Heirloom Plants

Coming again for 2026! Large, 3-4" wide, bright white, funnel-shaped flowers with a starkly contrasting purple eye are produced in clusters as early as May or June and can continue into early fall attracting a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. Man of the Earth, Ipomoea pandurata, is a native, twining, tuberous rooted, herbaceous, perennial morning glory with large, medium green, heart shaped foliage and can grow to 15-30' in length. It gets its common name from the fact that the massive sweet potato-like tubers can range from between 20-40 pounds or more. This species is found throughout most of the central and eastern US and into Canada. Locally we usually find this species in well-drained, often deep, sandy soils. Provide the Man of the Earth with a full to mostly sunny site in average moist, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9731

3" soft primrose yellow, cornflower-like daisies are born in summer on this durable and reliable, clump forming US native perennial. Stoke's Aster comes highly recommended and its easy to see why with moderate drought resistance, deer and rabbit resistance and it revels in the heat and sun of our southern summers. Plants readily multiply into dense clumps. Super easy and tough. Item# 10487.

One of the most cold hardy and easy to grow bromeliads! The Matchstick Plant produces dense spikes of purple tipped, pink "matchsticks" beginning in mid-winter on sturdy upright to arching spikes that emerge from the center of the medium green glossy rosettes of nearly spineless foliage. This easily enjoyed bromeliad readily produces pups or offsets and is typically grown in soil but can also be grown as a semi-epiphyte on a board as well. 3 plants per pot. Item# 10888.

A White Butterfly Ginger on steroids! The spike-like clusters produce 4" wide, fragrant, butterfly-shaped white flowers with a creamy heart in late summer and into fall atop large sturdy upright stems with large tropical-looking rich green foliage. The Maximum Giant White Butterfly Ginger, likely a tetraploid or hybrid of Hedychium coronarium, has some of the largest stems, flowers, and (up to 2" diameter) rhizomes of any Hedychium we have grown to date! A naturally evergreen, rhizomatous slowly multiplying tropical, it acts like a die-back perennial in areas where freezes occur, reliably returning in zones 7B to 10. The Hedychium Gingers typically grow and flower best where they receive at least some direct sunlight for 3-4 hours during the day and generally have the best looking foliage where they receive shade during the heat of the day. A planting on the east facing side of a house, tree or other structure where they receive morning sun is often optimum. Provide an average moist to moist, average to well-drained, moderately fertile soil to keep this easy and reliable heirloom growing and flowering. Item# 13184

The Maypop Passionvine or Passion Flower produces a summer long display of 2-3" wide white, lavender, and purple exotic flowers that are held against medium green tropical foliage. Pollinated flowers are followed by round passion fruit that ripen to yellow and contain a tangy tropical tasting clear flesh that surrounds each of the small black inedible seeds. This easy to grow perennial native vine can grow to 15-18' each year if given a suitable support but it is also happy to clamber along a fence, trellis, or any other support that it can grasp with its strong tendrils. Provide a well-drained soil and a full to mostly sunny position for the best results. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 500

Large rounded clusters in shades of deep pink to near red (alkaline or no Aluminum), dark purple (neutral to acid), to near indigo(very acid) depending on soil acidity and the availability of Aluminum. Merrit's Supreme Bigleaf Hydrangea begins flowering early and the long lasting flower clusters mature into purple, red, and green shades. This is a compact growing Hydrangea with strong sturdy stems originally developed as a florist's Hydrangea but it has proven to be a reliably hardy, small to medium-sized deciduous shrub for the garden and landscape. Merrit's Supreme also makes an easy and low-maintenance container specimen and can be overwintered indoors outside of its hardiness range. The large glossy deep green foliage is disease resistant. Provide a moist, well-drained, fertile soil in an area that receives morning sun and shade during the hottest portion of the day for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12347

