Welcome to a comprehensive guide to flowers that start with A. There’s something rather lovely about working your way through the alphabet when you’re planning a flower garden. You can discover names of flowers you’d never normally come across, and the world of flowers beginning with A is far richer than most of us realise.
From the African daisy to the almond blossom, this list of flowers proves that A is for an awful lot more than just the obvious ones. We’ve got everything here: tall stems and low-growing plants, white flowers and vibrant colours, annual flowers you’ll plant fresh each year and perennial flowers that’ll come back every growing season. Whether you’re after a popular choice for a sunny border, an unusual addition for the rock garden, or simply fancy filling your vases with excellent cut flowers, you’ll find it in this article.
List of flowers that start with A
Below you’ll find our full rundown of flowers that start with A, each with its Latin name, common name, and the meaning that’s grown up around it over the centuries. There’s a wide range of colours and unique characteristics on this list, so do have a browse and see which ones might earn a spot in your own flower garden.
Acacia
Botanical name: Acacia spp.
Acacia trees and shrubs burst into clouds of fluffy blooms, often as early as late winter, providing a much-needed splash of colour and a vital early source of nectar for pollinators. Native largely to Australia and parts of Africa, many acacias thrive in warm climates and well-drained soil, though hardier varieties can cope with a typical British garden. The wonderfully fragrant flowers are often used in perfumery.
Acacia symbolises friendship and immortality, and has held ceremonial significance in numerous cultures throughout history.
Acanthus
Botanical name: Acanthus mollis
Acanthus, also known as bear’s breeches, is grown as much for its glossy, deeply lobed leaves as for its tall spikes of purple and white flowers, which appear in summer. Native to the Mediterranean region, it’s a striking herbaceous perennial that copes with full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Its leaf shape famously inspired the carved decoration on classical Corinthian columns.
Acanthus symbolises the fine arts and immortality, a nod to its enduring influence on architecture and design.
Achillea
Botanical name: Achillea millefolium
Achillea, better known as yarrow, produces flat, plate-like clusters of tiny flowers in white, yellow, and pink, sitting atop feathery, almost fern-like foliage. This herbaceous perennial is native to Europe, including the UK, and flowers from early summer right through to early autumn in full sun and well-drained soil.
Achillea has a long history of medicinal properties, traditionally used to treat wounds; in fact, its name nods to the Greek hero Achilles. As a result, it has come to symbolise healing and protection.
Acidanthera
Botanical name: Gladiolus murielae
Acidanthera, sometimes called the Abyssinian gladiolus, produces elegant, star-shaped flowers in white with a deep maroon centre, carried on tall, slender stems. Native to parts of East Africa, it’s grown from a bulb (technically a corm) and flowers from late summer into early autumn. It’s a stunning flower for the back of a border and makes excellent cut flowers with a lovely, subtle fragrance.
As with many gladiolus relatives, acidanthera is associated with strength of character and remembrance.
Aconite
Botanical name: Aconitum spp. / Eranthis hyemalis
There are two flowers commonly called aconite in the UK: winter aconite, which produces bright yellow flowers low to the ground in late winter, and monkshood, with tall spikes of hooded purple flowers in summer. Both are herbaceous perennials. Winter aconite is a lovely ground cover for naturalising under deciduous trees. Both are happiest in moist soil and partial shade.
Do take care, though; monkshood in particular is highly toxic, and in folklore it symbolises misanthropy and caution, a reminder that not every pretty flower is a friendly one.
African Boxwood
Botanical name: Myrsine africana
African boxwood is a lesser-known one for this list of flowers starting with A, but it’s a hardworking evergreen shrub that deserves a mention. It produces tiny, fairly insignificant yellow flowers, but it’s grown chiefly for its dense, neat foliage, making it a popular choice for low hedging and topiary. Native to South Africa and parts of Asia, it prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.
As a long-lived evergreen, African boxwood is often associated with steadfastness and quiet resilience.
African Daisy
Botanical name: Osteospermum spp.
The African daisy is the sort of cheerful, easy-going bloom that makes you smile on your way past the border. Native to South Africa, these daisy-like flowers come in a variety of colours and flower prolifically from late spring right through summer. They’re brilliant in rock gardens or pots, loving full sun and well-drained soil.
As you’d expect from such a sunny little flower, the African daisy symbolises joy, purity, and new beginnings.
