Flowers that start with D cover garden staples and a few genuine hazards. Dahlias, daffodils, daisies, dianthus and daylilies are among the most planted flowers anywhere — while daphne, datura and death camas are seriously poisonous, and one of them is regularly mistaken for a food plant.
This guide lists 24 flowers beginning with D, with botanical names, bloom season, type and what makes each one worth knowing. Toxic species are flagged clearly.
Flowers Starting With D: Quick Reference
| Flower | Botanical Name | Type | Blooms | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dahlia | Dahlia spp. | Tender tuber | Late summer–first frost | Thousands of cultivars; lift tubers in cold winters |
| Daffodil | Narcissus spp. | Hardy bulb | Early spring | Toxic bulbs — deer and rodents leave them alone |
| Daisy | Bellis perennis | Perennial | Spring–autumn | The lawn daisy; the name covers many Asteraceae |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Perennial | Spring onward | Edible leaves, flowers and root; major early bee forage |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis spp. | Perennial | Summer | Each bloom lasts one day; extremely tough |
| Delphinium | Delphinium spp. | Perennial | Early–mid summer | Tall blue spires — toxic |
| Dianthus | Dianthus spp. | Perennial / annual | Late spring–summer | Carnations, pinks and sweet William; clove scent |
| Dogwood | Cornus spp. | Tree / shrub | Spring | The showy “petals” are bracts, not petals |
| Dendrobium | Dendrobium spp. | Orchid | Varies | One of the largest orchid genera; mostly epiphytic |
| Desert Rose | Adenium obesum | Succulent | Warm months | Swollen caudex; sap is toxic |
| Daphne | Daphne spp. | Shrub | Late winter–spring | Powerfully fragrant — all parts highly toxic |
| Datura | Datura spp. | Annual | Summer nights | Night-opening trumpets — severely toxic |
| Dame’s Rocket | Hesperis matronalis | Biennial | Late spring | Evening scent; invasive in much of North America |
| Dead Nettle | Lamium spp. | Perennial | Spring–summer | Ground cover; stingless despite the nettle-like leaf |
| Dayflower | Commelina spp. | Annual / perennial | Summer | Two showy blue petals; each flower lasts a morning |
| Death Camas | Toxicoscordion spp. | Bulb | Late spring | Deadly — mistaken for edible camas |
| Dutchman’s Breeches | Dicentra cucullaria | Woodland perennial | Early spring | Named for the trouser-shaped flowers |
| Diascia | Diascia spp. | Annual / tender perennial | Summer–autumn | Twinspur; excellent in containers |
| Dietes | Dietes spp. | Rhizomatous perennial | Spring–summer | African iris; very drought tolerant |
| Dusty Miller | Jacobaea maritima | Tender perennial | Summer | Grown for silver foliage; yellow flowers |
| Dancing Lady Orchid | Oncidium spp. | Orchid | Autumn–winter | Sprays of small yellow “skirted” blooms |
| Dancing Girls | Impatiens bequaertii | Tender perennial | Warm months | Tiny flowers shaped like figures mid-dance |
| Dark Blue Iris | Iris spp. | Rhizome / bulb | Spring–early summer | Deep-blue and near-black bearded cultivars |
| Deerweed | Acmispon glaber | Subshrub | Spring–summer | California native; fixes nitrogen after fire |
Garden Classics
Dahlia
Mexico’s national flower and one of the most variable plants in cultivation — there are tens of thousands of registered cultivars, from pompons the size of a golf ball to dinner-plate blooms over 25 cm across. Dahlias flower from midsummer until the first frost, and cutting them encourages more. They grow from tender tubers, so anywhere the ground freezes hard the tubers are lifted after the foliage blackens and stored dry over winter.
Daffodil
Narcissus is among the earliest bulbs to flower and among the easiest to keep — clumps naturalise and spread for decades with no attention. The trumpet in the centre is the corona, and the surrounding petals are the perianth; the proportions between them are what divide daffodils into their thirteen horticultural divisions. All parts contain lycorine and are toxic, which is precisely why squirrels, mice and deer ignore them where they will strip tulips overnight. Leave the foliage to die back naturally rather than cutting it, or next year’s flowers suffer.
Dianthus
The genus behind carnations, pinks and sweet William, and the most significant D flower missing from most lists. The name comes from the Greek for “flower of the gods.” The characteristic fringed petal edge is where the English “pinking” of pinking shears comes from — the flower named the cut, not the colour. Most dianthus carry a clear clove scent and prefer alkaline, sharply drained soil.
