Garden Decor Ideas for an Antique Hand Pump

Historic Gardens

• Plants historically used in gardening in the United States can be categorized into three time periods, according to Leonard Perry of the University of Vermont. In the colonist and pre-Revolution era, from 1600 to 1776, most people farmed for a living, so gardens were generally functional rather than decorative. After the Revolution through 1850, ornamental plants became more widely available and many homes featured lawns, groupings of trees and flower beds. As farming declined through the Victorian era, from 1850 to 1900, more people planted purely ornamental gardens. Trends during this time include the use of perennial beds and borders, plants with bold foliage, and dwarf, large or otherwise unusual specimens -- the more exotic the better.

Annuals

• For antique hand pumps dating from before 1850, choose commonly used annuals such as flax (Linum grandiflorum), flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata), Maltese cross (Lychnis chalcedonica) and sweet William (Dianthus barbatus). Popular Victorian-era annuals include alyssum (Lobularia maritima), balsam (Impatiens balsamina), gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella), nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) and statice (Limonium sinuatum).

Perennials

• Plant perennials popular in the post-Revolution era with hand pumps from the pre-1850s. Choices include foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), mullein (Verbascum thapsus), sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), thrift (Phlox subulata) and yarrow (Achillea spp.).

  First grown in beds, perennial gardens morphed into border plants during the Victorian era. Perennials commonly grown in this time period include balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), buttercup (Ranunculus spp.), globe flower (Trollius x cultorum), goldenrod (Solidago spp. ) and meadowsweet (Filipendula palmata). Foliage perennials from this era include ferns, micanthus grasses (Miscanthus spp.) and yucca (Yucca spp.).

Shrubs

• Choose low, slow-growing shrubs that won’t overpower your antique hand pump. Pre-1850s species include bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), flowering quince (Chaenomelea speciosa), saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana) and Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia). Victorian-era shrubs include Chinese lilac (Syringa chinensis), honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), privet (Ligustrum spp.), rockspray cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis), spireas (Spiraea spp.), viburnum (Viburnum spp.) and weigela (Weigela florida).

Groundcovers and Vines

• Ground covers spread out, rather than grow up, making them an appropriate planting choice around garden decor. Several vines grow as ground cover, including bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), Jackman’s clematis (Clematis x jackmanii), trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).