10 Old-Fashioned Plants and Flowers Grandma Always Grew in Her Garden
My grandmother's garden was a riot of color, shapes, and scents. She taught me to save seeds, pinch back spent blooms, and love the big, luxurious peonies that spilled exuberantly onto her side porch. Those flowers now bloom every spring in my own garden, keeping her memory close. "There's a nostalgia about plants," says Bill McLaughlin, curator of plants at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C. "When you pass along a plant, share cuttings, or keep seeds from year to year, you're connecting to ancestors, family, friends, and neighbors."
Consider adding these charming classics to your own garden plan:
Sweet Pea
Delicate, graceful and fragrant sweetpeas are a must to lend an old-fashioned feel to any garden. "Sweetpeas have an undeniably sweet fragrance and come in a soft, soothing palate of colors," says Renee Shepherd, proprietor of Renee's Garden Seeds, which specializes in heirloom seeds. They need netting or a trellis to climb and tend to do best in cooler weather.
Try:
•Cupani's Original: Heirloom heat-tolerant variety in deep purples and pinks
•April in Paris: Creamy white petals tinted slightly with purple edges
Morning Glory
These vining flowers grow well from seed and come in a huge array of colors including blues, pinks, and purples. They need a place to climb, such as a mailbox or trellis. Read the packaging to ensure you're getting Ipomea tricolor, which is not invasive. Some other popular Morning Glories such as selections of Ipomoea purpurea or Ipomoea hederacea are classified as invasive and can take over your garden, says McLaughlin.
Try:
•Royal Blue Ensign: Bush type with deep blue flowers, white throats and bright yellow centers
•Clark's Heavenly Blue: Pale blue heirloom that dates back to the early 20th century
Heliotrope
This plant was popular in gardens as far back as the 1700s, thanks to its sweet fragrance, and was especially beloved by the Victorians, says McLaughlin. Heliotrope does well in containers or borders.
Try:
•Deep Marine: Deep purple flowers with violet-cherry scent
•Fragrant Delight: Vanilla-scented plant that overwinters well indoors in a pot
Four o'clocks
As the name suggests, these trumpet-shaped flowers open in the late afternoon, says Shepherd. They grow easily from seed and self-sow in mild climates, so pick the seed pods if you don't want them to spread. Plant them near a window or outdoor seating area so you can enjoy their jasmine-like scent.
Try:
•Broken Colors: Abundant blooms with splashes of contrasting colors in pinks, oranges, yellows and whites
•Scented Peach Sunset: Heirloom variety with pale peach flowers
Larkspur
These elegant, informal spires of pink, purple or white blossoms grow up to five feet tall and make wonderful bouquets or dried flowers. They're also called annual delphiniums. They bloom in the spring and work well in borders or along fencelines.
Try:
•Earl Grey: Unique pastel silvery-purple flowers
•Parisian Pink: Deep salmon pink flowers on sturdy stems that are perfect for arrangements
Poppies
Sow these in the fall or early spring directly into the ground, says McLaughlin. They're fast-growing, and many self-sow for next year. They come in a variety of colors including the classic orange-red, as well as pastel shades such as pink, mauve, salmon and white. They're spectacular dancing in the wind in borders or scattered in mixed beds.
Try:
•Watermelon Heaven: Luscious pinkish color with white centers and crepe paper-like petals
•Lauren's Dark Grape: Stunning dark purple heirloom type with blue-grey leaves
Button Bush
The tiny ball-shaped flowers of this native shrub attract more pollinators than many other native plants, says McLaughlin. It prefers moisture, so situate it in wet areas or near water sources such as a rain garden.
Try:
•Native Button Bush: A very large shrub that can grow up to 20 feet tall
•Sugar Shack: A dwarf variety suited to smaller spaces with white flowers and red fruit in fall
Carolina Allspice
This native shrub has glossy, almost tropical-looking leaves and curious-looking flowers that become urn-shaped seed capsules in the fall, says McLaughlin. The plant goes by a variety of colorful names including Strawberry Bush and Sweet Bubby.
Try:
•Native Carolina Allspice: Indigenous to the Southeast and has brownish-red flowers
•Aphrodite: New variety with burgundy blooms and a lovely sweet apple scent
Love in a Mist
These flowers have dainty star-like blooms and lacy foliage in tones that range from rose to pure white to sky blue. The flower color deepens once open, then the blossoms turn into papery little fairy lanterns which can be dried for arrangements, says Shepherd.
Try:
•Mulberry Rose: Flowers start pale pink then darken to a deep rose color
•Persian Violet: Flowers open white with blue edges, then deepen to violet
Hollyhock
Big blossoms in luscious colors make these a necessity in any cottage garden. Stately hollyhocks can grow five to seven feet tall, so place them at the back of your border, says Shepherd. Some come back every year, and some are biennial (they return every other year), so read the package before purchasing.
Try:
•Apricot-Peach Parfait: Frilly double flowers in shades of peach and pink
•Blacknight: Single purplish-black flowers come back every year
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