The arching spikes of 1" long, velvety, tubular, purple flowers emerge from long lasting, velvety, purple calyxes in late summer and into fall, and potentially spring where plants are protected from freezing temperatures, attracting Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Midnight Mexican Bush Sage, a selection of Salvia leucantha, is a multi-stemmed, clump forming and slowly spreading perennial whose 3-4' high, upright to slightly arching stems are cloaked in velvety, narrow lance-shaped, green to gray-green foliage that adorns the young white stems. This is a heat and sunloving, salt tolerant, and deer proof plant that typically does best in an average moist, well-draining soils but are somewhat drought resistant once fully established. Its uniform habit lends it to use in formal to informal garden and landscape settings as well as medium to large containers. It is considered reliably hardy in zones 8-10 and it can be enjoyed as an annual in colder winter regions. In areas that experience hard freezes, plant out as early in the growing season as possible to ensure a strong crown before frost arrives and a breathable winter mulch and excellent drainage will further help to ensure winter survival. Selected as a Texas Super Star© Plant and as an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Item# 2981

Called the Milk and Wine Crinum for its large white trumpets that have a wine colored stripe that runs down the center of each petal. The fragrant Amaryllis-like flowers are produced in clusters atop sturdy stalks in summer on this long-lived reliable slowly multiplying perennial. Medium green strap-like foliage. Item# 9827.

The 2-3" wide pure white frilly double flowers nearly glow against a backdrop of glossy dark green medium textured foliage over an extended period in fall and early winter. Mine-No-Yuki Sasanqua Camellia is an heirloom medium to large evergreen shrub with a vigorous upright to spreading habit. As with many old favorites this one has garnered a few extra cultivar names which include: Snow on the Mountain, White Doves, and Snow on the Ridge. Sasanqua Camellias make excellent fall and early winter flowering hedges, screens, or specimen plants for the garden and landscape. Image courtesy of Bobby Green and Green Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 10393

The tiny dark green leaves are heavily edged in creamy white. 1/2" blooms are produced throughout spring and summer. Use as a low hedge, bonsai, or in containers. Item # 2409.

The single 2" flowers open a creamy yellow, change to orange, then deep pink, and finally to crimson, with all of these blooms open at the same time it gives the appearance of a multitude of butterflies are covering the bush. Mutabilis Rose is a conversation starting repeat flowering heirloom garden rose with good disease resistance and average vigor. In time, and especially in the warmer parts of its range, you can expect this rose to build to 5-6' high and equally as wide. Provide a full to mostly sunny position in a moderately fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 523

Dense flattened clusters composed of showy white buds from which the small, often dotted, whitish to pinkish to light lavender, short-tubular flowers emerge and are produced over a long period. Flowering begins in mid to late spring to early summer and may continue into early fall with the flower clusters held atop sturdy 20-30" high stems and attract a host of smaller pollinators but especially bees. Narrowleaf Mountainmint, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, is a neatly clump forming, herbaceous, native perennial with a relatively upright habit and is adorned in narrow, fine-textured deep green to bluish green foliage that may have a light fragrance when crushed. This species if found throughout most of the eastern and central US from east Texas to Florida and as far north as Wisconsin and Maine. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Tough, easy, and adaptable to a wide range of soil types and mositure levels. The butterfly in the image is a Gray Hairstreak. Item# 10030

The double, tea-like, 2-3" wide roses are mainly medium pink often with few white accents and are produced throughout the warmer months of the year attracting a variety of pollinators. Old Blush Rose, classified as a China rose, is a moderately vigorous shrub rose with excellent flower power and good disease resistance that typically matures to about 6-8' x 6-8'. Its toughness and almost continuous flowering make this a good choice for garden or landscape specimens as well as hedges. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in average moist, fertile soils with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 530

Up to a dozen or more white fragrant trumpets with wine colored inner markings are produced atop sturdy stems in late spring and early summer. The Milk and Wine Crinum is an old favorite pass-a-long plant that readily multiplies and the long-lived individual bulbs can be as large as a man's head. Medium green strap-like foliage. Deer, rabbit, and drought resistant. Item# 3058

