What are heirloom plants? Merriam-Webster defines an heirloom as “a variety of plant that has originated under cultivation and that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals.” They can be food crops, ornamental flowers, grasses, and trees!
Heirloom types sprout seedlings true to seed, meaning their offspring closely match the parents in color, style, and form. Save their seeds annually, and you’ll create a lifetime supply of dependable plant varieties. Some species, like sunflowers, grow dozens of seeds on one flower head, making for easy harvesting.
While new heirlooms pop up readily, the most popular ones are dependable varieties typically over 50 years old. In the same way that families pass down golden heirloom rings for generations, gardening families give their most valuable plants. Many of them now have special names that clue us into their cultural histories, like ‘Naughty Marietta’ and ‘Johnny-Jump-Up.’
When you grow an heirloom flower, you get to look at a flower that generations of growers enjoyed. This special and shared history is a part of their allure. To understand the hype, you’ll want to try growing a variety or two yourself! Choose one of these 29 beautiful heirloom flowers to start with.
Moonflower Heirloom
Moonflower Heirloom Seeds
Double Blend Portulaca
Double Blend Portulaca (Moss Rose) Seeds
Beaujolais Sweet Pea
Beaujolais Sweet Pea Seeds
‘Alaska Variegated’ Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are heirlooms you plant once and never have to plant again! They sow their chunky green-brown seeds as they grow, so if you plant nasturtiums this year, you’ll most likely have surprise seedlings next spring. Use this to your advantage by letting nasturtiums fill empty spaces throughout your garden.
While all nasturtiums are pretty, ‘Alaska Variegated’ is elegant. This variety sprouts round, white-splotched green leaves and flowers that vary between red, peach, white, yellow, and orange. It stays small throughout its lifetime, and you can easily tuck it in amongst your taller perennials.
Nasturtiums are perennial in zones 10 and above but summer annuals in zones 9 and below. For annual sowings, plant seeds a week or two after your last average frost date. If you live in zone 10 or above, sow ‘Alaska Variegated’ seeds in the fall for winter and early spring blooms.
‘Tom Thumb’ Balsam Blend
Saving balsam seeds is like sitting on buried treasure. You know you’ve got spectacular plants coming. You just don’t know what they’ll look like. The ‘Tom Thumb Blend’ ranges from pink and white to red, although some other types have orange, purple, and yellow hues too! New plants sometimes show different colors than their parents, so each year is a fun color-guessing game.
Most balsam ranges from a foot to three feet, with multiple stems sprouting off a central stalk. Their flowers have little openings that bees crawl through to access pollen and nectar. When bees pollinate the flowers, they start morphing into the infamous Impatiens exploding seed pods that use tension to open. Touch one of them and watch seeds burst all over your garden!
Start balsam seeds indoors a month or two before your last average frost date. I sow them in 5” pots where they sprout and sit until the garden’s soil warms above 65°F (18°C). They transplant easily and thrive as they receive continuous partial shade, moisture, and nutrients.
‘Fairy Bouquet’ Linaria
Linaria flowers are like mini snapdragons—they have two lips that pollinators push open so they can enter the flowers. En masse, the contrasting hues of this heirloom’s flowers make a stunning focal arrangement. Use ‘Fairy Bouquet’ linaria for shades of purple, white, pink, and yellow.
Linaria is a cool season annual, similar to pansies or violas. They thrive during early spring in cold winter climates and from fall through spring in warm winter zones. This annual readily reseeds when it’s happy, so plant it where it has room to spread if it should like to.
Surface sow linaria seeds a week or two before your last average frost date, as soils are warming up. If you live in zone 10 or above, plant these heirlooms during fall for a winter-spring flowering period.
Orange California Poppy
Not only is this flower an heirloom, but it’s also a West Coast native plant! California poppies help local insect populations with their pollen-filled blossoms. Attract these native animal species by sowing some California poppy seeds in your yard. They’re perennial, so you’ll only have to plant them once to enjoy them in your yard for decades.
