There are a wide variety of heirloom vegetables, but heirloom flowers really stand out in the garden. Here are some of my favorite heirloom flowers that you should try.
Flowers have been a part of home garden's for centuries. Grown for cut flowers, perfume, pollinator attractors, or just because they look nice in the garden.
Gardeners would save seeds from their favorite flowers and regrow them year after year. Below are some of the varieties that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Zinnias
Zinnias are the quintessential garden flower in my mind. Relatively easy to grow, productive, and tough.
Benary's Giant Zinnia: A variety hailing from the oldest German seed company that was founded in 1843. This variety adds a splash of color in a big way.
Queen Lime Red Zinnia: This productive zinnia is well suited for the modern taste, with a muted red color that blends well with other flowers
Zinnita Rose: This variety reminds me of Micro Tomatoes. These micro-zinnias can be grown in 6 inch pots! A great variety for limited space.
Bachelor Buttons
These frilly flowers grow into large bushy plants. The flowers are both edible and ornamental, so add them to salads and tea mixes or put them in a vase.
Classic Magic Mix: You can't go wrong with this bachelor button flower mix. Each flowers is some shade of purple or pink.
Blue Boy: The classic blue bachelor button that bachelors would wear in the button hole of their suits. Blue colored flowers are the rarest, so these blooms really stand out.
Yarrow
A native, and perennial, in most of the US, this flower attracts pollinators and beneficial insects. You can grow this flower from seed easily.
Colorado Mix Yarrow: While most yarrow is yellow or white, this mix puts on a display of pastel colors.
Butterfly Pea
An heirloom flower from Thailand, butterfly peas are used as a natural dye. These flower petals are a great addition to teas, lemonades, and other drinks.
It is also possible to extract the dye to use in almost any recipe! Here is my full growing guide on butterfly peas.
Nasturtium
I hold to my claim that this is the easiest flower to grow. In fact, you really only have to plant this flower once as it reseeds every year.
This flower is edible and attracts beneficial insects. I wouldn't add this flower to a vase, but it is a great companion plant in the garden.
Cherry Rose Nasturtium: A great variety to add a little color to your garden.
Gomphrena
While this flower takes a little more time and effort, it yields very unique flowers. The petals of gomphrenas are stiff and dry. These flowers are a great addition to dried flower arrangements.
Lavender Lady: While gomphrena comes in many colors this purple flower is a great jack-of-all-trades.
Hollyhock
When I see a hollyhock I always think of old gardens from yester-year. These tall flowers can be planted as a border around your garden or along a fence line.
Dreme de Cassis: This is the heirloom hollyhock seed that I always associate with a heirloom garden.
Champagne: These double flowers look great in a vase.
Marigold
Every garden needs marigold plants to keep the pests away! A true classic companion plant in many American gardens.
Crackerjack Mix: These bright orange and yellow flowers add a pop of color while keeping your garden pest's away.
Sunflowers
During the summer, you will find my sunflowers being mobbed by bees. Sunflowers attract so many pollinators because of their sweet scent.
Birds also enjoy the seeds later in summer, and this is beneficial because birds also eat insects. If you want a great garden, plant heirloom sunflowers. The selection is unbelievable.
Mammoth: The classic yellow sunflower with gigantic seeds heads! Extremely fun for little hands to grow.
Teddy Bear: Sunflowers can be fuzzy too! These yellow blooms stand out and look like pom-poms on a stem.
Evening Sun: These flowers boast deep autumn hues. Plant these flowers a bit later so they flower alongside fall leaves.
Calendula
Calendula flowers are another variety that is very easy to grow. These flowers are prized for their health benefits.
Calendula flowers are known for their soothing affect when applied to the skin. A great flower to make homemade salves with!
Pacific Beauty Mix: A mix of yellow and orange blooms that are great for any use!
Why Heirloom Flowers
Heirloom flowers are far superior to mass produced hybrids. Modern flower varieties are mainly bred for durability, so they can be shipped across the country.
These modern breeding practices often ignore the other qualities that are found in heirloom flowers; fragrance, variety, and color variations.
These heirlooms also carry a history of an earlier generation who found the flowers important enough to hand down to us.
When you grow heirlooms you to can continue the long act of saving seeds. You get to select the most robust and vibrant flowers, and overtime you will have your own adapted variety that is suited to your exact climate!
Above are my favorite varieties, but there are many varieties available. Get to growing so you can find your favorite heirloom flowers.
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