Strolling through the Los Angeles Flower Market feels like stepping into a rainbow. Everywhere you look, vibrant petals and fragrant blooms create a feast for the senses.
I love how each stall has its own personality, from delicate roses to wild, playful sunflowers. It’s impossible not to get swept up in the energy and charm of this bustling market.
Every visit leaves me inspired to bring a little of that color and joy back home.
1. Bird of Paradise
Shoppers in California love these exotic beauties for their striking orange and blue colors that resemble tropical birds in flight. They thrive in sunny spots and need minimal care once established.
In Los Angeles gardens, Bird of Paradise creates instant tropical vibes and can grow up to 6 feet tall. They’re perfect statement plants for entryways or poolside gardens.
2. Mexican Sage
Buzzing with bees and hummingbirds, Mexican Sage is a garden favorite across the Golden State. The velvety purple spikes add texture and movement to any landscape design.
Los Angeles gardeners appreciate how this drought-tolerant perennial keeps blooming through fall when other plants have faded. Its silver-green foliage creates beautiful contrast with brighter flowers.
3. Bougainvillea
Walking through LA neighborhoods, you’ll spot these vibrant climbers cascading over walls and fences. Their paper-like bracts come in hot pink, purple, orange, and white varieties that pop against adobe walls.
Folks in California adore bougainvillea for its drought tolerance and year-round color. Just give it full sun and well-drained soil, then watch it transform your garden into a Mediterranean paradise.
4. Kangaroo Paw
From Australia to California gardens, these fuzzy flowers bring unusual texture and color. The velvety blooms rise on tall stems in shades of red, yellow, and orange that catch the eye from any angle.
Gardeners across Los Angeles value Kangaroo Paw for its drought resistance and long blooming season. Hummingbirds can’t resist the tubular flowers, making this plant a wildlife magnet in urban settings.
5. Matilija Poppy
Often called the ‘fried egg flower,’ this California native steals the show with massive white blooms and sunny yellow centers. Growing wild along highways, they’re equally stunning in home gardens.
Los Angeles landscapers love how these poppies can reach 8 feet tall, creating dramatic backdrops. Their crinkled petals dance in the breeze, bringing movement and a touch of wildness to structured gardens.
6. Princess Flower
Royal purple blooms make this Brazilian native a showstopper in Southern California landscapes. The velvety flowers contrast beautifully with glossy green leaves that stay attractive year-round.
Gardeners in Los Angeles find Princess Flower perfect for adding tropical flair to patios and poolsides. The plant produces waves of blossoms from spring through fall, with each flower lasting just a few days.
7. Protea
Straight from South Africa to California gardens, proteas bring prehistoric drama with their unusual shapes and colors. Their structural forms make outstanding focal points and conversation starters in modern landscapes.
Flower enthusiasts in Los Angeles prize proteas for their long-lasting blooms that work beautifully in arrangements. These drought-tolerant plants thrive in the region’s Mediterranean climate with minimal fuss.
8. California Poppy
The state flower brings golden sunshine to gardens across California with its silky orange petals. These native bloomers close at night and open with the morning sun, creating a daily show of nature’s rhythms.
Los Angeles gardeners appreciate how these poppies self-seed gently, returning year after year without becoming invasive. They blend beautifully with blue-flowering plants like salvia or lavender for classic color combinations.
9. Echeveria
Rosette-shaped succulents create living sculptures in drought-friendly California gardens. Their fleshy leaves come in blues, pinks, greens, and purples, often with contrasting edges that catch the light.
Gardeners throughout Los Angeles use echeverias in pots, rock gardens, and living walls. They produce dainty flowers on tall stems, but most people grow them for their architectural forms that need almost no water.
10. Plumeria
The sweet fragrance of plumeria fills California gardens with tropical perfume all summer long. Their pinwheel flowers in white, yellow, pink, and red create a vacation vibe even in urban settings.
Los Angeles homeowners often plant plumeria in pots to overwinter indoors during cooler months. The waxy blooms are perfect for floating in water bowls or wearing behind the ear for an instant touch of paradise.
11. Agapanthus
Globes of blue or white flowers hover above strappy green leaves throughout California neighborhoods. These South African natives bloom reliably each summer with minimal care, making them perfect for busy gardeners.
Los Angeles landscapers use agapanthus to line driveways or create rhythm in mixed borders. Their architectural seedheads add winter interest after the flowers fade, extending their garden value through multiple seasons.
12. Calla Lily
Elegant white trumpets rise from glossy green foliage in gardens across the Golden State. These sophisticated bloomers bring a touch of wedding-day elegance to everyday garden spaces with minimal effort.
Gardeners in Los Angeles plant callas in groups for maximum impact near water features. Though most common in white, the LA Flower Market also offers them in yellow, pink, purple, and even nearly-black varieties.
13. Alstroemeria
Spotted petals in candy colors make these Peruvian lilies constant favorites at the California flower market. They bloom repeatedly from spring through fall, providing months of color for gardens and cut flower arrangements.
Los Angeles flower lovers appreciate alstroemeria’s long vase life and heat tolerance. Once established, they form clumps that can be divided to spread throughout the garden or share with neighbors.
14. Lantana
Multicolored flower clusters attract butterflies by the dozens to California gardens all summer long. Each tiny floret opens in yellow, then transitions to orange or pink, creating a confetti effect that brightens any landscape.
Gardeners in Los Angeles value lantana for its incredible heat and drought tolerance. It thrives in the hottest spots where other flowers would crisp, blooming more prolifically the more sun it receives.
15. Aeonium
Dramatic rosettes in deep burgundy, green, or variegated patterns make these succulents garden stars throughout California. Their geometric forms create living sculptures that need almost no water once established.
Los Angeles garden designers use aeoniums in contemporary landscapes for their architectural qualities. Many varieties develop tall stems, elevating their rosettes like natural bouquets against walls or larger plants.