‘Orange’ California poppy sprouts monochrome bright orange flowers on compact, dense plants. They grow into slender green seed pods that burst open when ripe, scattering new seeds around your garden. This variety is perfect for you if you’re planting a pollinator garden, native plant space, or if you are rewilding your backyard.
California poppies are perennial from zones 8 through 10. Sow them during fall or winter for blooms during mild weather. In all other zones, plant seeds four to six weeks before your average last frost date in spring.
‘Mammoth’ Sunflower
‘Mammoth’ sunflower trumps all other varieties—it reaches 12 feet tall, with massive flower heads! If you want to make a statement in your front yard, or if you’d like to add height and dimension to your garden, try this sunflower variety. I promise it won’t disappoint.
I first grew this variety in Los Angeles. I planted a single seed in early spring; by late summer, the sunflower seed grew into a full-size plant almost twice as tall as I am! Neighbors, passersby, and family would stand below the flower and admire it, wondering how a tiny seed could grow so big. When you plant this sunflower in your garden, you may unknowingly create lasting garden memories for you and your family.
Sow ‘Mammoth’ seeds one to two weeks after your last average frost date. Bury them a half inch deep, then keep their soil moist until they germinate. They take between 10 to 15 days to sprout.
‘Vera’ English Lavender
Lavender and cultivated gardens go hand in hand—this shrub is a centuries-old European favorite. Its purple, aromatic flower spikes lure bumblebees and honeybees in with the promise of nectar and pollen. As lavender is a perennial shrub, it’s also easy to care for. Provide it with full sun, regular water, and free-draining soil.
‘Vera’ sprouts spikes with clusters of tiny purple flowers. Each spike sports a dozen or so flowers, meaning a single shrub provides many resources for local pollinators. Lavender flowers make excellent tea, baked goods, and simple syrups. Plant a ‘Vera’ shrub for yourself and the pollinators who love eating it.
Sow lavender seeds in pots 10 to 12 weeks before your last average frost date. Transplant sprouted seedlings outside once the danger of frost passes over. Well-kept shrubs last for decades in landscapes; plant seeds today for decades worth of lavender.
‘Envy’ Zinnia
Annual zinnias add eye-popping color wherever they sprout; they form large blooms that are collections of smaller flowers. Called composite flowers, these big blooms are perfect for cutting flowers indoors or adding beauty to outdoor spaces.
‘Envy’ zinnias are special—they sprout entirely green blooms with yellow centers. They look as if their leaves make up the flower petals, since the flowers and the foliage match in color. Use this variety to add neutral green color wherever you need to. En masse, ‘Envy’ zinnias add dimension to borders, edges, and raised beds.
Sow zinnia seeds outside two weeks after your last average frost date. They’ll sprout in three to ten days. Plant them in full sun and give them regular water; they’ll reward you with new flowers all summer.
‘Naughty Marietta’ French Marigold
French marigolds are perfect companion plants for summer vegetables. Their aromatic leaves fend off insect pests, while their flowers lure beneficial pollinators into the garden. I always put a marigold or two around my peppers and tomatoes, and they seem to bring good luck to the space.
The heirloom French marigold ‘Naughty Marietta’ sports sunshine-yellow flower petals with red blush where they join together. The combination of green leaves and yellow-red flowers makes a stunning presentation wherever this annual sprouts. It’s compact too, so you can stuff it where it fits amongst other thriving perennials.
Sow ‘Naughty Marietta’ seeds indoors four to six weeks before your last frost date. Transplant mature seedlings into your garden once all danger of frost passes.
Brazilian Vervain
Brazilian vervain blooms purple flowers on tall, green spikes. The flowers form small clusters that bees and butterflies use to land on while they drink nectar. Hummingbirds also love Brazilian vervain, although they hover above the flowers while they drink from them.
As the flowers grow on tall stems, this beautiful heirloom flower makes perfect bouquet material. The purple clusters work well with baby’s breath, hellebores, and lilies in floral arrangements. Outside, Brazilian vervain forms clumps of drought-tolerant specimens. It reseeds readily, and it’s perennial between zones 7 to 11—plant it once and you’ll have it in your garden forever!
