WESTFIELD HEIRLOOM GARDEN COMMITTEE

The Westfield Heirloom Garden is a display/ teaching bed that was created and is maintained by Hamilton County Master Gardeners. The garden surrounds the Westfield city hall that was built as a church in the small community of Westfield in the 1870’s, and the Barker cabin, which sits adjacent to the city hall. This historic log cabin rested elsewhere in Westfield was deconstructed and then reconstructed on the property.

Heirloom varieties are usually defined as plants that have been in open cultivation for 50 plus years. Hybridized varieties alter the genetic make up of a plant thus it’s value in the ecosystem. A flower, bulb, tree, or bush that may have been a cherished favorite that has been passed on for years helps define an heirloom. Saving seeds and passing them on

preserves species that may die out, maintains bio diversity, and provides a link to the past. Many times heirloom plants are better adapted to their environment, and hosts to specific bees, bugs and caterpillars.

Many heirloom plants date back to the Victorian era when gardening was for the elite. During the late 1800’s into the early 1900’s recreational gardening began to gain popularity in the growing middle class. In small mid western communities like Westfield,Indiana you began to see small garden plots dedicated to flowers for enjoyment.

The Heirloom garden committee continues to search for and add heirloom plants. We hope to provide the beauty of flowers, and preserve a bit of history for the residents of Westfield to enjoy. Often times a resident will stop by to chat as we work in the garden. Recently the committee has been adding more native Indiana plants, which by definition, are all heirlooms.

In Indiana, Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service is in charge of the Master Gardener Programs. The Hamilton County Master Gardeners Association provides volunteer leadership, educational information, and service to their communities in many capacities.

Plants in the Garden:

A: Lambs ear, purple cone flower, black-eyed Susan, common milkweed, rose campion, blanket flower, Rose of Sharon, hydrangea, poppies, Maltese red cross, peony, lady’s mantle, surprise lily, climbing rose, bleeding heart, hosta, creeping phlox, zinnias.

B: Lavender, summer sweet shrubs, common thyme, zinnias, dianthus, gladiolus, bell flowers, salvias,

C: Yarrow, peony, anemone, ox-eye daisy, creeping phlox, lambs ear, blue wild indigo, Siberian iris, hollyhock, scabiosa, sea mist, dianthus, sedum, dusty miller, caladium, begonia, Lenten rose, May apple, columbine.

D: Sweet autumn clematis on the arbor.

E: Lilacs, clematis on the trellises, blue globe thistle, black-eyed Susan, bee-balm, snowdrop windflowers, stonecrop, yarrow, alyssum basket of gold, candytuft, maltese red cross, blanket flower, coreopsis, rose campion, coral bells,

F: Blackberry lily, Persian shield, ivy geranium, hostas, chrysanthemums.

G: Oxeye daisies, salvia, petunias, geraniums, love in a mist, snap dragons, hen & chicks, succulents, agave.

H: Little blue stem grass.

I: Hostas

J: Holly hocks, purple coneflower, liatris.

K: Fothergilla shrubs, lily of the valley.

L: Hostas, astilbe, heuchera, hydrangeas, ferns, phlox, scabiosa, sedum, liriope

2024 PLANTS IN THE GARDEN: Amsonia, Anemone, Astilbe, Basket of Gold, Monarda, Blanket flower, Blackberry Lily, Black Eyed Susans, Common Milk Weed, Coralbells, Columbine, Coralberry(woody bush), Creeping Phlox, Oxeye Daisy, Day Lily, English Lavender, False Blue Indigo, Ostrich Fern, Forget me nots, Gladiolas, Lenten Rose, Hydrangea, Anise Hyssop, Iris, Siberian Iris, Lady’s Mantle, Lambs Ear, Blazing Star, Lilac, Little Blue Stem, New England Aster, Oriental Poppy, Obedient Flower, Peony, Garden Phlox, Purple cone Flower, Rose Campion, Purple Salvia, Stone crop Sedum, Snow drop window flower, Stiff goldenrod, Showy Goldenrod, Hairy Sunflower, Surprise Lily, Yarrow, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Junior Joe Pye weed, Jupiters Beard, Fothergilla, Pentemone, Hollyhocks, Hardy Hibiscus, Azure Blue Sage, Winterberry( woody bush), many varieties of Hostas, Shasta daisy, False Sunflower, Lady Fern, Lead plant, Turtlehead, Downy skullcap, Maltese cross, Climbing Rose, Purple Vervain

Succulents: Garden stonecrop, carpet sedum, common houseleek, Chinese dunce cap, Marinier kalanchoe, Creeping Stonecap, stringy stonecrop

Various annuals for color, Marigolds, begonias, petunias are all heirloom