Colonial Garden Plants: A Guide to Creating a Historical Garden

If you're a history buff and a plant enthusiast, why not combine the two passions by creating a colonial garden? This type of garden emphasizes the plants and gardening techniques used during the Colonial era in America, featuring a variety of herbs, vegetables, and ornamental plants that would have been popular at the time. In this guide, we'll explore some of the most common colonial garden plants and how to incorporate them into your own garden.

1. Herbs for Cooking and Medicine

One of the primary purposes of a colonial garden was to provide herbs for cooking, as well as medicinal remedies for common ailments. Some popular culinary herbs included sage, thyme, and rosemary, which were often used to season meats and other dishes. Medicinal herbs such as chamomile, lavender, and peppermint were also commonly grown for their health benefits. To incorporate these herbs into your colonial garden, consider planting them in a designated herb bed or interspersing them throughout other garden beds.

Rosemary is one of the most popular culinary herbs in a colonial garden.

2. Vegetable Varieties

In addition to herbs, many types of vegetables were grown in colonial gardens. These included staples such as beans, peas, and potatoes, as well as more exotic varieties like artichokes and okra. Many of these vegetables can still be found in modern-day gardens, but heirloom varieties are especially prized for their historical significance. When choosing vegetables for your colonial garden, consider including both traditional varieties and lesser-known heirlooms to create a diverse and interesting garden.

Heirloom vegetables such as tomatoes can add historical interest to a colonial garden.

3. Ornamental Plants

While the primary purpose of a colonial garden was practical, many gardeners also incorporated ornamental plants for their beauty and fragrance. Some popular ornamental plants from the period include roses, lilacs, and hollyhocks. These plants were often used in formal garden designs, such as parterres and knot gardens. To incorporate ornamental plants into your colonial garden, consider adding rose bushes along walkways or planting a row of hollyhocks against a fence or wall.

Hollyhocks were a popular ornamental plant in colonial gardens.

4. Gardening Techniques

Finally, to truly recreate a colonial garden, it's important to pay attention to the gardening techniques used during the period. For example, raised beds and companion planting were both common practices, as they helped to conserve water and deter pests. Additionally, colonial gardeners often planted a mixture of crops in the same bed, rather than separating them into different areas like we do today. By incorporating these techniques into your own garden, you can create a truly authentic colonial garden experience.

Companion planting was a common gardening technique in colonial times.

Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, Okra, Artichokes, Hollyhocks, Companion Planting