Top garden flowers

Activity

Use this activity to explore the most popular flowers grown in British gardens

  • Estimated time: 30 minutes
  • Location: Outdoors & Indoors
  • School term: Early Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer
  • Level of experience: No experience needed
  • Subject(s): English, Science

Learning objectives

  • Recognise popular British garden flowers
  • Understand that flowers change thoughout the seasons

Essential background information

Preparation

Print out the spotter sheets. Ask the students to look at gardens in their locality. 

Equipment

Step by step

  1. Ask students if they have seen any flowers recently and if they know the names or can give a description of them.
  2. Explain that people have been cultivating ornamental flowers for centuries. Some originated fom the British native flora others were collected by plant hunters from further afield.
  3. Explain that many flowers only bloom at certain times of the year, so there are spring flowers, summer flowers, autumn flowers and winter flowers.
  4. Hand out the spotter sheet linked on the right hand side of this page according to the season. Send the group to a defined area to see which ones they can find and tick them off the spotter guide. Remind them not to pick the flowers but to leave them for others to enjoy.
  5. Come together after 15 minutes and go on a tour of the flowers everyone has found. Discuss with the group which are their favourites and which have they seen growing before.
  6. If a garden search is not possible, cut up the spotter guides and make a pairs game, matching the flower to the name.

Hints & tips

  • If the school does not have a garden or flowers available ask other staff if they could bring some in or ask at your local garden centre.
  • Use this activity as part of Flower Power class growing topic.