Backyard Flower Garden Word Search

About this puzzle

A flower garden is often the first garden people plant, and these fourteen names are the ones you see on seed packets and at the garden center every spring. Some are annuals that flower for a single season — petunias, zinnias and marigolds — while others, like peonies, irises and roses, come back year after year. The list mixes short names such as ROSE and IRIS with long ones like SUNFLOWER and SNAPDRAGON, which makes it a gentle first puzzle for young readers.

The default layout is Easy on a 10×10 grid. Easy, Medium and Hard each use their own checked layout of the same words, and every one can be printed in standard or large print on US Letter or A4.

Word notes

Sunflower

Young sunflower heads turn to follow the sun across the sky; mature flower heads usually stay facing east.

Marigold

A sturdy annual often planted beside vegetables.

Lavender

A fragrant shrub from the Mediterranean that prefers dry, sunny, well-drained soil.

Peony

Peony plants can live for decades in the same spot, which is why they turn up in old family gardens.

Zinnia

A heat-loving flower that blooms from summer into fall.

Snapdragon

Named for flowers that open and close like a small mouth when squeezed at the sides.

Dahlia

Grown from tubers; blooms range from button-sized pompoms to "dinner-plate" flowers wider than a hand.

Iris

Named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, a nod to the many colors irises come in.

Try this after the puzzle

Before solving, sort the fourteen flowers into two groups: ones you have seen in a garden and ones you would like to see. After the puzzle, choose three flowers and draw them, or look them up and note their colors. In spring, take the word list on a walk and tick off any flowers you spot in front gardens or parks.

All 14 words

Sunflower · Tulip · Daisy · Marigold · Lavender · Rose · Peony · Zinnia · Snapdragon · Petunia · Dahlia · Pansy · Iris · Aster