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Heirloom Garden Plants

Some of our most vivid childhood memories come from our grandparents' gardens, where hours were spent lost in imagination and outdoor play. The smell of sweet peas or the sight of wisteria thrown over an arbor, or lily-of-the-valley and an old climbing rose clutching a pipe trellis where stories were told and imaginary worlds came to life.

The plants in those gardens were not the exotic cultivars of today. Most heirloom plants were chosen because they were both lovely and rugged. Grandma was too busy canning and cooking and washing and ironing to dally in the garden, and water might have been a commodity too scarce or difficult to transport — a waste for pampering plants!

Heirloom gardening became the rage in the early 1900's and we've returned to it today. Then, the practice of growing garden beds crammed with mixtures of perennials, annuals vines and shrubs became a sort of rebellion against the strict formality of Victorian society. And even then, people were beginning to yearn for bygone days of preindustrial life. Today these wild combinations not only take us back in time, but fit our modern lifestyles with their carefree growing habits.

Some things to keep in mind when recreating an old-fashioned garden are the structural elements seen in old time designs. Some had a trellis, many had an arbor and all had some sort of fence or hedge to enclose the yard. A bench or glider might have been a focal point in your grandma's garden, or even an old swing.

Simple branches and twigs provided inexpensive materials for bean teepees and tomato stakes, with white cotton cloth rags stripped into ties for holding veggies in place. Flowers usually fit into the vegetable garden scheme somewhere, just to keep things nice looking.

Raw poles pruned from trees might even be formed into lattice for vertical use against a wall, or used horizontally when placed atop posts to create an openwork ceiling for vines to grow across. The possibilities are endless.

For more information on historic gardening and heirloom plants, click the Smithsonian link below. Vinland Valley Nursery offers many heirlooms for today's gardener, including ornamentals and edibles.

Heirloom Gardening Resources
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 Deutzia gracilis (slender deutzia)
#1 gal. container: $12.95

Dense, erect habit with gracefully arching branches an bright green foliage. Very showy white flowers in late spring. Small shrubs grow 2-3' tall and around in shade to light morning sun (eastern exposure).
 Forsythia x intermedia 'Linwood Gold'
#1 gal. container: $12.95

This copiously blooming shrub is one of the earliest heralds of spring. Each gracefully arching branch is covered with yellow flowers. Shrubs grow 6-8' tall and around in sun or shade (bloom is not as copious in shadier areas). Shrubs can be sheared into geometric shapes!
 Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' (smooth hydrangea)
#3 gal. container: $32.95

An heirloom hydrangea that performs well even in baking hot conditions! Huge snowball-shaped blooms emerge in mid-summer, fading to green and persisting into fall. This selection from a native shrub will grow best in well-drained acid soils, but we've had great luck with it just about anywhere. Grows 3-5' tall and wide.
 Kerria japonica pleniflora (Japanese kerria)
#2 gal. container: $24.95

Heirloom shrub has a suckering, spreading habit with arching, green stems covered in delicate, serrated green foliage and covered in 1", double flowering deep yellow blooms in spring and again in late summer and early fall. Adaptable to virtually any conditions, these large shrubs produce blooms even in shade. Grows 5-6' tall.
Achillea 'Moonshine' (yellow yarrow)
4.5" pot available for only: $4.95

One of the most popular yarrows throughout the country, this plant has fern-like foliage of silvery-green, and sports sulfur-yellow blooms June through September. Grows 24" tall and wide. Full sun. Zone 3
Alcea rosea (old-fashioned hollyhock)
4.5" pot available for only: $4.95

Nostalgic single flowers in pinks, purples and whites along very tall flower stalks with buds blooming bottom to top during mid summer. Self-seeding biennials will wind there way throughout the garden over the years. Flower spikes grow 5-8' tall. Foliage grows 2-3' high and wide, and is quite attractive when foiled aginst fine textured plants. Larval host plant to the painted lady butterfly.
Amaranthus 'Red Cascade' (Amaranthus caudatus)
3.25" pot available for only: $2.69

Long tails of red up to 20" long cascade all summer through frost on this large trailing annual. Fabulous hanging baskets, this plant stands alone or can be mixed with complimentary flowers and foliage. Very heat tolerant.
Anemone sylvestris (snowdrops)
4.5" pot available for only: $4.95

A fast-spreading perennial white flowers that prefers moisture retentive soil. More sun will result in more blooms, but can be sited in full shade. 1-2' tall.
Aquilegia 'McKana Hybrids' (columbine)
4.5" pot available for only: $4.95

Large, spurred flowers in assorted bicolors- blue, pink, red, lavender, yellow and white- mid to late spring. These easy to grow perennials spread by seed each year. Grows to 24-30" high.
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
4.5" pot available for only: $4.95

Showy orange flower heads bloom in early summer and continue for a long period on 24-30" plants. Very tough plants tolerate heat and drought in horrible clay soil. Fantastic inter-planted with native grasses, Rudbeckias and other native flowers. Butterflies love it, too.