Uses: Annual

African Marigold

Tagetes erecta

This upright yellow-flowering plant, with its distinctive odor, is a classic of the summer border.

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Balsam

Impatiens balsamina

This plant is ideally used in the front of the flower border and is prone to reseeding. It was a common garden plant in the 18th century.

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Basket of Gold

Aurinia saxatilis

These sweet-smelling golden flowers are ideal for the front of the border in spring when bulbs are blooming.

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Boston Marrows are large, bright orange squashes that can weigh anywhere between 10 and 50 lbs., although 25 lbs. is more common. They are an excellent eating squash and can be turned into soups or pies.

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Breadseed Poppy

Papaver somniferum

This elegant annual forms an attractive seedhead after blooming and is ideal for the middle of the border in the spring garden. It self-sows reliably, but does not transplant well.

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Broom Corn

Sorghum vulgare

This large plant is used to make brooms. However, it is not a true corn.

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Browallia

Browallia americana

Airy blue flowers form a stunning mass mid-border late in the season when many other flowers are fading. In southern climates, this plant self-sows with vigor.

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Bush Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Bush beans are compact, low growing plants that produce large crops of beans. They can be used for fresh eating or as dry beans.

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Bush Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Bush lima beans are vigorous, productive plants. Their smaller size makes them easy to grow in the home garden and they still provide a bounteous harvest. They can be used dry or fresh.

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Calendula

Calendula officinalis

Calendulas are an old fashioned herb with bright yellow or orange flowers. They are profuse bloomers in the spring and fall, but will stop blooming during the hot part of the summer. Their flowers can be used in salads and soaps.

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Canterbury Bells

Campanula medium

Canterbury bells are a common sight in cottage gardens. Their bright purple flowers add a richness of color to the pastels of late spring and early summer. They are a short-lived perennial and often need to be replanted.

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Carrot

Daucus carota var. sativa

Carrots are a root crop which comes in a wide variety of colors. They can be yellow, orange, or purple. While the purple colored varieties are some of the oldest types, orange varieties of carrots were popular by the mid-1700s. They can be served fresh in salads, or cooked.

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Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Cayenne peppers are large prolific plants. They produce bountiful crops of slender, spicy red peppers that can be used fresh or dried.

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Cheese's Mallow

Malva sylvestris

High Mallow is an upright, bushy plant with magenta flowers and darker purple stripes. It reseeds readily and naturalizes quickly in the garden.

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China Aster

Callistephus chinensis

The pink, purple, or white flowers of this cheerful daisy are an excellent midsummer accent in any flower garden.

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Cockscomb

Celosia argentea var. cristata

A sturdy long-blooming annual, this impressive plant is ideal for the back of the border. Its bright flowers come in many colors, including hot pink, peach, deep rose, yellow, and red.

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Crimson Clover

Trifolium incarnatum

This clover is used primarily as a cover crop and fodder, but it is also a good nectar source for bees.

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Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Cucumbers are a vining plant with yellow flowers and slightly prickly stems. There are many varieties which produce cucumbers of different sizes and shapes.

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Dipper Gourd

Lagenaria siceraria

Dipper gourds are sprawling plants that produce enormous quantities of fruit over the course of the season. The gourds they produce can be used to make drinking vessels, birdhouses, and other decorative items.

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Endive

Cichorium endivia

Endive has broad, bright green leaves and looks somewhat like a rougher-textured lettuce. It has a sharp, bitter flavor.

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English Daisy

Bellis perennis

With its cute white flower, this petite daisy makes a charming addition to the garden. It is usually grown as a short-lived perennial, but it will reseed if permitted.

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Fava Beans

Vicia faba

Fava beans, a cool season plant, performs best in either the spring or the fall. They are quite robust and can grow to three feet high, producing many large pods which are best eaten shelled.

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Fish Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Fish peppers are hot peppers with variegated white leaves. The peppers themselves are often streaked with white and start green before maturing to red.

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Flax

Linum usitatissimum

This crop has bright blue flowers. It is primarily used to make linen from its fibers and its seeds used as supplements and for linseed oil.

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Four O'clock

Mirabilis jalapa

Named for the time of day the bloom opens, four o'clocks will attract hummingbirds and nocturnal pollinators to your garden. This bushy plant reseeds readily, producing hundreds of large black seeds that resemble hand grenades.

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French Marigold

Tagetes patula

French marigolds are iconic garden plants with distinctly fragrant leaves. The flowers are single, semi-double, double, or crested in shades of yellow, orange, or red, and can also be bi-colored. When planted in the vegetable garden, marigolds can repel certain pests, such as white flies on tomatoes…

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French Striped Marigold

Tagetes patula

This dazzling plant blooms in masses of yellow flowers with deep burgundy stripes and is the star of the fall garden.

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Globe Amaranth

Gomphrena globosa

This magenta gem is well suited to the front of the border. Its lush blooms are attractive to butterflies, and they hold their color well when cut for use in dried arrangements.

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Globe Candytuft

Iberis umbellata

A mid-border plant, this pink or lavender flower can flop, but is an attractive addition to the spring garden.

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Gloriosa Daisy

Rudbeckia hirta

This large-flowered, cheerful plant is perfect for dry, difficult spots. It self-sows readily in variations of orange, yellow, and gold.

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Heliotrope

Heliotropium arborescens

A fragrant addition to your summer border, this sturdy plant prefers well-drained soil and afternoon shade in the southern garden.

