Plants and Their Uses
Plants for the senses
Various mint plants: Come in all smells from lemon to chocolate.
Scented Geraniums: Come in all smells from nutmeg to roses.
Plants from the primrose family: Their seed pods make rattles.
Thistles have various prickles some not too sharp but good for learning about.
Nasturtiums are brightly colored and edible; they have a peppery taste.
Hares tail grass (Lagurus ovatus): Very soft to the touch and non invasive. It forms a clump.
Snap dragons have a dragon mouth when you squeeze the flower.
Chives smell like onions.
Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana): Sweeter than sugar and can be used as a substitute.
Spilanthes oleacea (Toothache plant): Looks like an eye ball and if you put it in your mouth, it will numb your gums and tongue.
Dye sources
Hopi Red Dye Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) - red dye
Woad (Isatis Tinctoria) - blue dye
Bulls Blood Beet(Beta Vulgaris v cruenta) - Deep red dye
Indigo (Indigofera Tinctoria) - Blue dye
Black Holly hock (Althea rosea) - Lavender/Mauve dye
Golden Marguerite (Anthemis Tinctoria) - Yellow, Buff, or Orange dye depending on the mordant used. Is also a nice cut flower
Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius) - yellow or red dye from the flowers.
Weld (Reseda Luteola) - green dye.
Onions (white) - brown dye.
Gallium - pink dye.
Elderberries - beautiful purple dye.
Cut flowers to use fresh or dry for future projects
Gomphrenas make a nice dried flower.
Strawflowers ( Helichrysum -tall mix) Colors from red to cream make a nice display in the garden - 3 feet tall. Heads dry on stems.
Sweet Annie ( Artemisia annua ) make a nice wreath and smells wonderful; Grows up to 3 feet.
Statice is easy to grow and dry. It comes in a wide variety of vivid colors.
Cocks comb comes in two sizes and is great for drying.
Garden curiosity
Balsam, Touch me Not plant (Impatiens balsamina): Seed pods explode!
Woods sorrel: The seed pods explode!
Blue potatoes: The entire potato inside and out is blue. Stays blue color even when cooked.
Sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica): When you touch it, it closes up its leave. You can blow on it and get the same effect. Good to use to show kids some plants do move!
Luffa Gord (Luffa cylindrical ): Is the source of luffa sponges!
Bird house gourds: Grow in different shapes and sizes to make rattles or bird houses.
Vines
Annelino Pole beans: The vines grow 6 feet or more and the beans are crescent shaped.
Yard Long Beans: the vines grow 5 feet with beans at least a yard long!
Scarlet Runner Beans: Beautiful vines grow 6 feet or more and bear beautiful deep red flowers!
Morning Glories: Come in several colors. (Our favorite are the Heavenly Blue.) They can grow to 12 feet or more. They open in the morning and close at night. Flying saucer morning glories bear flowers 6" across!
Long vine cucumbers: Amira, its a spineless cucumber! Boothby's Blonde cucumber is yellow with black spines. It's a Maine heirloom cuke! Diva is a nice short day cuke that requires no pollination so is good for a greenhouse or indoor use and is resistant to powdery mildew.
Various Vegetables
Popcorns: Early Pink has a nice pink color for a change of pace.
Broomcorn: Comes in several varieties. Choose the shortest day possible to grow it successfully in New Hampshire.
Sweet Corn: The super sweet varieties keep their sugar levels in the refrigerator for several days.
Multicolored Corn: Also known as Indian corn comes in many shapes and sizes. Great for harvest projects and the birds love them too.
Purple beans: Purple Trionfo Violetto is a bush type bean with purple pods. Royal Burgundy is another nice purple bean that turns deep green when cooked.
Thumbelina carrots: Golf ball size carrots are great for little people!
Graffiti: A neon purple cauliflower that keeps its color when cooked.
Bright Lights: Swiss Chard adds a nice rainbow to the garden and is delicious too!
Gourds: Are a fun thing to grow and are many times more successful in a garden than pumpkins. They come in all shapes and sizes and lend themselves to many art projects from rattles to mini jack o' lanterns.
Leaf Lettuces: Go to seed quite readily and are a good way to show a plants life cycle. Replant the seeds and watch the cycle go again! Romain varieties work very well for this.
Peas: All types are a big hit in any child's garden. They come in bush varieties or longer vine types. None of the vines are usually more than 3 feet tall.
Bell Peppers: Come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Try kaleidoscope mix to get most of the colors of the rainbow!
All of the above selections can be found in the Pinetree Garden Seeds 2004 Seed Catalog. (See the Resource Page for further details.)
