What is your favorite flower?

[Emile]

Dinner Plate Dahlia

[lamp_shade]

1. The dinner plate dahlia.

[usonian]

2. Nice choice. I see that a similar discussion was locked. Such is life. I hope that this survives.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220882209

I can't pick a favorite because I've been photographing since about 1970, and my first camera lens was a macro lens, also suitable for regular photography, specifically for flowers.

However, one flower sticks out, Canterbury Bells, because they grew at the family home.



I took this one on a trip.

I do remember white and blue.

They were campanula persicifolia, with petals that are barely flared. You are more likely to find campanula medium, which really look like little bells. I should drop the distinction. They are all very beautiful.



More as they come to me, but I am biased by photos I took, which become "favorites" by association.

[Emile]

3. Beautiful

Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2025, 09:40 AM - Edit history (1)

The other post was in the wrong forum. General Discussion is a political forum. The host recommended the poster to repost it in the Lounge, which would have been okay. I waited the good part of the day for it to be reposted, but that never happened. I liked the original post enough to start this thread in the correct forum.

[yellow dahlia]

4. Good choice. I concur.

[Emile]

16. Yellow Dahlia's are beautiful ❤️.

[yellow dahlia]

17. There is something magical about dahlias.

[LoisB]

5. The "lowly" carnation.

[blm]

6. Freesia, but, also a sucker for snapdragons.

[LogDog75]

7. Bird of Paradise

[Emile]

8. Wow, that's gorgeous!

[applegrove]

9. Those colours and patterns are crazy.

[MIButterfly]

10. Those are beautiful flowers and the little girl is adorable. Are they real? They look so big.

If I had to choose between the three, I would say it's a tie between the top two. I love bi-colored flowers.

As for other flowers, I like begonias and New Guinea impatiens because, aside from being pretty, they're so low maintenance. I also like lilacs for their color and aroma.

[Emile]

11. Yes, they are real. Thinking about ordering seeds for the first one pictured.

Do a web search for Dinner Plate Dahlias, there are many beautiful strains to choose from.

[applegrove]

13. Thanks. It is even neater that they are real.

[applegrove]

12. I thought the first was totally fake. I still kind of do.

I'm learning not to trust the internet. Which is a good thing I guess.

Later:

I googled "Dinner Plate Dahlias" like Emile suggested and it is real.

[Emile]

14. This one is really beautiful.

[applegrove]

15. Not my type of flower. Kind of a dark theme. No?

[electric_blue68]

18. Happen to drop by.... My favorites are The Asian Lotuses, Peonies, Birds of Paradise, and Wisteria...

Then raniculus, gladiolas, and Christmas/Easter cactuses.
I should also add crab apples, and Kanzan cherry trees!

My dad had this calendar back in the '80 with photos of flowers in places. One month had a house partly covered in wistepria (woah!). I'd never seen them before. I would eventually see them in certain areas in NYC's Village, and West Village to my delight.

Then another had beautiful pink lotuses and their fun leaves photographed in the floral pools of the NY (Bronx) Botanical Gaeden!
I was like "holy sh!t !!!".

See, I'd fallen in love as a tween (this was now like 20+ years later) with the lotus from a photograph. It was in Time Life's Science and Nature book series.

A Japanese scientist was attempting to grow lotuses from 2,000 yr old seeds found in a bog.
He was sucessful!
The stages of the flower opening were in B&W till the last one in color; a vivid lovely shell pink!
I fell instantly in love!

Peonies were in the big park i lived near for 25+ years. Had a Christmas cactus. Bought gladiolas from the green market.

I like to love most flowers.
Luckily I get to the Botanical Garden usually once or twice a year at least until recently post vid ($ isrue). But I can still go back to the big park with it's big gadden!

That white & purple dinner plate dahlia is wonderful! Quite striking.

Happy gardening! 💮🏵🌺🌻🪷

[Emile]

20. Pink Lotuses are beautiful

[electric_blue68]

21. Happy sigh: "Ahhhh...." TY!

They sure are!

Oh, TY Just though of this memory.
Visiting my cousin who living in L.A. at the time. She was driving me around. I think we were near Echo Lake.

Anyway I looked to my left, there was a pond with ? 35+ tall pink lotuses all in bloom!!! Omg, it was *glorious*!

Oh, one other memory.
I was going to aay - I've never seen that many all together like that in our NYC Botanical Gardens.
But, actually...

It was waaay back in the early '80's when I discovered the NY (Bronx) BG had lotuses. There's 2 big aquatic gardens. Lots of 🙂 waterlillies, and lotuses.

In this one pond; picture the area near, and at the corner. A wooden walkway goes out over the water, then makes a 90° turn and goes back to the concrete walking area. It closes off a rectangular space (think of a capital "L" ). Within that space, and one the other side of the long part of the walkway are those tall pink lotuses! Maybe 20, maybe more.
I really have to contact someone there to to see if they have old photos!

Anyway, one-time it was fairy breezy. Those big leaves were slapping against each other; it sounded like big pieces of leather that hadn't yet been cut for clothing, or bags slapping against against each being tossed down on a table.

[Trueblue1968]

19. Roses !!!!!!!!