Small yet stunning, these 4 petal flowers will leave you yearning to fill every inch of your yard with their beauty!
For those who love making a bold statement in a compact form, these 4-petal flowers are a must-have. Whether tucked into tiny pots or spread out in large garden patches, they’re versatile little powerhouses that brighten up any space!
4 Petal Flowers
1. Silver Dollar
Botanical Name: Lunaria annua
This biennial plant is a quick grower, flaunting four-petaled flowers ranging from deep purple to white in late spring and early summer. Plus, its seed pods are highly valued for their use in dried floral arrangements.
2. Mountain Rock Cress
Botanical Name: Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica
Mountain Rock Cress is a mat-forming perennial that can reach up to 10 inches in height and spread 18 inches wide. Perfect for front garden spots or draping over rocky walls, these 4 petalled purple flowers can add an alpine charm to your yard.
3. Torenia
Botanical Name: Torenia fournieri
This bushy beauty boasts dual shades of purple across those trumpet-shaped four petals. Ideal for hanging baskets indoors, it thrives in indirect light and needs to stay moist, but not soggy.
4. Windmill
Botanical Name: Gentianopsis barbellata
Windmill, a.k.a ‘Fringed Gentian’ is a member of the gentian family famed across Eurasia and North America. This plant is a stunner with its blue-purple four-petaled flowers that resemble a windmill’s arms.
5. Dame’s Rocket
Botanical Name: Hesperis matronalis
Often mistaken for native fireweed, this plant offers four-petal flowers in shades of purple and white. A top pick for night-scented gardens, just be mindful of its vigorous growth which can overshadow other native plants.
6. Fireweed
Botanical Name: Chamaenerion angustifolium
Fireweed is a strong spreading wildflower that can quickly cover your garden if left unattended. It’s known for its saucer-shaped pink-purple flowers atop erect spikes, which are a common sight in burned forest beds or avalanche areas, living up to its name.
7. Western Wallflower
Botanical Name: Erysimum capitatum
Also known as the coastal wallflower, this short-lived perennial produces clusters of orange flowers across the Spring months. These blossoms, atop leafy stems, attract pollinators like bees and butterflies.
8. Brookcress
Botanical Name: Cardamine cordifolia
Add a dash of flavor to your garden with Brookcress! Its bright white, four-petaled flowers and young leaves offer a zesty, radish-like taste. Brookcress is a must-have addition to your garden if you belong to a wetlands area in the United States.
9. Common Evening Primrose
Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis
The Common Evening Primrose stands out with its bright yellow, bowl-shaped flowers that give off a lemony scent. These beauties open in the evening and last until late morning, gracing gardens from early summer to fall.
Bonus: the entire plant is edible!
10. Cutleaf Evening Primrose
Botanical Name: Oenothera laciniata
Ranging from 4 to 24 inches in height, the Cutleaf Evening Primrose sports sharply dissected leaves and flowers with four downturned sepals. It naturally grows in well-drained sandy soils, typically found in the rocky mountains of North America.
11. Sugarbowl
Botanical Name: Coriflora scotti
This non-vining herbaceous plant beautifies landscapes with drooping bell-shaped flowers that open into four-petalled blooms in lavender to purple hue. Native to South Dakota, it mostly thrives in the rocky slopes and open woods.
12. Flowering Dogwood
Botanical Name: Cornus Florida ‘Cherokee Chief’
Growing upto 25 feet tall, this deciduous tree features deep rose-red bracts surrounding small green flowers. Come summer, these blooms give way to red fruits, adding another layer of beauty to its appearance.
13. Stemless Evening Primrose
Botanical Name: Oenothera triloba
Similar to its cutleaf cousin, the Stemless Evening Primrose boasts a rosette of lobed leaves and vibrant yellow flowers. These blooms open near sunset, gradually fade to pale yellow, and close by the afternoon.
14. Crossflower
Botanical Name: Chorispora tenella
This lesser-known variety blooms with small, four-petal flowers in a spectrum of blues, purples, pinks, and reds. You’ll typically find these understated beauties in open fields and along roadsides.
15. Green Gentian
Botanical Name: Frasera speciosa
Green Gentian stands out with its large leaves and towering presence, reaching up to 8 feet in the wild. It blooms just once in its long life, usually in the mountain meadows and forest clearings of the western U.S.
16. Yellow Wood Poppy
Botanical Name: Stylophorum diphyllum
Bright and cheerful, the Yellow Wood Poppy features sunny four-petals encircling a frilly center. This shade-loving plant is a native of eastern North American woodlands, where it livens up the understory.
17. Bunchberry
Botanical Name: Cornus canadensis
This herbaceous low-grower forms a carpet with its oval leaves and mini white star-like flowers, which turn into edible red berries in late summer.
18. Sweet Alyssum
Botanical Name: Lobularia maritima
With its tiny four-petal flowers in white or lavender, sweet alyssum creates a soft, sweet-smelling blanket commonly seen along the sunny Mediterranean.