Taylor Swift is engaged, and we're in love with the flowers from her photoshoot! Here's how you can create your own dazzling romantic garden.
If you watch the news, have a smartphone, know a “Swiftie,” or went on the Internet on August 26, 2025, then you’ve probably heard pop superstar Taylor Swift is engaged to her boyfriend of two years, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift made a sudden announcement that dazzled many, although fans weren’t ready for it — and jaws dropped as Swifties worldwide clicked through the dreamy slideshow of her engagement photoshoot.
Naturally, she and Kelce won’t be marrying with paper rings: one photo showed Swift’s bejeweled engagement ring, complete with an ‘old mine cut’ diamond. For the gardeners among us, though, the flowers in the slideshow were eye-catching and gorgeous. If you’re a Swiftie with a green thumb, here’s how you can bring the folklore and splendor of Swift’s wonderland home… for evermore.
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What Flowers Did Taylor Swift Use?
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According to a People Magazine interview, Swift and Kelce’s floral arrangement may have cost over $30,000. It included a “domed arboretum,” as well as vines and flowers on trellises, blooms arranged elegantly on a chandelier, multiple concrete planters, and elaborate arrangements of in-ground plants. Specific flowers used included hydrangeas, peonies, and roses — although fans likely focused in on the roses, considering the central role they played in the promotion of Swift’s seventh album, Lover.
Fortunately, there’s no need for at-home gardeners to pay a fortune. All of these flowers are readily available, and how you create your version of Swift’s wonderland is guided only by your imagination. Here are a few options you can explore.
Add Climbing Roses
For those looking to mimic the splendor and sizzle of Swift’s trellis, consider training a climbing rose to grow along an archway. “There’s nothing quite as enchanting as a climbing rose gracefully weaving its way over an arch, instantly transforming a simple entrance into a storybook moment,” says Linda Vater, a garden lifestyle expert with Southern Living Plant Collection. For a climbing rose, investigate ‘It’s A Breeze’ Ivory Blush rose.
If you don’t have space for a trellis, there are still plenty of rose options for you! Consider white or pink Knock Out roses for repeatedly blooming flowers that lend beauty to any moment in the garden. Moondance floribunda roses, too, are a great pick.
Grow Huge Hydrangeas
Whether you’re a devoted Swiftie or you have yet to even hear “Shake It Off,” everyone can agree on the beauty of hydrangeas. In Swift’s announcement, white hydrangeas appeared in the planters as well as in some of the in-ground flower arrangements. “There’s nothing quite like the pillowy blooms of hydrangea to lend a soft, romantic feel that is as if you’ve just stepped from reality onto a cloud,” Linda says.
For romantic hydrangeas of your own, take a look at a White Wedding or Moon Dance hydrangea. Some hydrangea blossoms change color throughout the season, or depending on the soil pH, but the delight and beauty remain.
Plant Pretty Peonies
We love peonies, you love peonies, and apparently, Swift and Kelce love peonies. They appear throughout the engagement arrangement, including on the trellis and in the planters. The good news is that if you’re looking to plant peonies as a result of the engagement announcement, now’s the perfect time. Bare-root peonies should be planted in fall, in anticipation of blooms in spring. You can pick from a variety of lovely colors, too; pink, white, yellow, red, and even blooms that combine multiple colors. For more about how to grow peonies, check out our peony-growing guide.
Consider Other Flowers, Too!
While we understand taking direct inspiration from the engagement photoshoot, you might consider other flowers and native plants. That way, you can bring in all sorts of woodland creatures: bees, butterflies, and even birds.
While hummingbirds prefer red, you might plant white salvias and see if any of your favorite flying jewels stop by. Bee balm is available in white, pink and red, and it’ll draw in bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. Butterfly bush comes in plenty of colors to align with Swift’s photoshoot, or choose your own floral favorites.
“Letting your garden grow a bit wild creates a sense of wonder,” Linda says, and we agree. She notes that gardeners can blend ground cover plants with flowers and ornamental grasses to create a charming, vibrant look. That “alive” feeling only grows with the presence of pollinators and hummingbirds!
However you design your magical garden, we’re sure it’ll be enchanting — and potentially the foundation of your own love story.
About the Expert
Linda Vater is a garden lifestyle expert with Southern Living Plant Collection. She has extensive experience in growing and maintaining a variety of gardens, including the “cottagecore” trend that Swift’s folklore and evermore helped popularize.
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