Eight Garden Flowers Worth Revisiting
2022-04-26
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1In Thornton Wilder's 1938 play Our Town, people gather to enjoy the beloved scent of heliotrope flowers in the moonlight.
2The scene is memorable.
3At the time, the wonderfully light, but deeply sweet smell of heliotrope could be found in most American gardens.
4Today, however, these flowering plants are rarely seen, or smelled, in the United States.
5Americans stopped growing heliotrope and other Victorian period flowers.
6Hybrids and small, dense bedding plants are the substitutes in many gardens.
7Gardening expert Jessica Damiano writes for the Associated Press.
8She regrets the disappearance of these once common plants.
9In a recent report, she writes that gardeners should consider planting Victorian garden flowers.
10Four o'clocks (Mirabilis japala, Mirabilis multiflora)
11Damiano suggests four o'clocks as one candidate.
12These white, red, pink, purple, or yellow, flowers are shaped like trumpet musical instruments.
13Their petals open daily in late afternoon.
14They appear from spring until frost - the time when ice starts to form overnight.
15The plant for these flowers does not require much care or water.
16It renews easily and gives out a sweet, lemony scent that brings bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to the plant to feed.
17The daisy-like cosmos grows from early summer through frost.
18Some even grow year-round in warmer climates.
19All of them self-seed, ensuring the flowers grow for years to come.
20The plant should grow in full sun, except for in southernmost areas, where they can use some shade.
21The flowers are colored in yellow, pink, orange, red, purple, white and maroon.
22Pink, purple, red, white or mixed color, the vine plant sweet peas blooms yearly during spring and early summer.
23The flower carries the scent of grapes in full sun in northern zones.
24In the south, it requires some afternoon shade.
25Kiss me over the garden gate (Persicaria orientalis)
26Kiss me over the garden gate was a favorite flower of America's third president, Thomas Jefferson.
27This easy-care plant grows to nearly 2 meters tall making it perfect for the back of the garden.
28Its pink flowers hang from the plant in big bunches.
29In areas with cold winters, plant the seeds directly into the garden in autumn; in warm climates, keep them very cold for a week before planting outside.
30Pink, purple, peach, red, white, yellow or near-black, hollyhock flowers will cover the plant's 2.5 meter tall stalks from top to bottom.
31The large-leaved plants are biennial, which means they live for two years and bloom only in their second year.
32But they do self-seed, so there will always be more flowers to come.
33Plant them in full sun in the north and part shade in hot climates and provide a fence or similar structure for support.
34There are nearly 500 kinds of primroses in many colors.
35But most gardens likely include the yellow-flowered ones.
36The short-lived flowers that return yearly prefer partly wet, partly shady conditions.
37Grow them in winter in the south and the spring elsewhere.
38Soapwort is a flowering herb.
39The groundcover blooms in late-spring and summer.
40It returns every year and can grow as high as one meter.
41Plant seeds directly into the garden in a sunny spot in spring.
42Remove dead flowers to avoid overgrowth.
43You can make a liquid cleanser from soapwort.
44Cut up about 130 grams of the plant's leaves and stems.
45Place them in around 500 milliliters of boiling water.
46Bring down the heat to a low setting and cook for 15 minutes.
47Then, cool the liquid and use.
48With a wonderful, strong scent of cherry, almond and vanilla, heliotropes are grown yearly and available in several colors.
49The dark purple color flower was noted in the famous Thornton Wilder play.
50Plant them in full sun everywhere except the deep South.
51There, the flowers will do best if provided some afternoon shade.
52I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1In Thornton Wilder's 1938 play Our Town, people gather to enjoy the beloved scent of heliotrope flowers in the moonlight. 2The scene is memorable. At the time, the wonderfully light, but deeply sweet smell of heliotrope could be found in most American gardens. 3Today, however, these flowering plants are rarely seen, or smelled, in the United States. Americans stopped growing heliotrope and other Victorian period flowers. Hybrids and small, dense bedding plants are the substitutes in many gardens. 4Gardening expert Jessica Damiano writes for the Associated Press. She regrets the disappearance of these once common plants. In a recent report, she writes that gardeners should consider planting Victorian garden flowers. 5Four o'clocks (Mirabilis japala, Mirabilis multiflora) 6Damiano suggests four o'clocks as one candidate. These white, red, pink, purple, or yellow, flowers are shaped like trumpet musical instruments. Their petals open daily in late afternoon. They appear from spring until frost - the time when ice starts to form overnight. 7The plant for these flowers does not require much care or water. It renews easily and gives out a sweet, lemony scent that brings bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to the plant to feed. 8Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) 9The daisy-like cosmos grows from early summer through frost. Some even grow year-round in warmer climates. All of them self-seed, ensuring the flowers grow for years to come. 10The plant should grow in full sun, except for in southernmost areas, where they can use some shade. The flowers are colored in yellow, pink, orange, red, purple, white and maroon. 11Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) 12Pink, purple, red, white or mixed color, the vine plant sweet peas blooms yearly during spring and early summer. The flower carries the scent of grapes in full sun in northern zones. In the south, it requires some afternoon shade. 13Kiss me over the garden gate (Persicaria orientalis) 14Kiss me over the garden gate was a favorite flower of America's third president, Thomas Jefferson. 15This easy-care plant grows to nearly 2 meters tall making it perfect for the back of the garden. Its pink flowers hang from the plant in big bunches. In areas with cold winters, plant the seeds directly into the garden in autumn; in warm climates, keep them very cold for a week before planting outside. 16Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) 17Pink, purple, peach, red, white, yellow or near-black, hollyhock flowers will cover the plant's 2.5 meter tall stalks from top to bottom. The large-leaved plants are biennial, which means they live for two years and bloom only in their second year. But they do self-seed, so there will always be more flowers to come. 18Plant them in full sun in the north and part shade in hot climates and provide a fence or similar structure for support. 19English primroses (Primula vulgaris) 20There are nearly 500 kinds of primroses in many colors. But most gardens likely include the yellow-flowered ones. The short-lived flowers that return yearly prefer partly wet, partly shady conditions. Grow them in winter in the south and the spring elsewhere. 21Soapwort (Saponaria) 22Soapwort is a flowering herb. The groundcover blooms in late-spring and summer. It returns every year and can grow as high as one meter. Plant seeds directly into the garden in a sunny spot in spring. Remove dead flowers to avoid overgrowth. 23You can make a liquid cleanser from soapwort. Cut up about 130 grams of the plant's leaves and stems. Place them in around 500 milliliters of boiling water. Bring down the heat to a low setting and cook for 15 minutes. Then, cool the liquid and use. 24Heliotropes (Heliotropium arborescens) 25With a wonderful, strong scent of cherry, almond and vanilla, heliotropes are grown yearly and available in several colors. The dark purple color flower was noted in the famous Thornton Wilder play. 26Plant them in full sun everywhere except the deep South. There, the flowers will do best if provided some afternoon shade. 27I'm Jill Robbins. And I'm Dan Friedell. 28Jessica Damiano writes about gardening for The Associated Press. Hai Do adapted her story for Learning English. 29____________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31scent - n. a pleasant smell that is produced by something like flower 32scene - n. part of a play in which a particular action takes place 33hybrid - n. something that is formed by combining two or more things 34petal - n. the soft, colorful part of a flower 35shade - n. a dark area where the sun is blocked 36stalk - n. a thick or tall stem part of a plant 37stem - n. the long, thin part of flower, leaf or fruit that connects it to its plant