Here are some additional theme ideas to jump-start your creativity and get you started on your own theme garden adventure. Most of the plants mentioned are readily available in a well-stocked garden center. You’ll find plants for the more challenging themes in specialty garden catalogs or by searching the Internet. There are many plant growers that specialize in theme gardening and older varieties or heritage plants.
Apothecary
Try your hand at growing the family’s medicine chest. You’ll find an enormous selection of herbs with medicinal values. Look for those whose Latin name ends with officinalis, which indicates its apothecary value. Don’t overlook the other valuable herbs that don’t have that designation. Among those are peppermint, chamomile, lavender, and mallow. The medicinal properties of herbs are well documented, but you do need to be aware of possible interactions with your prescription medicines. Consult your physician before ingesting herbs and prescriptions. Be cautious of information you find regarding herbs as medicines while surfing the Internet; unless the source of the information is scholarly or from a known authority, you may getting poor advice. Find information about processing herbs and dosages at your local library. Books from Rodale Press and by author Euell Gibbons are very reliable.
Celebrity or Names
Many varieties of roses, peony, day lilies, and iris are named after celebrities. Sarah Bernhardt peony is one that most gardeners know. Other flowering plants have more ordinary names such as johnny-jump-up and sweet William. You might also like to focus on the names of royalty, as in Queen Anne's lace.
Edible Flowers
Kids will love to eat flowers, but this one is really an adult project. Young children have trouble distinguishing between the edible flowers in Mom’s garden and all the other flowers in the world. Use your common sense with edible flowers and don’t eat ones that have mud on them or were sprayed with pesticides. Don’t pick flowers by the roadside to eat. They have been exposed to automobile exhaust and there are too many unknowns to make them safe to eat. Only eat the petals, not the stamens or pistils. Most importantly, do not eat any flower that youthink is safe; only eat the ones you know for sure are okay to ingest. Among the edible flowers, the most common are garlic blossoms, chive blossoms, bachelor button, bee balm, burnet, calendula, carnation, chamomile, chrysanthemum, dandelion, day lily, geranium, honeysuckle, pansy, nasturtium, petunia, rose, snapdragon, sunflower and violets.
Native Species
Select only those plants indigenous to your region. Include your state flower. This type of garden often needs less tending because the plants have adapted themselves to your growing conditions.
Succulents
The entire range of succulents provide an amazing variety in stem shapes,colors and flowers. They are easy to grow indoors if you live in a colder climate. Succulents are often thought of as green only plants but many of them have colorful blooms. Good succulents to try are kalanchoe, aloe, mother of pearl, living rocks, and the delicate burrow’s tail.
Twilight
The perfect garden for a working family, the Twilight garden is designed to be enjoyed in the evening hours. Some flowers are even more fragrant in the evening. Think of silvery or white flowers that can reflect the moonlight such as moon flower, evening primrose, four o’clocks, dusty miller, and tuber rose. There are many varieties of night blooming day lilies.