Clusters of orange to red-orange, long-lasting, saucer-shaped calyxes are centered by equally orange, 1" long, slightly curved tubular flowers and are produced along the arching stems beginning in late summer and early fall just in time for the fall hummingbird migration. Flowering may continue throughout winter and into spring in warm winter climates or will continue until the first hard frost or freeze in colder winter regions. The Orange Chinese Hat, Holmskioldia sanguinea, is a naturally evergreen, arching or scandent, tropical shrub growing to about 6-8' high and up to 8-12' wide by the end of the growing season, even as a dieback perennial in our zone 8B garden. It can be utilized as a specimen planting, as an informal hedge, espalier it along a fence or on a trellis, and even as a tree form or standard. Provide the Chinese Hat Plant with a full to mostly sunny site, in an average moist, fertile soil with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Provide an insulative but breathable winter mulch in the colder portions of its hardiness range, like in zones 8 and 9. See our Growing on the Edge Growing Guide for more on growing root hardy tropicals as perennials in the garden and landscape. Item# 358

Small clusters of unusual looking, funnel-shaped deep red flowers are tipped with contrasting white and green with the insides of the flowers being streaked and flecked with brown. The flowers are produced in early to midsummer atop 2-3' high stems and attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The Parrot Lily, Alstroemeria psittacina, is an old pass-a-long heirloom perennial whose rhizomatous habit may be too aggressive for most garden settings but in the right location it makes an easy and rewarding informal groundcover. Alstroemerias prefer an average moist, fertile, well-drained soil and tend to be sturdiest where they receive atleast 4 hours of direct sunlight. *Where summers are hot, consider providing shade or filtered shade during the hottest part of the day. These also serve as long-lasting and popular fresh cut flowers. Item# 12831

3-5" green-yellow fruit with banana custard-like flavor, some say they are best after being frozen. Produces fragrant purple flowers in spring. A small native, normally understory tree, and is the caterpillar host plant of the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. Seedling grown.            Plant two different varieties or seedlings for pollination.             Item# 786.

Large 3" wide, deep blue, cornflower-like daisies are produced on sturdy stalks starting in late spring and lasting through much of summer on well established clumps. Peachies Pick is a dense clump forming and exceptionally long flowering selection of the Stokesia Daisy. Its dense compact habit make this the perfect Stokes Aster for gardens and landscapes. Did we mention that it doesn't flop like older cultivars? This southern selection originated from the gardens of and was named for Peachie Saxon of Mississippi. It originated to us from one of the people who helped to make it known to gardeners and landscapers everywhere, noted horticulturist and author Gail Barton of Meridian, Mississippi. Item# 10810.

The pine-cone shaped flower clusters are composed of a multitude of rich pink, 2" long, slightly arching, tubular flowers that are produced throughout the warmer months of the year to potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract mainly hummingbirds but potentially other pollinators like larger butterflies. The Pink Jacobinia, a selection of Justicia carnea, is a naturally evergreen, upright to spreading, heat-loving, shrubby tropical cloaked in large, medium green tropical looking foliage and growing to about 2-3' high and 1-2' wide by the end of the growing season, but may get larger where protected from freezes and hard frosts. Jacobinias make easy and rewarding container plants as specimens or in mixed company or can be added to garden or landscape for summer color. They are adaptable to sun to light shade but may benefit from midday shade in areas with hot summer climates. Provide a well-drained, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Item# 9854

Loads of small, perfectly formed, fully double, rich pink flowers are produced over an extended period beginning in November and continuing as late as May. Pink Perfection Camellia is an heirloom, Large Flowered Japonica type with a vigorous and a dense branching, initially upright habit eventually developing into a large evergreen shrub that becomes rounded with age. Like most Camellias, Pink Perfection grows to about 10' high and 6-8' feet wide. For optimum growth and vigor provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. See our Camellia Growing Guide for in-depth planting and care instructions.  Item# 9191