Oaks are so incredible, and around here old oaks are pretty rare but a biodiverdity goldmine. And they beautiful.
I love Dianthus flowers, the scent is lovely. Not sure what species but they are for sale i garden shops every spring. Always plant one on my balcony. Also love the sight and scent of Jerusalem artichoke flowers.
Obligatory: lavender
Sunflowers🌻
Good choice!
Willows are lovely. I love how they sway, I love how they are the emo-bangs-haircut of trees, how you can weave their branches into baskets. Their smooth bark and silvery leaves, how their presence signals that water is close by. They are fey trees; if dryads exist then I am certain they are kin with willow trees.
Oaks are a close second. Big, tough, slow-growing, gives acorns back to the forest denizens, leaves are fill out character. They are the old grandpas of the forest, nurturing the younger life forms, offering them nooks and crannies to nest in, and eventually donating their bodies to the bacteria and fungus in the soil. They also make the best structures for tree houses, in my experience.
- Tree: Corkscrew hazel
- Flower: Garden rose
Birch! It’s the best! No other tree is as birch-like as a birch tree!
Dahlias, such a beautiful flower
Oh they are gorgeous 😍
Lilac. Every spring I make sure to stick my face in lilac blooms as often as possible. They are beautiful and the smell is the very definition of aromatherapy.
Ferns, love them, 720 pairs of chromosomes and all, been there before any grass, you have to respect that
Sapote is a great tree! It grows readily in the desert. It has both fruit and the wood is food safe for cutting boards and spoons, but it’s going extinct because people also use it for firewood :(
Bradford Pears. They’re the first to bloom here in the spring, and they have this distinct, sweet scent. Always makes me happy when they come out.
Sadly, over the years, I’ve learned that I’m not supposed to like them. They’re not native at all to my region, and a real sign of suburbia doing dumb shit to mother nature. Ah well, I still think they’re cool.
Trees = Redwoods because we had them around where I grew up (Pacific Northwest) and they’re gorgeous. I like how the outer bark is really soft, too. And they’re massive. There’s one you can drive under, though I’m not sure if it’s still standing. You never know.
Flowers = Hyacinths because of this jpop song. It’s especially wild in Dolby Atmos. I don’t know if the sound engineer was high when they mastered it for Atmos or what but… it’s an experience. I don’t think YouTube does Atmos. Pretty sure it doesn’t. If you have Apple Music, they have it there. But cool/trippy songs aside, geraniums. I like the shade of green of the leaves and how sturdy they look compared with other flowers. But I started noticing hyacinths after I heard and fell for the song, and those are pretty cool, too.
Texas mountain Laurel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatophyllum_secundiflorum
They have flowers that smell like artificial grape.
