Barbie®, the classic toy, has inspired a modern design and style movement called Barbiecore. If you embrace everything pink and girly, bring Barbie to your backyard with bright pink plants that fit the trend perfectly.
What is the Barbiecore Aesthetic?
Barbiecore is the name for a fashion, style, and decorating trend inspired by the classic doll and her favorite color. It doesn’t need to specifically reference Barbie, but the look is clearly something she would love.
The overarching aesthetic is pink, especially bright, Barbie pink. It is a hyper-feminine style but is open to anyone. And it goes beyond color. Barbie has always personified light-hearted fun. The Barbiecore look is pink, girly, and cheerful.
How to Build a Pink Flower Garden Fit for Barbie
If you love all things Barbie, it’s easy to design a pink garden. Pink is an accessible color in gardening. Many flowers come in shades of pink, and some plants even have pink foliage. Try these pink garden flowers that are especially suited to a cheerful, fun, Barbie-inspired garden:
- Rose -- Few flowers have been more cultivated than the elegant rose. With so many cultivars, you can find nearly every shade of pink, including the hot pink associated with Barbie. Roses are as girly as Barbie too, a classic feminine bloom. Some of the varieties with the most Barbie-pink coloring include ‘Carefree Wonder,’ ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ ‘Pink Knock Out,’ and ‘Topaz,’ just to name a few.
- Dahlia -- The dahlia is another flower that has many cultivars and colors. You can grow them as annuals in colder climates, or dig them up to overwinter indoors and plant again the next year. Dahlia flowers are showy and flashy, just like Barbie. Pink varieties include ‘Islander,’ ‘Jersey Beauty,’ ‘Café au Lait,’ and ‘Bracken Rose.’
- Hydrangea -- Hydrangeas are classic garden shrubs with big, showy flower clusters. Typical colors are blue, white, green, and pink. Some of the pink varieties range from pale to deep magenta, perfect for the Barbiecore look. ‘Gatsby Pink’ blooms on large spikes. ‘Big Easy’ has rounded flower clusters in a medium pink shade. Choose ‘Electric Rouge’ if you want a deep, striking pink. ‘Sweet and Salsa’ produces white blooms edged in Barbie pink.
- Camellia -- If your garden is in a warmer climate, it’s hard to beat camellia for pink blooms. They provide winter Barbie color and evergreen foliage. Camellia is a shrub that’s great for anchoring the corner of a garden or as a hedge. The flowers are rose-like.
- Bougainvillea -- Another flower for the warm climate garden, bougainvillea is a tropical plant. This cheerful vining flower that comes in bright pink fuchsia shades. The pink flowers are actually bracts, modified leaves. Bougainvillea grows vigorously and is very full, so you can trim and train it to be more like a shrub than a vine. Use it to climb fences, pergolas, and even balcony or patio railings.
- Bleeding heart -- This is a quintessential Barbiecore plant. Not only are the blooms the perfect shade of Barbie pink, but they are also heart shaped. Bleeding heart is a shrub that produces hanging flowers in pink or white. It’s a great option for a shady area of the garden where it’s difficult to grow other flowers.
- Cosmos -- These pretty annual flowers are ethereal and delicate. The daisy-like blooms grow on long, thin stems from summer through fall. They attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Cosmos can be white and purple but most are pink. This is a great beginner plant. It grows easily from seed, is inexpensive, and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance.
Pink Leaves
Flowers are not the only way to add Barbie pink to your garden or houseplants. Look for varieties of coleus, polka-dot plant, philodendron, rubber plant, nerve plant, and kalanchoe.
Barbiecore is feminine, pink, splashy, and over the top. Don’t skimp when using this style. Overload your garden with pink flowers and foliage if you love the Barbie aesthetic.