Daylily
Hemerocallis means “beauty for a day,” and each bloom genuinely lasts only one — opening at dawn and finished by evening. A healthy clump produces so many buds in succession that the display runs for weeks. Daylilies tolerate drought, poor soil, heat and neglect, which has made them a default for difficult sites. They are unrelated to true lilies despite the name.
Daisy
Bellis perennis, the lawn daisy, closes at night and reopens at dawn — the origin of “day’s eye.” What looks like a single flower is a composite: the yellow centre is dozens of tiny disc florets, and each white “petal” is a separate ray floret. That structure is shared across the enormous Asteraceae family, which is why so many unrelated plants get called daisies.
Delphinium
Tall spires of intensely blue flowers, and one of very few genuinely blue garden perennials. The name comes from the Greek for dolphin, after the shape of the unopened bud. They need staking, rich soil and protection from slugs, which makes them demanding. All parts are toxic, particularly the young foliage and seeds, and they are a recognised cause of cattle poisoning on North American rangeland.
Shrubs, Trees and Orchids
Dogwood
The showy spring display of Cornus florida and Cornus kousa is not petals at all — the four large white or pink structures are bracts, modified leaves surrounding the small, inconspicuous true flowers clustered at the centre. Many dogwoods earn their place a second time in winter, when species like Cornus sericea hold vivid red or yellow stems after the leaves drop.
Dendrobium
One of the largest orchid genera, with well over a thousand species spread across Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Most are epiphytes, growing on tree bark rather than in soil, which is why they are potted in bark chips rather than compost. Many need a distinct cool, dry rest period to trigger flowering — the usual reason a healthy-looking plant refuses to bloom.
Dancing Lady Orchid
Oncidium produces long arching sprays of small yellow and brown flowers, each with a broad flared lip that reads as a skirt — hence the name. They are among the more forgiving orchids for a bright windowsill, though they dislike sitting wet.
Desert Rose
Adenium obesum is a succulent from arid East Africa and Arabia, grown as much for its swollen caudex as for the pink trumpet flowers. It stores water in that trunk, so overwatering is the usual way people kill it. The milky sap is toxic and has been used traditionally on arrow tips.
Daphne
Small shrubs with a scent out of all proportion to their size — Daphne odora perfumes a whole garden in late winter. They resent root disturbance and have a reputation for dying without warning, so they are best planted once and left alone.
Warning: every part of a daphne is toxic, and the attractive berries are the usual cause of poisoning in children and pets. Handling the plant can also irritate skin. Site it away from paths where fruit may be picked.
Wildflowers and Ground Cover
Dandelion
Dismissed as a weed, but one of the most useful plants on this list. Leaves, flowers and roots are all edible — the leaves bitter and best young, the roots roasted as a coffee substitute. It is also a critical early nectar source for bees emerging before most garden flowers open. The clock of seedheads disperses on pappus parachutes, and most dandelions set seed without pollination at all, which is why they are so uniform and so persistent.
Dame’s Rocket
Hesperis matronalis releases its scent in the evening rather than during the day — the genus name derives from the Greek for evening. It is often mistaken for phlox, but the giveaway is simple: dame’s rocket has four petals, phlox has five. It is invasive across much of North America and is best not introduced deliberately.
Dutchman’s Breeches
Dicentra cucullaria is a spring ephemeral of eastern North American woodlands, flowering and setting seed before the tree canopy closes, then vanishing entirely by midsummer. The white flowers hang in pairs that genuinely resemble upside-down trousers. Seeds carry a fatty appendage that ants collect and carry underground, dispersing the plant.
Dead Nettle
Lamium looks like a nettle and does not sting — which is exactly what “dead” refers to. Several species are grown as shade ground cover for their silver-marked foliage, and the hooded flowers are well suited to long-tongued bumblebees.
Dayflower
Commelina produces small flowers with two prominent blue petals and a third, much smaller and paler one. Each bloom opens in the morning and collapses by afternoon. Linnaeus named the genus after two Dutch botanist brothers who published and a third who did not — two showy petals and one insignificant.
Deerweed
Acmispon glaber is a Californian native subshrub with small yellow pea flowers that age to orange and red. It fixes nitrogen and colonises quickly after fire, making it valuable in chaparral restoration.
Dancing Girls
Impatiens bequaertii, an East African species with flowers under a centimetre across that resemble tiny figures with outstretched arms. It is grown by collectors as a trailing houseplant and roots very easily from cuttings.
Dark Blue Iris
Deep blue and near-black bearded iris cultivars, where the falls carry the fuzzy “beard” that guides pollinators inward. Rhizomes need to bake in sun at the soil surface; burying them is the most common reason iris fail to flower.