Grow this perennial by planting seeds two to four weeks before your last average frost date. They’ll germinate in two to four weeks as the weather warms during spring.
‘Peony Double Blend’ Poppy
This poppy variety is so gorgeous it uses peony in its name! The ruffled flowers arrange themselves in a way that resembles double peonies, which is why this heirloom poppy uses the name ‘Peony Double Blend.’ This variety is a collection of double-petalled poppies of different hues—you’ll grow orange, purple, pink, red, and white poppies when you plant these seeds.
Poppies are cool-season annuals that love the wet, mild weather of early spring. They’re frost tolerant, and they despise summer’s heat more than they do winter’s chill. Use them alongside pansies and other cool season annuals for early spring color.
Sow this poppy variety in early spring, four to six weeks before your last frost date. In mild winter zones, plant seeds during the fall for winter through spring flowers.
Rocky Mountain Blue Penstemon
A native flower and an heirloom garden favorite, ‘Rocky Mountain Blue’ penstemon grows naturally throughout the southwestern U.S. in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. It’s a perennial wildflower with blue-purple flower spikes. After pollination, the flowers morph into seed pods that provide winter ornamental interest.
This penstemon is cold hardy between zones 4 through 9, and it survives frosty winters. Watch during fall as the green foliage turns to dark red. With spring flowers, summer seed pods, and winter color, ‘Rocky Mountain Blue’ is a perfect perennial with year-round interest.
Start this species in your garden during fall, sowing seeds to overwinter. If you missed a fall planting, sow seeds four to six weeks before your last average frost date during early spring.
‘Rainbow Blend’ Coleus
Coleus plants sprout beautiful lavender hue flowers, however their main attraction is their leaves with multicolor patterns and variegation. Coleus varieties exist with stripes, spots, and mottles, and they’re in colors like red, green, pink, green, and yellow. With eye-catching foliage and dainty flowers, coleus uses multiple parts to make a statement wherever it thrives.
‘Rainbow Blend’ coleus mixes different heirloom flower varieties, so you don’t have to buy lots of different seed packets. You’ll find a pink-green variety with variegated leaves, a green-white kind, one with yellow leaves, and a maroon one with green leaf edges. Sow this collection for a color explosion in your shade garden.
Coleus heirlooms thrive as houseplants in bright, indirect light. Sow their seeds indoors two months before your last average frost date, then transplant seedlings outside from spring through summer. At season’s end, take cuttings or dig up plants to overwinter as houseplants. That way, you’ll have transplants ready to go the next year without having to sow more seeds.
‘Rosie O’Day’ Sweet Alyssum
A low-growing ground cover, sweet alyssum blankets bare soil where it spreads. It rarely reaches over four inches tall but can spread wider than a foot. ‘Rosie O’Day’ sweet alyssum sports vivid pink blossoms that mature to red with time. The small blossoms sprout in clusters—they attract butterflies, bees, and bugs by the dozens!
‘Rosie O’Day’ needs consistent moisture, full sun, and free-draining soil. It thrives in rock gardens, borders, or containers, and works extremely well in raised beds. It’s perennial in zones 5 through 9 but grows as a cool season annual elsewhere.
Start it in your garden by sowing seeds two weeks before your last frost date. Where winters are mild and summers are hot, sow seeds during fall for winter-spring blooms.
Hard-Shelled Corsican Gourd
If you’re an artist or craftsperson, you’ll want to grow this vine. ‘Corsican’ sprouts squash-like gourds that, when dry, make perfect craft materials. Turn dry gourds into shoes, containers, vases, or bowls—the possibilities are endless!
‘Corsican’ hard-shelled gourd vines reach 15 to 30 feet long and require some space in the landscape. Let them ramble up trellises or choose a site with bare soil where their vines can cover it up. They’ll sprout flowers that morph into fruits. Leave their gourd-like fruits on the vine as long as possible so they grow hard, sturdy, and dry.
Start ‘Corsican’ gourd vines in your garden during spring. Put seeds an inch deep in the soil two to four weeks after your last average frost date. They’ll sprout from five to ten days later, and take about 140 days to fully mature.
