Plant names can be influenced by fashion, locations, people, and not surprisingly, our love for food. What better way to celebrate the summer season than by adding some plants with delightfully ‘delicious’ food-themed names to your garden. Not only will these plants add a bit of whimsy, they are also a great conversation starter! As a note, the plants mentioned in this blog are meant for admiring and not intended for eating. Enjoy!
Editor’s Note: not all plants in this post will be available year-round. Please check with us for availability. Thank you!
Blueberry Muffin Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis umbellata ‘Blueberry Muffin’)
Also known as Yeddo Hawthorn, this shrub has beautiful glossy, dark green leaves and blooms with slightly fragrant white flowers April to May. The flowers are excellent for attracting pollinators to your garden.
· Full sun
· 3-4 feet tall x wide
· Blooms April to May
Orange Zest Cestrum (Cestrum aurantiacum ‘Orange Zest’)
photo: Monrovia.com
Looking to add a bit of the tropics to the garden? Then Orange Zest Cestrum is the perfect plant for you! The beautiful orange flowers and lush green foliage adds a tropical feeling to any garden. The flowers are fragrant in the evening, so wait for the setting sun to smell the sweet scent. The tubular blossoms are very popular with hummingbirds and butterflies.
· Full sun
· 3-5 feet tall x wide
· Blooms June to frost
Chocolate Chip Carpet Bugle (Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chip’)
photo: Monrovia
The rich, chocolate brown leaves contrast beautifully with spikes of blue flowers in the spring. This colorful ground cover is great for growing between stepping stones or under shrubs.
· Full sun to full shade
· 2 inches tall x 12-15 inches wide
· Blooms May to June
Merlot Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Merlot’)
photo: Monrovia
Merlot features large rich, pink flowers blooming on dark, wine-red stems. An excellent long-blooming flower for butterfly gardens.
· Full sun to part shade
· 24-36 inches tall x wide
· Blooms June to September
Mango Popsicle Torchlily (Kniphofia ‘Mango Popsicle’)
photo: Monrovia
This beautiful perennial adds a pop of color to sunny garden beds, borders, and container plantings with incredible spikes of sweet mango-orange flowers. Blooms from summer into fall and is a favorite of hummingbirds.
· Full sun
· 12-16 inches tall x wide
· Blooms May to September
Guacamole Hosta (Hosta ‘Guacamole’)
The leaf color of this Hosta invokes thoughts of freshly sliced avocados. New leaves emerge bright green and mature with a dark green border around the leaf edge. Blooms in the summer with incredible fragrant white flowers!
· Shade to part shade
· 28 inches tall x 48 inches wide
· Fragrant white flowers July to August
Key Lime Pie Pink (Dianthus Whetman ® ‘Key Lime Pie’)
Key Lime Pie offers beautiful pure white flowers with fun apple-green centers and a sweet and spicy fragrance. Great for growing in rock gardens, containers or as a groundcover.
· Full sun to part shade
· 5 inches tall x 10 inches wide
· Blooms May to September
Apple Crisp Heuchera (Heuchera ‘Apple Crisp’)
photo: First Edition Plants
This Heuchera features bright serrated leaves, reminiscent of a crisp green apple. The compact habit is great for small garden spaces or containers. Blooms with white flowers in the summer.
· Full sun to part shade
· 6 inches tall x 12 inches wide
· Blooms June to August
Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea™ (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Vanilla Strawberry’)
photo: First Edition Plants
This hydrangea is named after the incredibly beautiful flowers; first blooming vanilla-white, then turning to pink and finally to strawberry-red. Gardeners can enjoy a beautiful display of white, pink and red flowers at the same time! Perfect for cut bouquets and attracting bees and butterflies to the garden.
· Full sun to part shade
· 6-8 feet tall x 4-5 feet wide
· Blooms July to September
Chocolate Ball Sedum (Sedum hakonense ‘Chocolate Ball’)
This sedum has an unusual brown leaf color, reminiscent of milk-chocolate. The leaves take on hues of red in the cool fall evenings. Great for growing in rockeries and alpine gardens. Blooms with yellow flowers in the summer.
· Full sun
· 6-8 inches tall x 12 inches wide
· Summer blooming
White Licorice ™ Floribunda Rose
White Licorice ™ profusely blooms from summer to fall with beautiful pale yellow and ivory white blossoms. These flowers are fragrant, like sweet licorice and lemons.
· Full sun
· 3-4 feet tall x wide
· Blooms summer to fall
Choco Mocha Cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus ‘Choco Mocha’)
A chocolate lover’s dream come true! Choco Mocha Cosmos blooms with rich, dark red, velvety flowers, which smell like chocolate! Easy to grow in garden beds or containers.
· Full sun to part shade
· 5 inches tall x 12 inches wide
· Blooms May – September
Anyone hungry after reading this blog? It’s time to visit the Barn & Field Café for a delicious chocolate chip cookie!