Container and Foliage Plants
Diascia
Twinspur, named for the two small spurs behind each flower, which hold oil rather than nectar — in South Africa it is collected by specialist oil-gathering bees. In cultivation it flowers continuously through summer in containers and tolerates cool weather better than most bedding.
Dietes
African iris, an evergreen rhizomatous perennial with white or yellow iris-like flowers marked in blue or brown. Each bloom is short-lived but they open in succession over months. It is exceptionally drought-tolerant and widely used in low-water landscaping.
Dusty Miller
Jacobaea maritima is grown almost entirely for its felted silver foliage, which sets off darker bedding plants. It does flower — small yellow daisies in its second year — but many gardeners remove the buds to keep the foliage dense.
The Dangerous Ones
Death Camas
Among the most poisonous plants in North America, and the one genuinely dangerous entry on this list — because it is regularly confused with edible camas (Camassia), a traditional food plant with a very similar bulb.
Warning: all parts of death camas are poisonous to humans and livestock. The toxins are zygacine and related steroidal alkaloids of zygadenine, which bind sodium channels and prolong their activation. The bulbs are the most toxic part, but seeds and even nectar are toxic too. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, slowed heart rate, low blood pressure and loss of coordination, and poisoning can be fatal. The safest rule is simple: never dig camas bulbs for food. The two plants are reliably told apart only in flower, and by then the bulb is no longer the reason people are digging.
Datura
Large trumpet flowers that open at dusk and are pollinated by night-flying moths, with a heavy fragrance. It is sometimes called moonflower or thornapple, the latter for its spiny seed capsule.
Warning: all parts of Datura are severely toxic, containing tropane alkaloids including atropine and scopolamine. Poisoning causes delirium, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and can be fatal, and the alkaloid content varies so unpredictably between plants that there is no safe dose. Wear gloves when handling, and do not grow it where children have access.
Growing Notes
The D flowers split neatly by hardiness, which is most of what determines whether they survive your winter. Hardy and permanent: daffodil, daylily, dianthus, delphinium, dogwood, dead nettle, Dutchman’s breeches, dark blue iris. Lift or replace each year in cold climates: dahlia (store tubers dry), diascia, dusty miller. Frost-tender, indoors or warm climates only: desert rose, dendrobium, dancing lady orchid, dancing girls.
For a long D-themed display, daffodils open first in early spring, dianthus and dogwood follow in late spring, daylilies and delphiniums carry midsummer, and dahlias run from midsummer until frost stops them — giving continuous bloom from February to November in a temperate garden.
Frequently Asked Questions
What flowers start with the letter D?
Twenty-four are covered here. The most widely grown are dahlia, daffodil, daisy, dianthus, daylily, delphinium and dogwood. Others include dandelion, dame’s rocket, dead nettle, dayflower, Dutchman’s breeches, diascia, dietes, dusty miller, desert rose, daphne, datura, dendrobium, dancing lady orchid, dancing girls, dark blue iris, deerweed and death camas.
Which D flower is the most popular?
The dahlia and the daffodil, for different reasons. Daffodils are planted in far greater numbers because they are cheap, permanent and naturalise on their own. Dahlias attract more dedicated growers because of the sheer variety — tens of thousands of registered cultivars — and their long late-season flowering.
Are any flowers starting with D poisonous?
Several. Death camas is the most dangerous and is genuinely fatal; it is regularly mistaken for edible camas. Datura contains tropane alkaloids and causes delirium and worse. Daphne is toxic in all parts, and its berries are the usual cause of accidental poisoning. Delphinium and daffodil bulbs are also toxic, though rarely eaten by accident. Desert rose has toxic sap.
Which D flower blooms earliest?
The daffodil, typically from late winter to early spring depending on cultivar and region. Daphne often overlaps with it and is the more fragrant of the two.
Is a dandelion a flower or a weed?
Both — “weed” describes where a plant is growing, not what it is. Botanically the dandelion is a composite flower in the same family as the daisy, it is entirely edible, and it is one of the most important early-season nectar sources for bees.
Why do daylily flowers only last a day?
Because that is the plant’s strategy. Hemerocallis means “beauty for a day.” Each flower opens and dies within about 24 hours, but an established clump produces buds in long succession, so the display continues for weeks.
Sources
Death camas toxicity and zygacine pharmacology: American Chemical Society; Calscape (California Native Plant Society); US National Library of Medicine. Daffodil lycorine toxicity and horticultural divisions: Royal Horticultural Society classification.
This article is for general information. Never eat any wild plant, bulb or berry unless you are completely certain of its identification — several plants listed here are toxic and one is potentially fatal.