African Flame Lily
Botanical name: Gloriosa superba
If you fancy something with a bit more drama, the African flame lily delivers in spades. Its flame-shaped, wavy-edged petals in fiery red and yellow look almost too vivid to be real. This tropical flower is a climbing perennial native to Africa and parts of Asia, flowering through summer in warm climates or as a glasshouse specimen in cooler ones. It needs a sheltered, sunny position and rich soil to really thrive.
The African flame lily symbolises glory and intense passion, though do note all parts of the plant are toxic.
Agapanthus
Botanical name: Agapanthus spp.
We’ve covered the African lily above, but agapanthus deserves its own mention as a wider genus, since there are dwarf and giant varieties offering rather different looks for the garden. All share that same rounded cluster of trumpet-shaped flowers on tall stems, flowering through summer in full sun and well-drained soil. They’re a popular choice for pots on a sunny patio as well as open borders.
As with the African lily, agapanthus is generally taken to symbolise love and beauty.
Ageratum
Botanical name: Ageratum houstonianum
Ageratum, often called flossflower, produces clusters of fluffy, almost powder-puff blooms, most commonly in soft blue and purple, though pink and white varieties exist too. Native to Central America, it’s grown as one of our dependable annual flowers, blooming right from early summer through to the first frosts. It’s a great addition to the front of a border or in pots, and likes full sun and well-drained soil.
Ageratum is traditionally associated with good luck, so it’s a sweet one to tuck into a new garden.
Allium
Botanical name: Allium spp.
Allium flowers (yes, related to your kitchen onions and garlic!) produce the most striking spherical clusters of small star-shaped flowers atop tall, slender stems. They flower in late spring and early summer and come in shades from purple to white, adding real architectural interest and a unique shape to any flower garden. Alliums thrive in well-drained soil and full sun, and need very little fuss once established.
Symbolically, alliums represent patience and humility – a nice thought for something so dramatically beautiful.
Almond Blossom
Botanical name: Prunus dulcis
Almond blossom is one of the first signs that spring is on its way, with the bare branches of the almond tree bursting into clouds of pale pink and white flowers in late winter to early spring. Native to the Mediterranean region and parts of the Middle East, it needs full sun and well-drained soil to fruit well, though many gardeners grow it purely for the spring display. It’s been celebrated in art for centuries, perhaps most famously by Van Gogh.
Almond blossom symbolises hope, new life, and watchfulness, since it’s traditionally the very first tree to flower each year.
Alstroemeria
Botanical name: Alstroemeria spp.
Alstroemeria – also known as Peruvian lily or Lily of the Incas – is one of the most popular varieties you’ll find in any florist’s bucket, and for good reason. Native to South America, these elegant blooms come in a positively dazzling variety of colours, often with delicately speckled throats, and they’re famous as excellent cut flowers that last for weeks in a vase. They flower from late spring through summer and prefer rich, moist soil in full sun or partial shade.
Symbolically, alstroemeria represents friendship and devotion, making it a thoughtful gift for someone special.
Alyssum
Botanical name: Lobularia maritima
The alyssum flower is a low-growing plant that forms a soft, fragrant carpet of tiny white, pink, or purple blooms. It’s one of the most fragrant flowers you can grow along a path edge or in rock gardens. Alyssum is technically a short-lived perennial, though it’s most often grown as one of our reliable annual flowers, blooming from spring right through to early autumn. It’s wonderfully easy to grow in well-drained soil and full sun.
Alyssum has long symbolised worth beyond beauty, a sweet nod to its modest size and generous performance.
Amaranthus
Botanical name: Amaranthus spp.
Amaranthus, sometimes called love-lies-bleeding, is one of the more unusual annual flowers on this list. It produces long, tassel-like, drooping flower spikes in deep red or rich purple. Native to Central and South America, it flowers from summer into early autumn and is happy in full sun and rich soil.
Despite its rather melancholy common name, amaranthus traditionally symbolises immortality and undying love.
Amaryllis
Botanical name: Hippeastrum spp.
Amaryllis produces some of the most stunning flower displays of the winter months, with enormous trumpet-shaped flowers in red, pink, and white opening atop a single thick stem. Native to South America, it’s typically grown as an indoor plant from a bulb, often forced into bloom for the festive season in late winter. It needs bright light and a rich, well-drained soil to put on its best show.
The amaryllis symbolises pride, determination, and radiant beauty – quite fitting for something so dramatic.
Anchusa
Botanical name: Anchusa officinalis
Anchusa, sometimes called alkanet, produces the most gorgeous true-blue flowers. It’s a great option if you’re hunting for blue flowers for a cottage garden border. This herbaceous perennial is native to the Mediterranean region, flowers from late spring into summer, and is happiest in full sun and well-drained soil. Bees absolutely adore it, so it earns its place if you’re gardening with wildlife in mind.
