I grew up in my Grandma’s garden, so it’s comforting to grow the same beautiful flowers she grew and loved, including the peonies I transplanted from her backyard to mine. As it turns out, there’s something to be said for nostalgia gardening.
“I think old flowers resonate with us because there’s a wonderful feeling of connection to see the same flowers that were in your grandma’s garden blooming in your own backyard each year,” says Katherine Aul Cervoni, landscape designer and founder of Staghorn NYC and The Cultivation by Kat.
These old-school flowers are favourites through the decades for a reason. “Old-fashioned or ‘heirloom’ floral varieties are familiar,” says Debra Prinzing, founder of Slow Flowers Society and co-author with Robin Avni of The Flower Farmers: Inspiration & Advice from Expert Growers.
“We see them in dreamy illustrations in vintage children’s books or in cottage gardening books. Even non-gardeners recognise a rose or a lily, and they often feel sentimental about them, associating these flowers with a garden of their childhood.”
Many floral favourites are also not modern hybrids. They may be single forms and have more fragrance than more recent introductions, says Debra. And there’s no arguing that scent can transport us back to a simpler time in our lives.
Ahead, our favourite old-fashioned flowers to plant in your garden that will remind you of Grandma:
Iris
Irises are stunning spring flowers that come in an array of varieties. “I’m drawn to how large, ornate, and unique their flowers are,” says Katherine. “There’s something so dazzling about the mix of colors and ruffles contained in just one flower.”
Add these to mixed borders and perennial beds, and plant in large swaths for maximum impact.
Squire’s Garden Centre
Sweet Pea
Delicate, graceful, and fragrant sweet peas are a must to lend an old-fashioned feel to any garden. “Sweetpeas have an undeniably sweet fragrance and come in a soft, soothing palette of colours,” says Renee Shepherd, proprietor of Renee’s Garden Seeds.
These flowers need netting or a trellis to climb and tend to do best in cooler weather, fading out when summer’s heat kicks in.
Marigold
Marigolds can be direct-sown or transplanted once soil temperatures warm. Grow both the larger marigolds and the more petite French marigolds for the variety of colours and forms.
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Delphinium
This classic cottage border flower promises the bluest blues you’ve ever seen. These elegant, informal spires of pink, purple, or white blossoms grow up to five feet tall and make wonderful bouquets or dried flowers, so they’re ideal in cutting gardens.
Growers Jamie Rogers and Carly Jenkins of Killing Frost Farm suggest establishing new plants in the spring after the last frost. Delphiniums can be started from seed indoors 8–10 weeks before planting out, or direct-sown in early spring or early autumn.
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Foxglove
Marly Surena-Llorens of Fenimore & Rutland is a farmer-florist who specialises in old-fashioned cutting garden blooms, including foxgloves.
A classic, “old-fashioned” flower, the foxglove readily reseeds as a biennial plant; most produce seedlings one year and bloom the following year.
There are some cultivars, such as Digitalis purpurea ‘Dalmatian Peach’, that flower in the first year. The plant’s soft, spiked flowers stand tall in the back of the garden bed.
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Poppy
Poppies have long, graceful stems, which make them spectacular to watch dancing in the wind in borders or mixed beds.
“Poppies are so charming and cheerful, and I think I’m drawn to the size of the flowers,” says Katherine.
Sow these in the autumn or early spring directly into the ground. They’re fast-growing, and many self-sow for next year. They come in a variety of colours, including the classic deep red, as well as pastel shades such as pink, mauve, salmon, and white.
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Lilac
This old-fashioned favorite deserves a place in your nostalgia garden. “The colour and fragrance of lilac is unmatched in the spring. They’re so romantic,” says Katherine.
To get the most bang for your buck, look for new cultivars, which stay more compact and rebloom.
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Love in a Mist
You have to grow these for the charming name alone. These flowers have lacy foliage and dainty starlike blooms in tones that range from rose to pure white to sky blue.
The flower colour deepens once open, then the blossoms turn into papery little fairy lanterns which can be dried for arrangements. Bonus: Pollinators love them.
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Hollyhock
“These bring dimension and whimsy to a garden and make me feel like I’m stepping into a classic children’s storybook,” says Katherine.
Hollyhocks can grow to five feet tall, so place these at the back of borders. Some come back every year, and some are biennial (they return every other year), so read the package before purchasing.
Sweet William
A short-lived, cool-season perennial that is often grown as an annual, Dianthus barbatus, whose common name is sweet William, is the cutting garden cousin of the floral trade’s standard carnation.
Grower Gonzalo Ojeda of Ojeda Farms says his favorite varieties include ‘Electron mix’, ‘Purple white bicolor’, and ‘Volcano mix’.
Sow seeds indoors or under cover, 6–8 weeks before the last frost. Direct-sow outdoors in early spring when a light frost is still possible. Seeds need light to sprout; do not cover.
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Arricca Elin SanSone is a writer, editor, and content creator who specializes in lifestyle and gardening. With a background in health reporting, she applies these same research skills when writing about the science of growing things. She trials new plants in her expansive garden, and her houseplant collection consists of 60+ varieties. Arricca has written thousands of articles for publications such as Country Living, House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, VERANDA, Southern Living, and more. She’s happiest when digging in the dirt, baking, or spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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