Perennial flowers that begin with the letter G include a well-known species, as well as some that are not as recognizable. While you certainly have heard of geraniums, you may not be familiar with gaillardia or gentians--both perennial garden flowers. In addition to the cultivated flowers, some wildflowers start with G.
Many of the more than 400 species of geraniums are perennial plants, flowering every year, under the right conditions. Geraniums are South Africa's gift to the world of flowers and gardens, showing up in Europe as early as the 1600s, according to the Nature Hills Nursery website. The leaves as well as the blooms are quite attractive and geraniums will yield larger numbers of flowers when planted in the sun. The soil has to have good drainage to be right for these plants, which also do well inside the house. The colors of the flowers vary greatly, from the blue of a type called Rozanne to the pink of a cultivar, called Appleblossom.
Gaillardia, also known as blanket flower, resembles a daisy in its blossom. The most common kind of gaillardia is Gaillardia grandiflora, a perennial that thrives in full sun. It blooms from the early weeks of summer to the middle of August in most areas, with many-colored flowers that may be combinations of yellow, orange and red. The leaves fall off in the winter from this 2- to 3-foot-tall plant. No matter the quality of the soil, gaillardias will survive as long as it does not remain saturated with water.
Gentians are a wildflower that is hard to cultivate, but the gentian known as "True Blue" is an exception. It is perennial and has blue, tube-shaped flowers 2 inches wide. Like all gentians in the wild, it has smooth green leaves. Hummingbirds and butterflies wind up pollinating this type of gentian, which does best in cool climates. It prospers in the sun, but can do OK in the shade.
Wildflowers that start with the letter G include goldenrods, gerardias, gilias and groundsels. Goldenrod species number about 100 in the United States and can be as tall as 4 feet; if you are a hay fever sufferer then you know they are one of its causes in the late summer and fall. Gerardias are typically red, violet or purple and exist on wiry stems that grow up to 2 feet tall. Gilias of the West, in mountain and desert landscapes, have different shaped flowers depending on their species. Groundsel is a perennial wildflower with yellow flowers that grow in flat clusters at the top of the plant.