Not all flowers are like daisies with their blooms facing up to meet the sun. In fact, some are more shy, with bowed heads studying their roots. Downward facing and lovely, these demure cultivars have earned a special place in our hearts and our gardens.
While most Helleborus or Lenten Roses tend to bear downward facing blossoms, Sparkling Diamond is especially camera shy. Its bashfulness is matched only by the angelic beauty. Who can resist those long elegant petals which look like fresh milk spilling from a pitcher? This Lenten Rose may hide her face, but she is glorious to behold nonetheless!
Once you’ve seen one rhodie you’ve seen them all, right? Wrong! I guarantee this variety will throw you for a loop. Its trusses of bell-shaped blooms are loud in just about every way – their color, their distinct yet pleasant cinnamon scent – yet they face downward as if ashamed of something. Chin up, darling; your only crime is stealing the show!
Now when it comes to oddities this plant is a bundle of interesting. I can’t decide whether the electric blue blossoms of this Corydalis cultivar look more like a school of tiny tropical fish or like something from another planet entirely. I love Blue Heron Fumewort not only for its unusual ground-facing blooms, but because it boldly defies the status quo – and does it with style!
Ok, so I miiiight have a slight thing for tiny tubular flowers (what’s a little favoritism between friends, right?) but trust me this awesome honeysuckle vine more than earns its place on the list. Its drooping flowers look like bundles of firecrackers and they are just as impossible to ignore! Their fragrance and exotic colors are enough of a draw by itself, but their nodding nature really clenches their victory.
Even if you never grow annuals in your garden you simply have to grow this Angel’s Trumpet. I mean just look at those massive blooms! Much like the brass instruments they resemble, Brugsmansia demand to be noticed. The shell-pink blossoms aren’t just trumpet shaped – they’re almost the size of actual trumpets! They smell lovely, pollinators adore them, and my top favorites list would not be complete without this world class cultivar.
We have quite a few charming clematis in our collection so this one was tough to call. The Blue Bird variety as well as the Tangutica Clematis both features exquisite nodding blooms, but neither holds a candle to the distinctive classiness of dear old Betty Corning. These bowed blooms radiate majesty with their ruffled petals looking like the swirling skirts of a queen and a pleasing fragrance to match. This shade of blue-purple is rare in the garden (and my favorite color) so it’s sure to stand out no matter how hard it tries to avoid eye-contact.
Do you agree with our list? Are there other drooping beauties that you think should be recognized? Let us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages!