The Best Heirloom Flower Seeds to Save and Grow

If you love antiques — or history, folklore, cooking, family stories, cultural traditions and gardening — you’ll love heirloom flowers. Heirlooms are plants that have been passed down through generations, and they’re beautiful, fun and easy to grow. By definition, they've been around for at least 50 years, but the benchmark can be as low as 25 to 40 years or as high as 100. They're also open-pollinated plants, fertilized by birds, insects, wind or other natural means. Hybrids are intentionally created by crossing different varieties.

Unlike the seeds of hybrid plants, heirloom seeds grow true to type, which means they produce new plants that look like the parent. That makes growing heirloom flowers economical, because you don't have to buy new seeds every year. Just let your heirloom flower seeds self-sow, or collect the ripened seeds in the fall, at the end of the growing season, and replant them in the spring. Some heirlooms can also grow from cuttings and root divisions.

Not all heirlooms are sold in stores, but many are available online. You can also find them — or request the ones you want — at virtual or in-person seed swaps. Look for swaps in sources like the National Gardening Association or the non-profit Exchange.

Heirloom flowers may seem old-fashioned, but they're seasoned travelers through time and space, and they've earned a place in today's gardens. Use our round-up to find these irresistible beauties.

Shown here: Of all the heirloom flowers, ‘Victorian Posy’ might seem the most old-fashioned. Viola x wittrockiana, bred from a wild pansy called heartsease, charmed mid-century European gardeners with its ruffled, velvety petals in ivory, royal purple, gold, mahogany and lavender. Victorians used flowers to convey meaning, and pansies symbolized remembrance and loving thoughts. This heirloom grows best when in cool springs and falls and tolerates frost in mild-winter regions. Plant 'Victorian Posy' in full sun to partial shade and rich, well-draining soil that stays evenly moist. The plants grow to 4 to 6 inches tall, so they’re ideal for borders, containers and window boxes. If your winters are cold, start the seeds 10 to 12 weeks before the last spring frost, planting them 1/4-inch deep and 1 inch apart. Cover them lightly. Transplant the seedlings to a sunny or partly shaded outdoor spot, spacing them 4 to 6 inches apart. If you live where the winters are mild, direct-sow the seeds in late summer in organically rich, well-draining soil, so they can form strong roots and start blooming in early spring.

Most "black" flowers are actually dark red, burgundy or purple, but 'Black Knight' Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea) comes close. This dark maroon heirloom's flowers are studded with white stamens that stick up like the pins in a red tomato pincushion. Known as ‘Mournful Widow’ and ‘Blackamoor’s Beauty’ in England in the early 1600s, the plants have long stems that hold up nicely in vases, and they’re pretty in cottage gardens. 'Black Knight' grows 24 to 30 inches tall with a 12-inch spread. In most of the U.S., it’s used as an annual, but it can come back as a short-lived perennial in USDA Gardening Zones 9-11.

Butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators are attracted to these honey-scented flowers. While it prefers full sun, ‘Black Knight’ can take partial shade. It needs average, well-draining soil, and once established, tolerates drought. Start the tiny seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the last expected spring frost, or outside when all chance of frost has passed. Deadhead faded flowers to encourage more blooms, or let them dry on the plants and collect the ripened seeds. Learn more about saving seeds.

Maybe Dorothy would have stayed in Oz if she'd seen this hard-to-find heirloom poppy. 'Gatterman' is a dark pink, fringed, breadseed-type poppy (Papaver somniferum). Its nutty-tasting seeds add a nice flavor to breads, bagels, muffins and other foods, but take note: Only the seeds are edible. All other parts of these plants are toxic.

'Gatterman' plants grow 2-1/2 inches tall, and the flowers may remind you of chrysanthemums when they start opening early in the season. Their name comes from a German family that brought the seeds to America when they immigrated in the 1800s (some sources say the 1900s). Give these poppies full sun and well-drained soil, and grow them by themselves or in mixed borders. Direct-sow the seeds 1/8-inch deep in full sun, or winter-sow them for a jumpstart on the flowers. Cold-hardy in Zones 3-8, the seeds can survive freezing temperatures and frost. Learn how to winter-sow seeds here.

‘Diablo’ cosmos has a delicate, wildflowery look, thanks to its wiry stems and fern-like foliage. In 1974, this heirloom won an All-America Selections Award; the species (Cosmos sulphureus) was found growing in Mexico and was introduced to English gardens around 1799. These nearly carefree beauties are great for cottage gardens, beds, borders and cutting gardens. Find more cottage garden plants here.

Cosmos plants may need staking, since they can grow 4 to 5 feet tall with a 2 to 3 foot spread. In Zones 2-11, they're treated like warm-season annuals. Pollinators visit their daisy-like scarlet, orange and golden-orange flowers when they bloom from midsummer until frost. 'Diablo' takes full sun to partial shade and average to poor soil that drains easily. Once established, it can handle some drought.

Start the seeds outside after the last spring frost, planting them 1/4 to 1/2-inch deep and covering them lightly, or scatter them over the ground. Thin the seedlings to every 18 to 36 inches and remove the faded flowers to encourage more blooms. If you live in a frost-free region, 'Diablo' may come back as a short-lived perennial.

Nigella ‘Bridal Veil’ (Nigella papillosa syn. N. Hispanica) has many nicknames, including Love-in-a-Mist, Lady-in-the-Bower, Devil-in-a-Bush and others. These hardy annuals grow even in poor soil and bear snowy-white flowers with black centers. According to the McCormick Science Institute, the black seeds of culinary Nigellas were used by the ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians for medicinal purposes, and some Nigella plants, deemed necessary in the afterlife, were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. 'Bridal Veil' is an ornamental, not a culinary variety, and it may be hard to find in garden centers, box stores and nurseries because the plants don’t transplant well. They grow easily from seeds, however, in average to poor soil. Direct-sow them in early spring, as soon as the ground is workable, or in early fall, planting them 1/4-inch deep. Give them full sun and well-draining soil or, if your climate is very hot, a spot with some afternoon shade. The plants can reach 2 feet tall.

Some European perfume makers use heliotropes in their mixes, and gardeners prize Heliotrope ‘Deep Marine’ (Heliotropium arborescens) for its sweet, complex fragrance, which some people say is reminiscent of violets, vanilla or cherries. This antique favorite has dark, blue-green foliage that's sometimes tinged with purple and dense clusters of velvety, purple flowers. Keep it close by in containers or near patios, porches or decks, so you can catch its delicious scent. The seeds are best started indoors, spaced 4 to 5 inches apart, 8 or 9 weeks before the last spring frost. Don't cover them; they need light to germinate. Transplant the seedlings to every 10 inches in rich, easily draining soil with full sun, or, if you live where the summers are very hot, in a spot with afternoon shade. The historical name for heliotropes is H. peruviana, which suggests they came from Peru. A French botanist reportedly took them to Paris in the 1700s, where they were grown in the Jardin du Roi. Thomas Jefferson also collected some seeds when he served as the Minister to France and took them back to grow in Monticello around 1786.

European folklore says that fairies wore the bell-shaped flowers of foxgloves as shoes. ‘Faerie Queen’ (Digitalis purpurea), an heirloom with apricot-colored flowers that have speckled throats, would be fashionable for the wee folk. Dioscorides, a first-century Greek physician, wrote about foxgloves in a sort of early pharmacological guide, and around 1785, an English doctor discovered that chemicals found in foxgloves could be used to treat heart ailments. Today, digitalis is derived from the plants. Be aware that all parts of foxgloves are poisonous to people, pets, livestock, horses and other animals.

Direct-sow the seeds, which are as fine as pepper, flakes in midsummer and press them down lightly, but don’t cover them. You can also start them indoors in midsummer for a fall garden; the seedlings are ready to transplant in 6 to 8 weeks. Foxgloves need organically rich, moist, well-draining soil in dappled or filtered sunlight but can tolerate some sun in cool regions. In Zones 4 to 8, these biennials typically produce foliage the first year, flower in the second year, and then die, but they self-seed easily.

You may know Cathedral Bells as Cup and Saucer vine (Cobaea scandens). Victorian cottage gardeners loved the plants for climbing vines and 2-inch, bell-shaped blooms. The flowers, which look like teacups nestled in saucers, emerge pale green and become rosy violet to deep purple by midsummer. The “saucers” are actually calyxes, or green, leafy structures. The botanical name of this native of Mexico and tropical South America may refer to a Spanish missionary, Bernardo Cobo, who traveled throughout Peru and Mexico in the 17th century.

Start the seeds 1/2-inch deep indoors in individual pots filled with sterile starting mix, or direct-sow them after there's no danger of frost and the nights are consistently 50 degrees F. or above. Cathedral Bells need full sun and moderately fertile, easily draining soil mixed with organic matter. Space the plants every 8 to 12 inches and about 3 inches from the trellis, fence or other support they’ll climb. These heirlooms grow 10 to 30 feet and 3 to 6 feet wide. They’re hardy in Zones 9-11.

This lovely morning glory, Grandpa Ott's (Ipomoea purpurea), is widely credited with sparking interest in heirloom flowers. It arrived in America in 1884 with Bavarian immigrants who smuggled in the seeds they'd grown for years around their home. A descendant, Baptist John Ott, grew them at his home in Iowa, and eventually passed them along to his granddaughter, Diane Ott Whealy. In 1975, Diane co-founded Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit that stores over 20,000 historic flower and edible varieties to help preserve family stories and cultural traditions and support biodiversity.

These morning glory vines grow vigorously to 15 feet, covering arbors, trellises and other structures with heart-shaped leaves and royal-purple flowers with ruby-colored stars in their throats. Start the seeds outdoors after all chance of frost has passed, sowing them 1/2-inch deep in full sun and average, well-draining soil. The plants are tender perennials in frost-free Zones 10 and warmer and grow as annuals in Zones 2-11. Find tips for growing and trellising morning glories.

Celosia 'Forest Fire' (Celosia argentea) is a stunning heirloom that attracts pollinators. Related to amaranths, the bushy plants have upright, crimson flower spikes and dark, reddish-bronze leaves. They need full sun and moist but well-draining soil and mature at 2 to 3 feet tall. The fuzzy, soft blooms appear from early summer until the first frost.

Sow the seeds 1/8-inch deep outdoors in spring, after there's no more threat of frost, or start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. Thin or transplant the seedlings to 8 inches apart. In Zones 2 to 11, celosias are easy-care annuals, but they may come back as short-lived perennials in Zones 10 and 11.

Celosias are native to tropical parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas. They arrived in Europe during the 1570s. In 1633, an English herbalist wrote about cockscombs and purple amaranths, which are celosia species, by their historical name, 'Velvet Floures Gentle' (sic). American colonists grew them in the 1800s.

Russell Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus) are considered heirlooms because they're open pollinated, but they're actually hybrids that grow as perennials in Zones 4 to 7. George Russell, an English gardener, started developing them in 1911, using only bees for cross pollination. His goal was to introduce more colors (common lupines were usually blue but could be pink or white) and sturdier plants that didn't need staking. He also aimed for longer bloom times and stems covered from top to bottom with florets.

George succeeded, and his lupines were introduced to acclaim at the Royal Horticultural Society Show in London in 1937. Today, the flowers come in a rainbow of colors and form upright clumps that can reach 40 inches. They need full sun to partial shade and thrive in loose, sandy or loamy soil that drains well and has a slightly acidic to neutral pH.

Before planting, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours or nick the seed coats with a knife or nail clippers to improve germination. Direct-sow them 1/8 to 1/4-inch deep in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable, or scatter them in late summer or fall, so rain, snow and cold temperatures can soften the seed coats. Flowers appear the following spring. If you prefer, soften the seed coats and start the seeds indoors 4 to 8 weeks before the last frost.

Monarch and swallowtail butterflies and other pollinators love Tithonia ‘Torch’ (Tithonia rotundifolia), a native plant to tropical regions in Central America and Mexico. Also known as Mexican Sunflower, Tithonias symbolized the sun’s power to the ancient Nahuas and Aztecs. The Incas called them golden flowers.

Tithonias came to Europe in the 16th century with Spanish explorers, and by the 1700s, Thomas Jefferson was growing some types of Mexican sunflowers in his gardens. The scarlet to fiery red-orange flowers are star-shaped with yellow centers, and the heavily branched plants have long stems. These heirlooms are unmissable when they mature at 4 to 6 feet tall.

Plant the seeds in full sun 1/2-inch deep and 2 or 3 inches apart. It grows as an annual in Zones 8 and colder, and behaves like a perennial flower or shrub in Zones 9 to 11. Direct-sow the seeds after the last spring frost for blooms by midsummer, or start them indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost and transplant them to every 2 feet. At maturity, the plants top out at 6 feet high with a 3-foot spread. This heirloom likes full sun and ordinary to rich soil that drains well. Heat-loving ‘Torch’ won an All-American Selections award in 1951.

No wonder this heirloom, Amaranth, is commonly called Love Lies Bleeding. The long, dark burgundy to wine red flower tassels bring to mind how deeply unrequited love can cut. But these dangling stems of blooms are actually as soft as chenille, and the drought-tolerant plants grow happily even in poor soil and high temperatures, topping out at 3 to 4 feet high.

When the weather is warm and there's no additional danger of frost, direct-sow the seeds in average, loosened soil and full sun, spacing them every 3 to 4 inches. Cover them lightly. Start them indoors, if you prefer, a few weeks before the last frost, planting them an inch apart. Transplant or thin the seedlings to 18 to 24 inches. These frost-tender annuals flower from summer into fall and self-sow.

Most amaranths originated in Central and South America, where indigenous people grew them for food and flowers, and they were sacred to the Aztecs, who used the seeds in religious ceremonies. Some types have edible leaves and seeds that can be ground to make flour or sprinkled onto fruits and other foods.

Why spend your hard-earned money on pricey perfumes when you can grow sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus)? 'Old Spice Mix' has an intoxicating fragrance and a bonus: better heat tolerance than modern varieties. Sweet peas love cool weather, so plant in spring as soon as the soil is workable, or, if you're in a warm climate, in fall for wintertime flowers. Before you plant, soak the seeds in water for 6 to 8 hours or nick the seed coats with a knife to jumpstart germination.

Sweet peas are annuals that crave full sun and fertile, easily draining, moist soil. Direct-sow the seeds 1/2-inch deep and thin the seedlings to every 6 inches, or start the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last spring frost. Give the 5 to 6-foot vines a trellis or other support to climb. This heirloom seed mix produces early to late-summer flowers in bicolors and shades of rose, scarlet, purple, white and cream.