‘Persian Carpet’ Zinnia
Different from other zinnias, the variety ‘Persian Carpet’ is smaller, bushier, and more drought-tolerant than the common species. It grows single and double red, yellow, and orange flowers that attract butterflies in droves. They’re also edible for us and make excellent presentations as garnishes on casseroles, salads, and grain dishes.
‘Persian Carpet’ excels where moisture-loving plants fail. It survives high heat and drought that’s common during summertime, producing flowers as most other plants slow down. Cut them for bouquets, or leave them in your garden to lure insect pollinators to your other plants.
The best way to start ‘Persian Carpet’ is to sow seeds outside. Plant them one to two weeks after your last frost date, and water them well. They’ll sprout within three to ten days and bloom all summer long.
Anise Hyssop
Native flowering heirlooms are the best heirlooms you can find. They offer the benefits of native plants, namely pollen and nectar that local animals need, while also providing ornamental beauty that we gardeners enjoy. Anise hyssop, or Agastache, is a perfect native heirloom plant to begin with. It sprouts minty foliage with purple flower spikes, and the entire plant is extremely aromatic.
Anise hyssop is ideal for your garden because it requires less care than non-native ornamental species. It’s an herbaceous perennial, so it survives winters with ease by staying dormant below ground. In summer, it’s drought tolerant after it establishes itself.
Get this native perennial going in your yard by first sowing seeds indoors. Situate them in pots on top of the soil. Keep the anise hyssop seeds moist, and they’ll germinate in a week or two. Transplant mature seedlings outside once all frost danger passes.
‘Beaujolais’ Sweet Pea
Sweet peas bring floral fragrance and pleasing colors into landscapes where they grow. ‘Beaujolais’ is a large Spencer-type annual, meaning it sprouts bigger flowers over a longer period than other sweet peas. This variety blooms velvet maroon pea flowers in clusters—they make excellent arrangements in fresh bouquets.
This sweet pea handles more winter chill than common sweet peas. You’ll enjoy flowers throughout fall, as most other plants enter dormancy or freeze away. Use ‘Beaujolais’ to extend your growing season as far as you possibly can.
Start this variety during fall for mild winter zones and early spring in areas that experience freezes. If sowing in early spring, plant seeds four to six weeks before the last average frost date. Scarify your seeds for better germination rates.
‘Johnny-Jump-Up’ Viola
Johnny-Jump-Ups poke their heads above the soil when most other plants are sleeping. They thrive in cool, crisp weather that’s common in spring from zones 4 through 8. They sprout tiny viola-type blossoms en masse on squat stems. Flowers have purple, white, and yellow in them; they make a pleasing color combination in borders, raised beds, and containers.
Johnny-Jump-Up flowers are edible! They taste decadently sweet. Use them to add color and flavor to salads, pickle plates, and charcuterie boards.
This species is perennial, like other species of Viola, although hot summer weather tends to kill it. To keep your specimens alive, give them regular water and deadhead their spent blooms regularly. Where they do die, they readily reseed themselves. Plant Johnny-Jump-Ups once, and you’ll enjoy them for life.
Start this Viola species from seeds. Plant them in midsummer through fall for winter to spring blooms. In zones 4 and below, wait to plant them until four to six weeks before the last average frost date.
‘American Legion’ Corn Poppy
This famous poppy species Papaver rhoeas is the poppy of legend from John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields.” Growers call it corn poppy, Flanders poppy, or common poppy. In the poem, the red petals fall in autumn and serve as a reminder of those who lost their lives in World War I. In your garden, corn poppies add shades of glorious red to the green backdrop of your other ornamentals.
‘American Legion’ is an annual poppy with three-inch wide blossoms. They open and reveal black-yellow centers where their pistils and stamens protrude. This heirloom variety reaches 12 to 14 inches tall and behaves well with other wildflowers like lacy phacelia, yarrow, and purple coneflower.
