An iris is a wild and ancient flower, complete with mythological backstories and rich symbolism, and it's only in the past 200 years that Americans have been growing it in their gardens. With three-foot stems and flower petals that fold down to reveal different colored petals inside, it's no wonder it's irresistible to gardeners.

Whoever named this flower got it 100 percent right. It's not often you look at a flower and think "cozy," but the teddy bear sunflower is begging for a cuddle. Perhaps Vincent Van Gogh thought so too, because this varietal features prominently in his masterpiece.

If you want your flowers to come with a mythological pedigree, the calla lily is said to come from the breast milk of none other than the Greek goddess Hera, wife of Zeus. Back on earth, we celebrate them for their simple beauty and the way a single petal spirals elegantly around its spadix.

Blossoms in every color imaginable make dahlia flowers a gardener's favorite. On this pom-pom-shaped variety, look at how each petal is shaped and placed so uniformly in a near-perfect sphere. It's so satisfyingly organized, and—if you can say this about a flower—tidy. They're also mini (only two inches across), which automatically makes them adorable.

Few flowers are also religious symbols, but the sacred lotus qualifies. It sits just above the water like a peaceful pink boat, while its stalk and roots reach deep into the mud in the dark waters below. If that's not a meaning-of-life story about the balance between struggle and beauty, we don't know what is.

File this one under: Flowers that Look Like Other Things. Shaped like a bird with fringed wings and a long curved neck, this breathtaking beauty looks like a tiny white egret flitting around a field. Magical.