right are only a sampling of the hundreds of patterned petunia cultivars you can find.
Flowers with veined markings, such as 16-inch-tall Headliner Blackberry Vein at right, tend to be one color—a lighter shade
