Nine Time-Honored Blossoms That Grandma Cultivated Regularly in Her Backyard Garden
Growing a garden reminiscent of a grandmother's flourishing plot can be achieved with pass-along plants and old-fashioned favorites. Budget-conscious gardeners can find some of these time-honored plants at local nurseries, while others may be discovered at plant swaps, seed exchanges, or through friendly neighbors.
One such garden staple is the old rose or heritage rose, often found growing wild between fields and next to old homesites. These bush and climbing varieties, such as Gallica, Noisette, and Damask cultivars, are renowned for their hardiness and grace. A widely available option is the Piet 'Peggy Martin,' a pretty pink rose that adds a classic touch to any garden.
- Botanical Name: Rosa spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Well-drained soil
- Soil pH: Acidic
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-10
The common foxglove, a mainstay in the back of the flowerbed, is a biennial that produces tall spikes of pink, purple, or white blooms in April. Since these plants self-seed, gardeners can look forward to having plenty of them each year.
- Botanical Name: Digitalis purpurea
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Loamy, highly organic, well-draining
- Soil pH: Acidic
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a - 9b
Bachelor's buttons (often called cornflowers) are hardy cool-season annuals that create a striking blue show in a garden. Seeds can be sown in fall in mild climates, or started indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost in cooler zones.
- Botanical Name: Centaurea cyanus
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Well-draining, moist to dry soils
- Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 2a – 11b
Sweet William, with its vibrant blooms and spicy scent, is a biennial or short-lived perennial in the carnation family that self-seeds. Dense clusters of fragrant white, pink, rose, purple, or bicolored flowers appear in spring on tall stems. They thrive in loamy, neutral to slightly alkaline soil in sun or partial shade in hot climates.
- Botanical Name: Dianthus barbatus
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Loamy, well-draining
- Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b
Hollyhocks, another biennial, become perennials once established due to their ease in reseeding. With a variety of bloom colors, they flower from June to August in warmer zones. In the warmest growing zones, provide some afternoon shade to prolong the blooming period.
- Botanical Name: Alcea rosea
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Well-draining, organically rich
- Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5a - 9b
Yarrow, a hardy perennial, tolerates drought well but dies when exposed to too much shade and moisture. Its delicate foliage bears white, yellow, peach, purple, or rosy red blooms on flat, clustered flower heads.
- Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Type: Loam, sand
- Soil pH: Neutral
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3a - 9b
Spider plants, originally grown as annuals in much of the South, quickly grow and flower from early summer to fall. The pink, purple, white, or yellow blooms appear on the tips of the stems, followed by long, thin seed pods that ripen and pop open easily.
- Botanical Name: Cleome spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
- Soil Type: Well-draining loam, sand, or clay
- Soil pH: Acidic to Neutral
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 9a-11b
Crinum lilies, also known as cemetery plants or Southern lilies, are summer-blooming bulbs in the amaryllis family. Native to the tropics, they are surprisingly hardy and thrive in areas with little care. They produce fragrant blooms in shades of white, pink, and red.
- Botanical Name: Crinum spp.
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil Type: Loam, sand
- Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 7a – 10b
Finally, garden phlox adds a touch of elegance with its bright, purplish-blue blooms, though other cultivars can be found in white, pink, lavender, and variegated hues. This perennial requires minimal care before it blooms in mid- to late summer, attracting butterflies and other pollinators to the garden.
- Botanical Name: Phlox paniculata
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to afternoon shade
- Soil Type: Well-draining but moist soil
- Soil pH: Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4a – 8b
- For a fashion-and-beauty enthusiast, the delicate pink blooms of 'Peggy Martin,' a heritage rose, can serve as an inspiration for creating a timeless look.
- Southern living homeowners might enjoy growing Crinum lilies, known as cemetery plants or Southern lilies, whose tropical origins make them surprisingly hardy in their gardens.
- A garden with old-fashioned favorites like foxgloves, bachelor's buttons, Sweet William, hollyhocks, yarrow, and garden phlox can serve as a perfect backdrop for outdoor dining and entertaining during food-and-drink gatherings.
- Avid gardeners who focus on relationships could foster stronger connections by sharing pass-along plants or organizing neighborhood plant swaps for the exchange of popular garden flowers like these old-fashioned favorites.
- While enjoying a pet-friendly getaway, travelers may stumble upon vibrant gardens of grandmothers' reminiscent gardens blooming with these old-fashioned flowers, providing scenic photography opportunities and creating memorable moments.
- Budget-conscious gardeners can still immerse themselves in the hobby by searching for hardy and graceful old roses at garden centers, plant swaps, or even friendly neighbors, making the lifestyle of gardening more accessible to all.
