Woodie's Picks: Pink Plants For Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: a time to honor survivors, support those currently fighting, and remember loved ones who have been affected. Here at Garden Goods Direct, we’re showing our support the best way we know how: through the beauty of plants.
This month’s Woodie’s Picks highlights stunning pink blooms and foliage that not only brighten your garden but also symbolize hope, strength, and compassion. Whether you’re planting in tribute or simply embracing the season’s color of courage, these pink plants are a meaningful way to make your garden bloom with purpose.
How Can A Garden Support and Raise Awareness?
A Symbol of Resilience
Plants, much like people, endure storms and harsh conditions. But plants often adapt, heal, and keep growing despite the hardships. People are that way, too. A garden’s new growth usually emerges from the remnants of dead leaves and stems, illustrating how resiliency frequently involves finding moments of rest and new beginnings after difficulties.
A Yearly Reminder
While bouquets fade, and cards often get stuffed in a drawer to gather dust, gardens serve as a yearly reminder of the battles that have been overcome—an annual reminder for women to get their mammograms and check in on their loved ones. If you know someone who battled Breast Cancer, consider giving them a pink blooming beauty to show them you care! If you lost someone to Breast Cancer, you can grow a memorial garden to keep their memory and spirit alive.
Offer Horticultural Therapy
Lastly, a garden can be a source of hope and therapy for those going through a difficult time. Whether they are battling cancer or know someone who is, working in a garden is a great way to activate one’s parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress hormones and increasing feelings of calm. Nurturing plants to grow and thrive provides a sense of accomplishment, boosts self-esteem, and has been proven to help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. Sometimes, connecting with nature can truly be the best medicine for the soul.
Pink Plants To Grow In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness
Anemone Pretty Lady Emily
First on our list of pink plants to grow this October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness is the beautiful and hardy Anemone Pretty Lady Emily. The bubblegum pink flowers highlight the cause’s association with the color pink and its support for those affected by breast cancer. Anemones, also known as ‘windflowers,’ carry several symbolic meanings that can resonate with the experiences of cancer patients and survivors. Anemones close their petals at night and reopen them in the morning, symbolizing anticipation and a focus on new opportunities, taking things one day at a time.
Pink Muhly Grass
Next on our list of pink plants to get in the ground this October is a fan favorite–Pink Muhly Grass! This gorgeous specimen is just beginning to burst with deep, hot pink plumes of cloud-like flowers, and is the perfect statement piece to grow in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Outside of the obvious pink symbolism, Pink Muhly Grass has an innate ability to grow in tough conditions like dull sun, drought, and poor soils. Pink Muhly Grass is proof that you can thrive into a beautiful specimen in less than ideal circumstances.
Winter’s Joy Camellia
Unlike many camellias, Camellia Winter's Joy blooms in fall and winter, offering long-lasting fuchsia-pink, semi-double flowers. Its glossy evergreen foliage and cold-hardy nature make it a perfect choice for adding year-round structure and interest to any garden. The Winter’s Joy Camellia is a great symbolic addition to a Breast Cancer Awareness garden because it proves that even in the cold, dark seasons of life, beauty can still exist. This cold-hardy hybrid shrub is strong, resilient, and beautiful.
Pink Dogwood Tree
While it is not yet pink, October is a great time to plant your trees so they can establish their roots and prepare for an abundant bloom of pink flowers come springtime. Pink Dogwoods are often representative of strength and resilience due to their durability and hardiness to the elements. Despite their delicate appearance, Pink Dogwood Trees show their strength and perseverance through their ability to thrive in the understory of many landscapes. Even though they often aren’t receiving the best levels of sunlight and water, they adapt and grow. The same can be said for Breast Cancer survivors–who, while not dealt the most optimal cards by way of survival, are resilient and strong and beautiful.
Grow In Strength and Resiliance This Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Beyond
As the season changes and we take time to reflect during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, let your garden be a living tribute to hope, resilience, and remembrance. Every pink bloom can serve as a gentle reminder of the strength it takes to endure life’s challenges and the beauty that can blossom from them. Whether you plant a single flower or an entire garden in shades of pink, you’re helping to spread awareness and honor the countless stories of courage that deserve to be celebrated every day, not just in October.