12 Old Fashioned Flowers from Anne of Green Gables

Discover 12 old fashioned flowers from Anne of Green Gables. These blossoms are classic heirlooms that have stood the test of time and will create beautiful, perennial flower gardens in cooler climates.

I must confess that when I was a girl, I wasn’t a fan of Anne of Green Gables. Anne was too emotional, too sentimental and far too romantic! And she exasperated me nearly every time I engaged with her. And so, I primarily let Anne alone.

But as an adult, I decided to read the series. What possessed me I don’t know, but for the first time in my life I fell head-over-heels in love with the transparent soul of the little, red-hair orphan, the snippets of domestic history revealed to the reader from Marilla’s kitchen and I immensely enjoyed L.M. Montgomery’s vivid descriptions of nature.

And more recently, I began noticing the domestic flowers mentioned in Anne of Green Gables! You see, after several years of hard work and faithful saving, my man and I were finally able to move to the countryside. And here on our own land, I’m ready to begin establishing sweet, old fashioned perennial (or self seeding) flower gardens.

But it isn’t always easy to find heirloom flowers. In this day and age, flowers aren’t necessarily valued for being perennials. It’s more about annuals that have the right color, size and unique features.

In the Anne of Green Gables series, many old fashioned perennial flowers are described. So I’ve been taking note. Because flower varieties mentioned in the books are exactly what I would like to have around my little home, along the drive and in my cottage gardens.

Domestic Flowers Mentioned Anne of Green Gables

There are many different flowers mentioned in Anne of Green Gables. Some are grown from seed, while others are easiest to grow from bulbs or tubers. Some were propagated from cuttings or “slips” that were re-rooted to create even more plants.

Let me walk you through 12 old fashioned flowers from Anne of Green Gables that you can start in your own gardens this year.

1. Adam-and-Eve

• Also known as Lungwart
• Purple and blue blossoms
• Grows best in partial shade
• Start from seed or divisions

Purple Adam-and-Eve are one of the shade loving flowers mentioned in the Barry garden where Anne and Diana first met and solemnly vowed to be bosom friends for “as long as the moon and the sun shall endure.”

2. Apple Scented Geranium

• Not a true geranium
• Has small white blossoms
• Prefers dry soil over wet
• Slightly trailing foliage makes it ideal for window boxes or hanging containers
• Will not survive northern winters unless brought indoors.

I love the fact that Marilla had an apple scented geranium on her kitchen windowsill. Practical, no nonsense Marilla did have a softer side to her! And the morning after she arrived at Green Gables, Anne names this geranium “Bonny.”

Scented geraniums are not cold hardy and if a woman planted them out in her garden, it was common practice to cut slips before the plant died and root the shoots indoors, so there would be something to plant out again the following summer.

Order root stock HERE.

3. Bouncing Bet

• Also known as Wild Sweet William and Soapwort
• Has soft lavender flowers
• Needs partial shade
• Grow from seed or divisions of creeping roots

We know from Anne and Diana’s first meeting in the Barry garden that Bouncing Bet was one of the flowers present. Bouncing Bet is also known as Soapwort. This plant contains natural saponins and was traditionally used to create a hair or body wash.

Though I doubt they were used for such by Diana’s mother! Being a farmer’s wife, Mrs. Barry likely made her own soaps with wood ash and the fat harvested from their animals.

Still, Soapwort creates a lovely, creeping ground cover and shouldn’t be overlooked in the perennial flower garden!

Get lavender tinted Bouncing Bet seed HERE

4. Columbine

• All colors of blossoms
• Needs partial shade in hot climates
• Vigorous self seeding
• Grow from seed or crown divisions

Columbine is mentioned several times throughout the Anne of Green Gables series. We hear mention of blue, white and pink columbines in the Barry’s shade-loving garden.

In spite of their dainty, bell-like blossoms, these flowers are hardy and have no troubles self sowing year after year, which is why they’re probably such a classic, traditional flower in cooler climates!

You can get pink Columbine seed HERE

Get blue Columbine seed HERE

And find white Columbine seed HERE

5. Iris

• Blossoms come in all colors
• Likes full sun
• Prefers dry soil
• Grow from seed or rhizomes

Remember the unfortunate lily maid? Because no lilies were available, we’re told that Anne was given a blue iris to clasp in her hands as she lay in the bottom of the dory that Mr. Barry used for duck hunting.

Based on references found throughout the book series, I think it’s fair to assume that the hardy iris was abundantly grown in Avonlea!

Find blue iris seed HERE

6. Lilac

• Traditional colors were shades of purple or white
• Likes full sun
• Prefers dry soil
• Grow from seed, cuttings or spring shoots (learn how to dig shoots HERE)

When Anne awoke her first morning at Green Gables, she threw open the window and was greeted with the aroma of cherry blossoms and the “dizzying sweet fragrance” of purple lilacs.

