Joanna Gaines' Standout Flower of the Summer Is a Wild (but Stunning) Pick

Joanna Gaines is no stranger to planting gorgeous gardens. We’ve long admired her innovative layout plans, from the flowers she meticulously chooses to plant to her jaw-dropping raised beds. (Even her Herbarium at the Silos is dedicated to her new favorite hobby, the art of flower pressing.) She clearly loves her blooms, and this year, she's officially declaring a new flower as her pick of the season—one she didn't see coming.

"Another variety I had never grown before took me by surprise: the Fata Morgana scabiosa," Gaines wrote in a Magnolia blog post. “In complete contradiction to the Fama, the Fata Morgana grew wildly and produced the most beautiful buttercream petals. Unplanned and unexpected, this simple-to-grow perennial became my absolute favorite bloom of the season.”

About Fata Morgana Scabiosa

The Fata Morgana features round, cream-colored blooms with tiny circular petals, stretching tall above a background of bright green, spiky leaves. It adds variety and layers to gardens and raised beds alike—the loveliest way to capture a bit of whimsy and magic in your own backyard.

Gaines' Plans for Her Future Garden

In fact, that untamed feeling is something Gaines said she wants to add more of in her future gardens—which planting this flower made her realize.

“Knowing I want to bring a more wild and whimsical look to our landscaping around the farm, I sketched out this idea for a secret-garden-style meadow in the pasture by the bees," Gaines said. "For now, it’s just a seed of a dream, but it’s always fun to imagine out-of-the-box ideas when it comes to the garden."

Tall-growing and charming florals like Fata Morgana are a perfect pick for a garden that needs a breath of fresh air. These flowers are easy to grow and won’t get out of hand, but they still add an enchanting forest feel that can make your garden look less rigid. 

Caring for Fata Morgana

If Gaines has you considering growing Fata Morgana in your own backyard, she has a few tips for helping it thrive. First, she wrote that she gave her plants full sun, keeping them moist. She gave them a compost tea every other week as fertilizer and made sure to cut off the mature blooms to encourage new growth.

On her blog, Gaines also mentioned she wanted to incorporate a trellis for her Fata Morgana next year to give them more support—something you might want to try yourself if you have extra space in your garden beds.

Our Favorite Lessons from Gaines' Garden

“Over time, I’ve learned to let the garden grow into my own personal testing ground, a controlled space where I can experiment and risk, where I can cultivate new possibilities—plants and flowers, yes, but also ways of being that don’t come so naturally to me. Here, I can nurture spontaneity. I can practice surrender," Gaines wrote.

We couldn’t agree more: A garden is a place to allow fun, excitement, and creativity to blossom. Plant what you love and learn to care for it as you watch it grow. We’ll certainly be taking these lessons into our own gardens this season and beyond.

Gaines' blog post is a story featured in the Summer 2025 Magnolia Journal. Purchase this season's full issue to read all about her garden, learn about the best places to river float this season, and see what the Gaines family is cooking up in their kitchen.