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The Heirloom Garden, surrounding the National
Museum of American History, Behring Center, has a variety of plants
that highlight the types that have been passed down from generation
to generation.
Here are a few that are in bloom during the summer months.
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Achillea x ‘Moonshine’
Moonshine yarrow
What’s a new heirloom plant? Alan Bloom introduced this bright
lemon yellow bloomer which is a cross between H. x ‘Taygeta’
and A. clypeolata in the 1950’s. This plant is very popular
in American gardens today, and I expect that it might also
be passed down from generations to come.
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Anethum graveolens
Dill
Pre-1700
This herb has been used for many purposes since ancient times.
Dill seeds were chewed to stay awake in church and that is
how the Colonial nick name “meeting house seed” came to be.
Other accounts were that the steeped leaves could relieve
witches of their power. And if one were presented with dill
during the Victorian Era, one might wonder whether or not
the giver intended lust or goodwill. In addition to aromatic
foliage and seeds that are used in to flavor foods, dill plants
also produce graceful, yellow umbel—shaped flowers.
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Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed
1690
Native Americans introduced the "weed" to early
settlers as a medicinal plant, and that is probably why this
native prairie plant was named after Greek god of medicine
Asclepios. Asclepias tuberosa is also called pleurisy root
due its medicinal indications. John Bartram (father or American
botany) first collected the plant for garden cultivation,
and Robert Buist, author of The American Flower Garden Directory
(1839), referred to butterfly weed as “one of our finest wildflowers”,
particularly for dry places. Buist was probably the first
to recommended butterfly weed for garden cultivation. Jefferson
was also a fan of the plant. But if that isn’t enough reason
to favor the plant, the orange flowers are striking and butterflies
love them too.
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Chrysanthemum (Leucanthemum) x superbum ‘Alaska’
Alaska Shasta daisy
Luther Burbank owned a nursery and seed catalog business to
support his obsession with plant experimentation. Thanks to
Mr. Burbank’s persistence, he introduced over 800 new plants
including the Shasta daisy he named after the California mountain.
C. ‘Alaska’ was offered in Burbank’s 1904 catalog at a very
steep $0.75 a piece.
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Delphinium x belladonna ‘Cliveden Beauty’
Delphinium
1931
In the early 1900’s, blue delphiniums were fashionably planted
next to yellow flowers. The tall spires were said to be the
“best of blue flowers for border use” (Blanchan, Neltje. 1913.
The American Flower Garden). This sky-blue beauty blooms twice
a year in the Heirloom Garden.
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Digitalis purpurea
Foxglove
Pre-1600
Do the flowers look like fingers in a glove? Was the word
“fox” once pronounced “folk” as in little folk or fairies?
Reportedly, the dainty bells could empower one to recover
children taken by naughty fairies, and the flowers could also
rid one’s life of witches. Apparently, there is no agreement
on where the common name came from or on ancient remedies.
However, today “Digitalis medicines are used to improve the
strength and efficiency of the heart, or to control the rate
and rhythm of the heartbeat” (mayoclinic.com, May, 25, 2006),
and admirers will probably be in agreement that foxgloves
are one of their favorite cottage garden flowers.
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Echinacea purpurea
Eastern purple coneflower
1699
Echinacea has been used for centuries to treat measles, mumps,
arthritis, chicken pox, blood poisoning, scarlet fever, ulcers,
colds, bladder and other infections. This coneflower is still
believed to have strong antibiotic and immune stimulating
properties, although lately some are contradicting these popular
beliefs. According to historical garden research, purple coneflower
was sent to England in1640 prior to the plant’s cultivation
in American gardens.
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Lychnis coronaria
Rose campion
Jefferson grew rose campion at Shadwell in 1767, but this
magenta beauty had already been cultivated in American gardens
since 1596. The furry, silver foliage resembles lamb’s ear. |
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Nigella damascena
Love-in-a-mist
Pre-1700
Cultivated in English gardens in the late 1500’s, Nigella
is also an American cottage garden favorite. Soft-blue flowers
dry to create papery puffs that are used in dried flower arrangements.
The seeds are known as black onion seeds and are used in Indian
and Middle Eastern breads, vegetables, and beans.
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Tradescantia virginiana
Virginia spiderwort
1629
This native has long been admired and medicinally used by
Native Americans. In the early 1900’s, Virginia spiderwort
was used mostly in the wild garden. By the mid 1900’s, the
plant had gained favor in the eyes of horticultural authorities,
and recommendations were made that it be used in the flower
border. At one time, the plant was believed to be an antidote
for spider bites.
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