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Hollyhock

Alcea rosea

Hollyhocks are old-fashioned cottage garden favorites for their height and cheerful flowers in a wide range of colors. Most require staking to support their heavy stems.

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Honesty

Lunaria annua

Honesty is an old fashioned plant with briliant pink flowers that give way to paper-thin silvery seedpods, hence its many common names.

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Johnny Jump-Up

Viola tricolor

This delightful little flower is a harbinger of spring in many gardens, but also adds charm to a fall or winter garden depending on your region. The flowers are edible and can be used to wonderful effect on cakes and in salads.

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Jospeh's Coat

Amaranthus tricolor

This voluptuous annual is grown for its showy multicolored foliage in shades of green, yellow, and red.

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Lantana

Lantana camara

Lantana is a colorful, shrubby annual with masses of flowers in shades of orange, yellow, and pink. Its leaves give off a distinctive smell and it produces bluish-black seeds. Lantana is commonly used as a bedding plant because of its long bloom season.

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Larkspur

Consolida ajacis

A favorite in the Mount Vernon gardens, this annual reseeds readily. Its pink, blue, and white flowers add height to the spring border.

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Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata

The Long Island Cheese pumpkin is an excellent eating pumpkin and is well-suited for making pies. It is a beautiful tan pumpkin with deep lobes that grows on huge, sprawling vines.

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Love-in-a-Mist

Nigella damascena

This feathery flower blooms in shades of blue, white, and pink, and reseeds easily, but does not transplant well. It is noted for its interesting seedpods.

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Love-Lies-Bleeding

Amaranthus caudatus

Love-lies-bleeding is an elegant cottage garden plant with cascading crimson flowers that are excellent for the summer border and as a cut flower.

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Muskmelon

Cucumis melo

Muskmelons are a trailing, vining plant with small yellow flowers which often performs better when grown on a trellis. They produce fruit in a wide variety of shapes and colors. Their fruits are frequently fragrant.

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Mustard Greens

Brassica juncea

Mustard produces a leafy green that can be used for fresh eating, or as a cooked vegetable. It produces pretty yellow flowers that are attractive to pollinators.

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Nasturtium

Tropaeolum majus

A sprawling annual herb, nasturtiums have long been a charming kitchen garden plant. Their flowers, leaves, and seeds are all edible, and add a peppery bite to salads.

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Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Okra is a tall plant with cheerful yellow flowers that are reminiscent of hibiscus blossoms. They produce green seedpods that are best harvested when they are 2 to 3 inches long.

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Pincushion Flower

Scabiosa atropurpurea

These airy, colorful flowers are mildly fragrant and a pleasant addition to the flower border.

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Pole Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Pole beans, such as kidney and butter or lima beans, produce long vines that do best when supported on some type of trellis. They are prolific growers and can easily cover a trellis in the course of a season while producing many beans which can be eaten fresh or dried.

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Pole Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Pole lima beans are vigorous plants that do best when grown on trellises. They are fast growing and produce beans which can be used fresh or dried.

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Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus

This colorful cool season annual is a charmer in the middle of the flower border during the spring and fall.

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Stock

Matthiola incana

This clove-scented flower flourishes in cool weather and makes an excellent cut flower.

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Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

These gorgeous native plants bloom in a variety of colors and sizes, including pale yellow, oranges, and golds. Some are grown merely for their beauty while others, such as the Mammoth sunflower, are grown for their seeds.

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Sweet Alyssum

Lobularia maritima

Dense mounds of tiny fragrant white flowers form a spreading carpet under large perennials and annuals in the spring border.

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Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

Sweet potatoes are vigorous, running plants that will easily exceed their allotted space in the garden if not kept under control. They should be grown in mounds, much the way one would grow potatoes. They are extremely cold sensitive and should be planted after the soil has warmed in the spring and harvested…

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African Marigold

Tagetes erecta

Balsam

Impatiens balsamina

Basket of Gold

Aurinia saxatilis

Boston Marrow Squash

Cucurbita maxima 'Boston Marrow

Breadseed Poppy

Papaver somniferum

Broom Corn

Sorghum vulgare

Browallia

Browallia americana

Bush Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Bush Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus

Calendula

Calendula officinalis

Canterbury Bells

Campanula medium

Carrot

Daucus carota var. sativa

Cayenne Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Cheese's Mallow

Malva sylvestris

China Aster

Callistephus chinensis

Cockscomb

Celosia argentea var. cristata

Crimson Clover

Trifolium incarnatum

Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Dipper Gourd

Lagenaria siceraria

Endive

Cichorium endivia

English Daisy

Bellis perennis

Fava Beans

Vicia faba

Fish Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Flax

Linum usitatissimum

Four O'clock

Mirabilis jalapa

French Marigold

Tagetes patula

French Striped Marigold

Tagetes patula

Globe Amaranth

Gomphrena globosa

Globe Candytuft

Iberis umbellata

Gloriosa Daisy

Rudbeckia hirta

Heliotrope

Heliotropium arborescens

Hollyhock

Alcea rosea

Honesty

Lunaria annua

Johnny Jump-Up

Viola tricolor

Jospeh's Coat

Amaranthus tricolor

Lantana

Lantana camara

Larkspur

Consolida ajacis

Long Island Cheese Pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata

Love-in-a-Mist

Nigella damascena

Love-Lies-Bleeding