What better place to celebrate Independence Day than in a garden full of plants that celebrate that spirit of "freedom and liberty for all".

Many plants have been given patriotic or Americana names over the years. Some of them are hard to find but many are very popular additions to a general mixed border. Perhaps instead of mixing you could create an entire garden space of just these patriotically named plants.

What better place to celebrate Independence Day than in a garden full of plants that celebrate that spirit of “freedom and liberty for all”!

Some of these plants refer specifically to America, while others are phrases from patriotic songs. Others refer to famous historical figures from the American Revolution or American Presidents. However you want to categorize your garden there are plenty of options for you to choose from!

Amaryllis ‘Stars and Stripes’- A favorite for forcing indoors, Amaryllis bulbs can also be planted in the spring for late summer flowers.

Asparagus ‘Martha Washington’- A < target="_blank"a href="http://plantsbulbs.suite101.com/blog.cfm/perennial_vegetable_bed">perennial vegetable that produces tender, edible shoots, the 'Martha Washington' asparagus is a variety grown at George Washington's manner

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) ‘Mayflower’- An heirloom variety of pole beans, these easy to grow plants produce high yields.

Bergenia 'Great American Cities' Series – Prized for the broad leaves, often colored foliage, Bergenia does well in shade or part sun.

Canna Lily ‘President’- Not the tallest canna lily, but popular for full growth and bright red flowers.

Coreopsis 'American Dream' – A drought tolerant favorite, Coreopsis does well in poor soil and full sun. 'American Dream' is an unusual pink colored variety. A favorite summer blooming perennial.

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) 'Sparkler' – Another drought tolerant, hardy favorite, Coneflowers have large, daisy like flowers. 'Sparkler' is a variegated echinacea.

Coral Bells (Heuchera hybrid) 'Amber Waves'- An increasingly popular variety for dramatic shade plants, Coral Bells have beautiful foliage colors. This cultivar has orange colored leaves that light up a shady spot.

Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica 'Centennial Spirit') – Deep rose colored flowered crape myrtle with red and orange colored foliage in the fall. Textured winter bark is ornamental and adds winter interest as well.

Dianthus 'Spangled Stars' – 'Spangled Stars' is a bi-colored blooming newer addition to this cottage garden favorite variety.

Daylily (Hemerocallis) ‘I’m an American’,'Double Firecracker', 'Beloved Country' and 'American Revolution'- A summertime favorite, daylilies produce a multitude of flowers, each lasting for a single day in a 4-12 week show depending on the cultivar.

Highbush Blueberry 'Patriot' (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Patriot') - A North American native blueberry the 'Patriot' is often grown as an ornamental landscaping plant because of the pretty white spring flowers, red fall color and red winter twigs.

Hosta ‘American Icon’, ‘Fireworks’, ‘Patriot’, 'Salute', 'Spacious Skies', 'Revolution', 'Minutemen', 'American Dream' and ‘Liberty’- Hostas are a popular shade plant for good reason: perennial growth year after year, easy to maintain with few pest problems and a wide variety of foliage colors, texture and size. Does best in part to full shade and moist, rich soil.

Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) ‘ President Lincoln’, ‘Betsy Ross’, 'Glory' and ‘Yankee Doodle’- One of my favorite spring blooming shrubs because of the sweetly scented flowers.

Magnolia stellata 'Centennial' – A spring blooming tree grown primarily for the many white flowers. Bronze fall foliage, gray winter bark and broad green summer leaves make this a tree for year round interest.

Rosa ‘Let Freedom Ring’, ‘Mr Lincoln’ and ‘Memorial Day’- With so many hybrid tea roses available it is no wonder we have some available with such poignant and memorable names. 'Memorial Day would also make a fine edition to a Tribute or Memorial Themed garden.

Snapdragon ‘Liberty Series’ includes ‘Liberty Red’, ‘Liberty Pink’ and ‘Liberty Yellow’- A cottage garden favorite, the annual snapdragons also share their patriotic spirit with this series called the 'Liberty Series'.

Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) ‘America’- Heirloom sweet peas grow on vines and were popular in early pioneer and cottage gardens. The 'America' cultivar has cream and red streaked flowers.

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) 'Firecracker' – A orange-red flowered witch hazel that flowers on bare branches during winter.

See some of the other Plants for Themed Garden Articles available on Suite101:

• ABC Theme Animal Flower Garden
• Halloween Named Theme Plants
• Spring Named Themed Plants Garden
• Medieval Herb Garden Plants
• Cottage Garden Plants