I'm interested in old days plants, in Sweden they call it mormorsväxter. Maybe it is because of the nostalgic, good memories or the longing for earlier times? It maybe, but I'm also sure that the old plants often smell better and can still attract the bees (the modern flower versions often lose their fragrance and fertility).
I like to have my garden filled with old days flowers, that makes me happy. I live in a place on the countryside in the woods of Småland, where that old plants fit perfectly. Beside of that I like to go back to the old days, where the plants were very pure and less manipulated. So maybe a can collect and grow them again?
I started looking for them in my garden when I started exploring some years ago. Of course I found a lot of Daisies (Prästkragor), Hemerocallis and wild Acquileia. Something to start with, they grow very well on sandy poor forestground. Because it has been a garden for a long time ago I found also traces from gardening and growing plants. Like an old Sedum (Kärleksört), an old Hungarian Iris Variegata and a Hepatica (Blå Sippa).
You recognize the flower above? That's Linseed Flower (Linum usitatissimum), A plant who will delivered linseeds, linseed oil and linen as a textile for a long time. I found it last week, I hope I can grow more of it... Last years I started dividing grote hoge Campanula's (Stor Blå Klocka) and sawing Sweet Hearts (Dianthus Barbatus or Borstnejlika), Sunflowers and Sunhats (Echinaecae).
I started also looking in other gardens...with friends and family, for seeds or parts of plants from old days to enlarge my collection. I went home to my old father (who's already 91 years old and had a garden for a very long time) to get some parts of the old plants. He learned me the names of plants and how to grow since I was young. mostly it is easy to grow them again by making root cuttings. I found some old species like an old Paeonia, a Cannah and a Geranium and I took small rootcuttings. Because it's end of summer soon, they will should up next year in spring. Now they have time to settle. I'm curious what color of flowers they will give next year...
You got interested? Take a look at my other pages: Grandsma's early spring flowers,