Blue flowers like anchusa are traditionally linked with trust and tranquillity.
Anemone
Botanical name: Anemone spp.
Anemones are delicate flowers with a papery, almost translucent quality to their petals, and they come in white flowers, pink flowers, and deep blues and purples. Named after the Greek word for ‘wind’, they’re sometimes called windflowers, since their blooms nod and flutter at the slightest breeze. They flower in early spring through to early summer depending on variety, and suit both flower beds and woodland-style planting.
In Greek mythology, the anemone is linked to Adonis, and the flower has come to symbolise anticipation and fading love.
Angelonia
Botanical name: Angelonia angustifolia
Sometimes nicknamed summer snapdragon for its spires of small, snapdragon-like blooms, angelonia is a tender perennial usually grown as one of our cheerful annual flowers in the UK. Native to warm climates in Mexico and the Caribbean, it flowers right through summer into early autumn in white, pink, and purple flowers, and copes brilliantly with heat. It’s a great choice for containers and borders alike, given full sun and well-drained soil.
As a relative newcomer to popularity, angelonia doesn’t carry centuries of symbolism, but it’s often associated simply with resilience and steady, cheerful endurance.
Anigozanthos
Botanical name: Anigozanthos spp.
Anigozanthos, better known as kangaroo paw, is about as unique a shape as you’ll find on this list, with its velvety, claw-like flower clusters in red, yellow, orange, and green. Native to Australia, it’s grown in the UK mainly as a striking indoor plant or summer container specimen, since it needs warm climates and well-drained soil to truly flourish outdoors. It flowers over a long season through summer, making it a great addition if you’re looking for something genuinely different.
Kangaroo paw is associated with uniqueness and resilience, much like the striking landscape it calls home.
Anise Hyssop
Botanical name: Agastache foeniculum
Anise hyssop is a perennial herb native to North America, grown both for its spikes of soft purple flowers and its aniseed-scented foliage. It’s a magnet for bees and butterflies, flowering from mid-summer into early autumn, and copes well in full sun and well-drained soil.
Beyond the flower garden, Anise Hyssop has a long history of medicinal purposes and has even been used to flavour teas. It’s generally associated with healing and protection, which is fitting for a plant so steeped in herbal tradition.
Anthurium
Botanical name: Anthurium andraeanum
Anthurium, often called the flamingo flower, is one of the most distinctive blooms on this entire list. It has a glossy, heart-shaped spathe in red, pink, or white with a curious curled spike rising from its centre. Native to Central and South America, it’s a firm favourite as an indoor plant, thriving in the warm, humid, partial shade conditions of a typical living room. It can flower more or less year-round indoors given the right care.
The anthurium symbolises hospitality and happiness, which makes it a popular choice as a housewarming gift.
Aquilegia
Botanical name: Aquilegia spp.
Aquilegia, commonly known as columbine, produces nodding, bell-like flowers with distinctive backward-pointing spurs, in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white. This herbaceous perennial is native to the Northern Hemisphere, including the UK, and flowers in late spring through early summer in partial shade and moist soil. It self-seeds readily, popping up in cottage gardens with cheerful abandon.
Aquilegia has a long association with folly in old folklore, though more modern interpretations lean towards it symbolising love and devotion.
Arabis
Botanical name: Arabis caucasica
Arabis, or rock cress, is a low-growing plant perfect for tumbling over walls or filling gaps in rock gardens, smothering itself in masses of small white or pink flowers in early spring. Native to mountainous parts of Europe and Asia, it’s an evergreen perennial that thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, coping happily with quite poor conditions. It’s a lovely, undemanding choice for anyone after early-season colour with minimal fuss.
As an early bloomer, arabis is often associated with the simple optimism of spring’s arrival.
Armeria
Botanical name: Armeria maritima
Armeria, commonly called sea thrift, forms neat, grassy tufts topped with round, pom-pom-like pink flowers (occasionally white), and it’s a UK native often found clinging to coastal cliffs. This evergreen perennial flowers from late spring into summer and is wonderfully tough, coping with poor, well-drained soil, salt spray, and exposed positions. It’s a brilliant choice for rock gardens or gravel gardens.
Fittingly for such a hardy little plant, sea thrift symbolises sympathy and, true to its name, thriftiness.
