They produce both single and double blooms, and have long grey-green leaves. The flowers are commonly white, pink, red, and purple. They also smell really good.

Reminiscent of an old-fashioned garden, delphiniums have tall flower spikes in colors from white to pink, and light lavenders to intense blue. The flowers have five sepals with the topmost one forming a spur behind the flower.

The flowers are tubular, bilaterally symmetrical, and usually large with a closed liplike mouth that excludes most insects but can be forced open by strong bees, the main pollinators.

The leaves are deeply divided into numerous lobed segments and are usually confined to the bottom half of the plant. Showy, light blue, blue, purple, or white flowers are arranged along the top of the erect stalk.

The persistent bells are the showy calyx (cup-shaped leaves around the base of the flowers) which surrounds tiny fragrant white flowers.

Gladiolus produce sword-shaped, medium green leaves in upright fans and funnel-shaped flowers on slender scapes from summer into fall. There is an extensive range of flower colors available.