The fourth of July ushers in a sparkling summer. As families look for safe ways to celebrate Independence Day, they are including gardening activities as part of the festivities. In addition to flying the flag, families are growing America’s colors in liberty landscapes, patriotic plots and freedom flower boxes.
Liberty Landscapes
Liberty landscapes come in a variety of schemes. One is to grow the colors, and sometimes the shape, of the flag with plants. Consider old Glory collections of red, white and blue morning glory, bachelor button, nigella, sweet pea or verbena to fashion the stars and stripes.
Another type of liberty landscape focuses on historical American trees. The American Forests Famous and Historic Treesprogram encourages families to plant saplings of trees that have been witnesses to historic events like the Minuteman Red Maple, George Washington Tulip Poplar, and Williamsburg golden rain tree.
No American better exemplified the pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through gardening than Thomas Jefferson. His plant exchange diplomacy introduced numerous new plant specimens to the American landscape while cultivating friendships abroad. Through the Center for Historic Plants at Monticello your family can root samples from Jefferson’s plant legacy as part of your liberty landscape.
Native plants are a form of liberty landscape too. Growing native for the fourth of July is a declaration of independence for the gardener who wants to spend more time enjoying the garden than maintaining it. Gardeners who add natives pledge allegiance to the genealogy of the land and give a timeline of botanical history to their property.
Patriotic Plots
Whether your plot recreates the stars and stripes, a bald eagle, or the liberty bell, an explosion of red, white and blue floral fireworks is available for the star-spangled border.
Use red hot pokers, Kniphofia uvaria, as flaming sentinels throughout the garden.
A border of red rocket snapdragon, blue delphinium and white hollyhock unite three singularly dramatic plants into a patriotic marching band of color.
Some spiked flowerheads resemble flames as do delphinium and larkspur, whereas celosia, astilbe, and red salvia ‘Flare’ provide plumes of fire. Cleome, monarda, and alliums display their color in spherical explosions. Red and white pentas dazzle with star-spangled clusters. A drift of allium ‘Fireworks Display’ detonates a fragrance unlike the chemicals in firecrackers.
Cleome “Sparklers’ are a safe herbaceous substitute for sparklers and if mixed with red, white and blue bachelor buttons or nigella provide bouquets for the picnic table.
One fun firecracker plant for the evening is the gas plant, Diclamnus albus. The lovely white spikes of lemon-scented flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds by day. After dark the plant’s scented volatile vapors can be seen by holding a lighted match above the plant. Accumulated gas ignites causing a rapid succession of sparks and a lasting memorable moment for onlookers.
Here’s a checklist of Fourth of July patriotic posies:
Red flowers: achillea, astilbe, canna, celosia, cosmos, dianthus, geranium, hollyhock, larkspur, lobelia, monarda, morning glory, nigella, pentas, salvia, snapdragon, sweet pea, verbena, zinnia
White flowers: achillea, alyssum, astilbe, bellflower, candytuft, cleome, cosmos, dianthus, delphinium, gas plant, hollyhock, impatiens, larkspur, lobelia, nicotiana, nigella, petunia, phlox, salvia, snapdragon, Shasta daisy, sweet pea, verbena
Blue flowers: ageratum, bachelor button, bellflower, balloonflower, catmint, delphinium, dianthus, forget-me-not, larkspur, lithodora, lobelia, morning glory, nigella, petunia, pincushion flower, plumbago, salvia, sweet pea, verbena
Freedom Flower Boxes
Let freedom flow from flower boxes, hanging baskets and patio containers. Include upright rockets like snapdragons and salvia. Tuck in trailing petunias, lobelia, and verbena. Enlist the youngsters to plant pots of red, white and blue flowers or fasten tri-colored boutonnières as party favors.
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