Oprah Winfrey Has A Sprawling Flower Garden Even Casual Enthusiasts Will Love

When we are searching for inspiration for what to grow in our yards, it can be helpful to look at the gardens of those we admire and, thanks to social media, this is easier now than it has ever been before. When celebrities, gardeners, and influencers post videos and images of the beautiful things that they are growing, we can discover new flowers and plants to add to our own spaces. Someone's cut flower garden that we really can't get over is Oprah Winfrey's — and even casual gardeners can appreciate her artistry. 

The powerhouse once shared a video on Instagram of herself in her garden picking flowers for a bouquet, and honestly, the garden is truly epic. Full of different colors, shapes, and sizes, Winfrey's garden is jam-packed with beautiful blooms. Plus, many of these flowers attract pollinators and are easy to grow from seed, so we can easily and inexpensively grow them ourselves and attract bees and birds to our yard.

Winfrey has a lot going on in her garden, but the blooms she picked out are fairly easy to grow, with a mix of perennials, annuals, and biennials. Some of the flowers that are great for pollinators in Winfrey's garden are zinnias, cosmos, montbretia (Crocosmia 'Lucifer'), and sweet Williams (Dianthus barbatus). Some of these wonderful plants, such as cosmos and zinnias, are beloved by bees and butterflies. Others, such as sweet Williams and montibretia, are great for attracting hummingbirds alongside bees and butterflies, too. They are all great for cut flower gardens due to their long vase life and abundance of blooms. Although many of these flowers are pretty adaptable and can be grown in a range of soils and climates, let's look at what flowers Oprah Winfrey has in her garden that may be best in your area.

If you live in a warmer climate, you're in luck, because many of the blooms Oprah Winfrey grows are heat-tolerant flowers that will love bright, warm spots in the garden. For flowers that attract pollinators, you can bring zinnias into your yard. These beautiful annuals are drought-tolerant once they have established themselves and prefer a spot in the full sun. Growing quickly, zinnias will brighten up your garden in hues of yellow, orange, pink, purple, and red. They are long-lived cut flowers, meaning you can enjoy them inside your home as well as your garden. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and songbirds all love these stunning flowers, allowing you to create a safe haven for wildlife in your yard. When picking zinnias to attract pollinators in your yard, go for taller varieties with wide, flat blooms. Keep in mind that zinnias with double blooms can make it difficult for pollinators to access the nectar.

Another pollinator-friendly annual that needs minimal water once established is cosmos, which will also reseed in your yard to provide you with continuous years of blooms. You can sow these directly into your garden once the threat of frost has passed. There are quite a few varieties of cosmos out there, with tall cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) being a favorite of bumble bees, honey bees, and long-horned bees. As they have a long bloom period and produce loads of bright flowers, cosmos are perfect cut flower garden additions, too. When cut and paired with your zinnias, you can create a bright, cheery bouquet to liven up your home.

If you live in a cooler climate, you may want to consider bringing sweet Williams into your yard. This biennial suits USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9, but will need some shade from the afternoon sun if planted in a warm location. You can start sweet William by seed or purchase plants to add to your yard. When they bloom, sweet Williams provide nectar and pollen for bees and insects. They also get pollinated by both moths and butterflies and are a dazzling self-seeding flower that'll attract hummingbirds to your yard when grown in the right conditions. As a cut flower, sweet Williams are long-lasting and look amazing both in bouquets and on display by themselves. 

Another flower that Oprah Winfrey has in her garden that suits cooler climates is montbretia. It may not bloom the first year when grown somewhere that is particularly cold, but the wait is worth it, with the bright red flowers being a striking addition to any yard and bringing in pollinators. Its bold, trumpet shaped blooms mean that hummingbirds flock to this plant and enjoy its nectar. This perennial is suitable to grow in zones 5 to 9, and is a great cut flower due to its strong, long stems and long vase life. The delicate blooms of sweet William look fantastic when paired with the more vivid montbretia flowers, creating a striking and intriguing bouquet for your home.