Sow in the fall if your winters lack freezing temperatures. In cold winter zones, plant seeds as soon as your soil is workable during early spring. This can be anywhere from four to six weeks before the last average frost date.
‘Love-Lies-Bleeding’ Amaranth
Amaranth is the first flowering plant I grew from seed. Its growing process is why I enjoy starting seeds nowadays, as you see a little thing become a giant specimen. Amaranth seeds are tiny, but the mature adults grow three to four feet high with dangling flower spikes. The flowers look like blood-red fingers hanging down—they attract pollinators by the dozens with their deep, dark hues.
Love-lies-bleeding also goes by the name tassel flower, as the pendant flower spikes look like red tassels. They add depth and dimension to floral arrangements. Cut them fresh for red color, or dry them for long-lasting structure in your bouquets.
Amaranth starts growing once temperatures warm during spring. Plant seeds a week before your final frost date, and keep them moist. They’ll germinate in a week or two under full sun. Amaranth is an annual, so save its seeds to grow new plants the next year.
Chinese Lantern
Chinese lantern species look like orange tomatillos! The orange bell-shaped coatings are papery coverings that protect the fruit. Unlike tomatillos, perennial Chinese lanterns contain no edible parts. They provide ornamental beauty wherever they grow and are best for borders, pollinator gardens, and walkways. However, they are an invasive species in some areas of North America.
This heirloom variety also goes by “winter cherry,” as the orange coatings sometimes persist through winter. It reaches one to two feet tall but sprawls over the ground under the weight of maturing fruit. It’s perennial from zones 3 through 9. Below zone 3, grow it as a summer annual. Above zone 9, treat it like a cool weather grower during your mildest months.
Start Chinese lanterns through seeds. Start them indoors a month or two before the last frost. Transplant mature seedlings outside once freezing temperatures disappear.
‘Blue and Breezy’ Flax
Blue pigments are rare in wildflowers, so varieties with blue hues are special treasures. ‘Blue and Breezy’ perennial flax is one such kind, with light lake-blue flowers. The blossoms open each morning before fading away over the day. The next morning, new blooms replace the fading ones.
Use this flax for summer color with little maintenance. This heirloom is exceptionally drought tolerant once it establishes itself, and sprouts perennially from zones 5 through 8. Flax is an annual outside these areas, where it uses seeds to propagate itself rather than root growth.
Germinate ‘Blue and Breezy’ seeds best by sowing them in the fall for spring germination. If they don’t sprout, add another round of seeds into your beds a month before your final frost.
Bells of Ireland
Bells of Ireland are unique heirloom flowers with rich histories in bouquets, floral arrangements, and royal gardens. They sprout off annual plants that readily reseed when they’re happy. As the seeds grow, they form green circular blooms with white centers. Bloom clusters look like bells, and the green color is reminiscent of Irish grass hills, which is why this species goes by the name “bells of Ireland.” It’s not native to Ireland but from the eastern Mediterranean to India.
Bells of Ireland adults are average size, from two to three feet tall. They’ll tuck in well amongst other garden annual ornamentals like zinnias, poppies, and sunflowers. Harvest the flowers when half of them open, and place the cut stems in water. The closed blossoms will open each day, adding pleasant decor to your home.
Start bells of Ireland seeds four weeks before the last average frost date. Ensure they receive a few weeks of cold temperatures, and they’ll germinate once it warms up.
‘Double Blend’ Moss Rose
A carpeting spreader, the heirloom moss roses are succulent annuals that thrive under intense heat and drought. Unlike tender violas, pansies, and petunias, moss roses are hardy ornamentals; they grow well with full sun and good drainage. They also reseed readily, meaning you’ll have moss rose volunteers pop up for years.
‘Double Blend’ is a special mix of moss roses with a diverse color palette. The rose-like blossoms bloom in orange, red, peach, yellow, pink, and white. Plant many in a row for a big visual impact, or situate them near your other perennials to fill bare soil.
Moss roses start easily from seeds. Sow them outdoors a week after your last frost. Where summers are mild or cool, start seeds indoors a month early. Then, transplant seedlings outside when soils warm above 70°F (21°C).