Arum Lily
Botanical name: Zantedeschia aethiopica
The arum lily, also known as the calla lily, is an elegant, sculptural bloom with a single spathe curling around a central spike. Native to South Africa, it’s a herbaceous perennial that flowers from late spring into summer and loves moist soil, even tolerating boggy ground at the water’s edge. It’s a long-time favourite for elegant wedding bouquets thanks to its clean, architectural lines.
The arum lily symbolises purity and rebirth, which explains its popularity for both weddings and more solemn occasions.
Asphodel
Botanical name: Asphodelus spp.
Asphodel produces tall, elegant spikes of star-shaped flowers in white or soft pink, rising above narrow, grass-like foliage. Native to the Mediterranean region, this perennial plant flowers in late spring and prefers full sun and well-drained soil, even coping with fairly dry, poor ground.
Asphodel holds a particularly romantic place in Greek mythology, where the Asphodel Meadows were said to be part of the underworld where ordinary souls resided. As a result, asphodel has long symbolised remembrance and, rather beautifully, “my regrets follow you to the grave” in the old language of flowers.
Aster
Botanical name: Aster spp.
Asters are one of those wonderfully reliable perennial flowers that brighten up the garden just as everything else is winding down, flowering from late summer into early autumn. The name comes from the Greek word for ‘star’, which makes perfect sense once you see their star-shaped flowers in purple, pink, and blue.
Asters are a popular choice for borders and as cut flowers, and they’re steeped in symbolism too – traditionally representing love, wisdom, and valour. A lovely one to plant if you want colour to linger long after summer has ended.
Astrantia
Botanical name: Astrantia major
Astrantia, also known as masterwort, has pincushion-like flower heads surrounded by a papery ruff of bracts, giving it an almost otherworldly look. It’s a herbaceous perennial that flowers through early summer, doing well in moist soil and partial shade, which makes it ideal for a slightly shadier corner of the garden. It’s also a brilliant choice if you’re after excellent cut flowers with real longevity in the vase.
Astrantia has come to symbolise strength in adversity, perhaps owing to its delicate appearance paired with genuine toughness.
Aubrieta
Botanical name: Aubrieta
Aubrieta is the plant responsible for those gorgeous cascades of purple, pink, or blue flowers you’ll spot draping over garden walls every April. It’s an evergreen perennial, and an excellent choice for rock gardens, raised beds, or anywhere with well-drained soil and full sun. It flowers prolifically through early to late spring, offering an early nectar source for bees.
Like many early spring flowers, aubretia is generally associated with renewal and the steady, cheerful return of colour to the garden.
Auricula
Botanical name: Primula auricula
Auricula is a charming little flower with an almost old-fashioned, collector’s appeal. It produces rounded clusters of small flowers in an astonishing variety of colours, often with a contrasting central ‘eye’ and a faintly powdery dusting on the leaves. Native to the mountainous regions of Central Europe, it’s a compact perennial flowering in mid to late spring, traditionally grown in pots so the delicate foliage can be kept from harsh weather.
In the language of flowers, aubretia represents painting the soul, owing to its painterly colour combinations.
Azalea
Botanical name: Rhododendron
Azaleas are an absolute showpiece in late spring, smothering themselves in masses of trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, red, purple, and white. Native to parts of Asia and North America, this evergreen shrub needs acidic soil and partial shade to do its best work, making it perfect underplanting for a woodland-style border. It’s one of the most beloved flowering shrubs in British gardens, prized for its showy flowers.
In several cultures azalea symbolises femininity and temperance, and in parts of the US, particularly the South, it’s treated almost as a rite of spring.
Final thoughts
And there we have it – over thirty flowers that start with A, from the well-known to the wonderfully obscure. What I love about putting together a list like this is realising just how much variety hides behind a single letter of the alphabet. There are tropical flowers rubbing shoulders with hardy UK natives, tiny ground cover plants next to towering tall stalks, and every colour from white flowers right through to the deepest purples.
If you’re planning your own flower garden this year, there’s something for everyone on this list. Fancy a low-maintenance, sun-loving border? Alliums, achillea, and African daisies have you covered. Need something a bit more architectural? Acanthus and arum lilies will do the job beautifully. And if you simply want a reliable indoor plant to brighten the windowsill, anthurium or amaryllis are hard to beat.
I hope this comprehensive guide has given you a few new names of flowers to look out for next time you’re at the garden centre, and perhaps inspired you to try something a little different in your own patch. Do let us know in the comments which flower beginning with A is your favourite!
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Catherine
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