While you can grow lilacs from seed, they take a very long time to mature! Instead, I recommend taking shoots or suckers from a friend’s bush in early spring.

7. Peonies

• Shades of red, pink, white
• Partial shade to full sun
• Likes moisture
• Grow from cuttings or rhizomes

Peonies are first mentioned in the Barry garden where Anne and Diana swore their vows of friendships. But we also find Rachel Lynde referencing them later on as well, when she tries to describe the difference between Anne and the local girls.

“But somehow–I don’t know how it is but when Anne and them are together, though she ain’t half as handsome, she makes them look kind of common and overdone–something like them white June lilies she calls narcissus alongside of the big, red peonies, that’s what“ (Anne of Green Gables, pg 249).

To start peonies, I recommend taking divisions from a friend’s garden in early spring or ordering bulbs directly from a flower seed company.

8. Roses

• Traditional blossoms of red, pink, white
• Full sun
• Traditionally grown from cuttings or seed

Roses are one of the old fashioned flowers often referenced in Anne of Green Gables. We hear of roses in the garden. House roses indoors. Lots of wild roses. And when Mr. & Mrs. Allen come tea, we know that Anne so tastefully decorated the table using ferns and roses that the new minister and his wife just had to express their delight!

Roses can be propagated from slips or cuttings in early summer. If you want to learn how to root rose bush cuttings, read this article HERE.

9. Narcissus

• Also known as Daffodil and White June Lily
• Partial shade to full sun
• Medium dry soil
• Grow from bulbs or plant divisions

White narcissus (aka daffodil) is a flower that often appears throughout the story of Anne’s life. One can’t help but wonder if they had a special in L.M. Montgomery’s heart?

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After Anne’s dramatic apology, Mrs. Rachel Lynde offers to let Anne pick a big bouquet of her “white June lilies” which, as Anne and Marilla are walking home, are identified as “white narcissus.”

Get white daffodils with hints of yellow HERE

Full, white daffodils can found HERE

10. Scarlet Lightning

• Sometimes referred to as “Nonesuch” or “Maltese Cross”
• Scarlet, red and orange blossoms
• Partial shade
• Likes moist soil
• Grow from seed or divisions

Another flower that is mentioned in the Barry’s shaded garden is scarlet lightning. And this is the only time this domestic flowers is mentioned in the entire Anne of Green Gables series.

Find seeds HERE

11. Scotch Rose

• Cream white color
• Partial shade to full sun
• Likes semi-dry soil
• Very hardy and has many prickles that deter deer and rodents
• Grow from seed, cuttings or suckers

The Scotch Rose has a special place in Anne’s story and it rarely appears without connection to Matthew. The Cuthbert’s mother brought Scotch Rose slips with her when she left Scotland and planted them at Green Gables.

Matthew was very fond of Scotch Roses and when he passes on, Anne planted a slip over his grave. In fact, she’s returning from watering that very rose bush when she meets and makes peace with Gilbert at the closing of the book.

To start Scotch Roses, you can take cuttings from a friend or order from a nursery.

12. Yellow Honeysuckle

• Pink, Red, White, Yellow Blossoms
• Partial shade to full sun
• Likes semi dry soil
• Grow from seed, cuttings, root division

Shortly after Matthew dies, Marilla and Anne are sitting in the twilight on the doorstep of Green Gables. Anne gathers several clusters of yellow honeysuckle blossoms and adorns her hair. And shortly after, Marilla confesses to Anne that she had regrets about how she had treated her only beau (Gilbert’s father), many years prior.

To propagate, take cuttings or shoots. You can also order from a local nursery.

When Did You Last Read Anne of Green Gables?

Have you ever actually read L.M. Montgomery’s depiction of farm life on Prince Edward Island in the late 1800-early 1900s?

The Anne of Green Gables book series takes you through Anne’s life, from her adoption as a 11 yr old, to marriage, raising her own children on the Island and seeing her oldest son go off to fight in WWI.

There’s so much more here than the movie series depicts! If you’re interested, you can get the entire Anne of Green Gables book series HERE.

I love having these books on my shelf for a relaxing and easy read. And I’m willing to wager you’ll enjoy them too!

Old Fashioned Flowers from Anne of Green Gables

You might be wondering if I’ve covered all the flowers that are found in L.M. Montgomery’s book entitled Anne of Green Gables?

I have not. There are many wild flowers, shrubs and even trees that I left out, simply because there are too many to list in single article! But later novels on Anne’s life certainly do reveal more traditional, heirloom flowers that were commonly grown on Prince Edward Island.

So if you’d like to learn about more of them, let me know by leaving a comment below and I’d be happy to give you more “Anne” flowers that you can grow in your own country gardens!