‘Flying Saucer’ Morning Glory
A South and Central America native vine, morning glory specimens love heat, moisture, and direct sunlight. I saw perennial morning glories reach over fifteen feet tall in Los Angeles! They climbed telephone poles, electrical wires, and fence posts. This species is perennial from zones 10 through 12. Prune it if it starts getting unruly after a year’s growth.
In all other zones, morning glories are summer annuals. ‘Flying Saucer’ is an heirloom variety with blue-white striping on open blossoms. They’ll open in the morning and fade before dusk. This type’s vines extend over 10 feet long, so train them on supportive structures for best results.
Start ‘Flying Saucer’ outdoors a week or two after the last frost in your area. Plant seeds a half inch deep, and water them well. They’ll sprout between five to fifteen days later. Careful planting these in Arizona and other states where they are invasive.
Moonflower
A morning glory relative, moonflower is a native vine from Florida to South America. It performs well as a summer annual outside of its native range and too well in certain areas. It is banned in Arkansas. True to its name, the moonflower opens its blossoms under moonlight. Grow some yourself and invite your neighbors over for a twilight garden show!
Moonflower needs full sun, excellent drainage, and a supportive object to cling to. Its vines reach well over 15 feet, and they’ll need a trellis or arbor to spread successfully. The vines reach like a ground cover and blanket bare soil when they lack support. Choose whichever rambling style works best for your garden’s style.
Start moonflower seeds outdoors two weeks after your last frost. They’ll sprout in a week or two with continuous moisture and warmth. Maturing vines exponentially increase their length as the days get warmer.
Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine
Bring North American wildflowers into your landscape to invite local animal species back where they once were. Our homes exist where rich, ecological habitats once were. When we plant native perennials like Rocky Mountain blue columbine, we add nectar and pollen to our ecosystems for birds, butterflies, and bees.
There are dozens of columbines native to North America, but Rocky Mountain blue is a special kind. It erupts in summer with blue-white-purple blossoms that grow spurs on their ends. Its blue-green leaves make a pleasing backdrop for the flowers, and they shade the ground to keep this perennial’s roots cool during the summer heat.
Tender columbine seeds may take up to a month to sprout, and the seedlings are sensitive to environmental stressors. Start seeds indoors for best results. Sow them in biodegradable pots two to three months before your last spring frost. Transplant mature seedlings outdoors once there’s no more frost.
Black-Eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susans are iconic North American wildflowers; they’re the state flower of Maryland! They’re also heirlooms, as gardeners and seed companies pass on their seeds annually. These herbaceous perennials live for two to three years before dying—collect and sow their seeds for the most reliable means of propagation.
Black-eyed Susans prefer full sun, free-draining soil, and regular water to survive hot summers. Once they establish themselves they’re drought tolerant; they conserve soil moisture by shading the ground near where they grow. Although perennials, these native wildflowers often die after a few years. They’ll reseed readily from hardiness zones 3 through 7.
Outside of zones 3 through 7, treat black-eyed Susans as annual wildflowers. Start them outside two to four weeks before your last spring frost. If you missed this date, you can plant seeds until two months before your first fall frost. Summer plantings will not flower, but they’ll survive the winter and sprout next spring with dozens of blooms.
‘Honesty’ Money Plant
You may see this heirloom flower in bouquets before you see it in gardens. It sports flat, papery seed pods that mature from magenta flowers resembling Brazilian vervain. Money plants reach about three feet tall, and their white seed pods shimmer under direct sunlight. They’re also biennial, meaning you’ll have to patiently wait a year before seeing them bloom.
‘Honesty’ is a unique heirloom variety that Puritans brought from Europe. It originates in Germany, where money plants grow wild. This kind performs well in North American gardens from hardiness zones 5 through 9. As it’s biennial, it won’t flower in extremely cold or hot zones outside this range.
Start ‘Honesty’ seeds outside after your last spring frost. They’ll germinate and mature, but they won’t flower their first year. Let this heirloom go dormant during winter—it’ll sprout new growth with flowers, leaves, and seed pods the following spring.
