Enchanted Blooms: 11 Seeds for a Wonderland-Inspired Garden
Jump down the rabbit hole and into an enchanted Wonderland-inspired garden, right in your own backyard. Gardening expert Madison Moulton lists 11 seeds to choose from for a colorful garden inspired by this classic story.
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The story of Alice in Wonderland, written in 1865, has captured the imaginations of readers around the world for decades. This iconic story also provides plenty of inspiration for gardeners, from enchanted forests to talking flowers and more.
With just a few seeds, you can plant an abundant Wonderland-inspired garden full of references to the story. Whether your favorite character is the White Rabbit, the Madhatter, or the Cheshire Cat, you’ll find what you’re looking for in this collection.
Alice’s Wonderful Garden Seed Bundle
Step through the looking glass into your new garden, perfect for anyone who longs for a touch of the extraordinary. Seed Bundle includes:
- Bunny Tails Grass
- Blackberry Lily
- Swiss Giants Pansy Blend
- Knee-Hi Sweet Pea Blend
- Alaska Shasta Daisy
- Johnny-Jump Up Viola
- True Hyssop
- Organic German Chamomile:
- Organic Lemon Balm
- Purple Coneflower Echinacea
- Common Mint
- Organic Cat Grass
Bunny Tails Grass
The story of Alice in Wonderland begins with the White Rabbit, so it’s only fitting to start this list with adorable bunny tails. This ornamental grass is a global favorite, named for its fluffy flower heads that look just like tiny bunny tails. They’re just as soft, too.
This compact grass has a whimsical look perfect for a Wonderland-inspired garden. The flower heads add a tactile element that works well in mixed beds. Ask anyone who has planted these seeds in their garden, and they’ll tell you it’s almost impossible not to touch them whenever you walk past.
Start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before last frost, or direct sow two to four weeks before last frost. Your tails will appear in summer, flowering until frost in fall.
Blackberry Lily
During her adventures in the second book, Alice meets several talking flowers. One of the first flowers is the talking tiger lily. Although not technically part of the lily family, the blackberry lily is an iris that looks remarkably similar to this whimsical bulb.
Iris domestica is also known as the leopard lily, thanks to its spotted petals. These are mostly orange, with spots of red that look just like the talking tiger lily. The ornamental seedheads look similar to blackberry seedheads (hence the name), great for fall floral arrangements.
Indoor sowing is recommended around eight to ten weeks before the last frost. You can also direct sow outdoors in fall for spring germination. Plant in full sun to partial shade for the best performance.
Pansy ‘Swiss Giants Blend’
When Alice meets the talking flowers in the 1951 film, she is greeted by a large group of pansies that announce they not only talk but sing, too. Planting ‘Swiss Giants’ pansies is the perfect nod to these adorable flowers in a Wonderland-inspired garden.
They may not sing in real life, but ‘Swiss Giants’ have plenty of other uses in the garden. They are compact enough to fit in containers or between plants in your raised beds, producing larger flowers in bright colors and interesting patterns. These flowers are also edible, used to decorate desserts or add a pop of color to charcuterie boards.
Pansies are frost-tolerant flowers that appreciate cooler temperatures. Direct sowing is recommended around four to six weeks before your last frost date. Sow in midsummer for fall and spring flowers or late summer in mild climates to miss the summer heat.
Sweet Pea ‘Knee-Hi Blend’
Sweet peas are also members of the talking garden, and the ‘Knee-Hi’ cultivar, in particular, has the whimsical charm perfect for an enchanted Wonderland garden. These flowers are known for their delicate scent and colorful petals, from soft pastel hues to vivid purples and reds.
One of the greatest features of ‘Knee-Hi’ sweet peas is size. This compact plant has much shorter vines, requiring little to no support. They also attract pollinators and make great cut flowers, bringing some of that Wonderland inspiration indoors.
As they don’t transplant as well, direct sowing is recommended for these seeds. In cold climates, sow from six weeks before your last frost date. In mild climates, sow in late fall to early winter. These frost-hardy flowers don’t mind temperature dips.
Shasta Daisy
The Wonderland daisies are described as shrill and quite fussy in the book. Fortunately, that’s not the case in reality. Shasta daisies are low-maintenance, easy-to-grow perennials that form the backbone of flower beds.
Classic daisy flowers appear in summer and bloom continuously into fall, attracting bees and butterflies to your garden. They look great on their own but even better when planted en masse, creating a carpet of classic white and yellow blooms.
To add to their unfussed nature, Shasta daisies are easy to grow from seed. Sow outdoors two to four weeks before the last frost up to two months before the first fall frost. When starting seeds indoors, sow six to eight weeks before the last frost.
Viola ‘Johnny-Jump-Up’
Violets also feature in the talking flower garden, and certainly aren’t welcoming. In fact, their first comment to Alice is, “I never saw anybody that looked stupider”. But these flowers will be much friendlier in your own garden, especially when growing a colorful cultivar like ‘Johnny-Jump-Up’.
These blooms are a contrasting combination of deep purple and sunny yellow, catching your eye wherever they are planted. Like pansies, the flowers are also edible, perfect for garnishing your enchanted Wonderland-themed dishes.
Violas grow best in cool temperatures and don’t like the heat. For cool-season blooms, sow in mid or late summer directly into the ground or containers. You can also sow indoors eight to ten weeks before last frost to plant in early spring.
German Chamomile
Now let’s join the Madhatter’s tea party with a selection of tea garden plants ideal for planting from seed, starting with chamomile. Chamomile tea is known for its calming, soothing nature—a feature you’ll appreciate after the chaotic Madhatter’s afternoon tea.
Although it’s well-known for its use in tea, chamomile has many other uses. The lightly-scented blooms work well in homemade potpourri and dry well, perfect for crafts or long-lasting floral arrangements. The edible blooms are also suitable for decorating salads or desserts.
Direct sowing is recommended for these seeds. Start four to six weeks before your last frost date (or as soon as the soil can be worked). The ideal soil temperature is 65°F to 85°F.
Lemon Balm
If you prefer fresh, citrusy teas, lemon balm is a great option. This herb has been cultivated for centuries, used as a soothing agent, and in cooking for a boost of flavor. Fresh or dried, the leaves are a must-have at a Wonderland-themed afternoon tea.
This herb is suitable for growing in containers or raised beds, good for gardeners with limited planting space. They don’t mind full sun or partial shade (although you won’t see many of the white blooms in shady areas). Frequent harvesting will encourage better production, ensuring you always have plenty of leaves for tea.
Lemon balm comes from the Mediterranean and doesn’t tolerate cold as well as some other plants on this list. Sow indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost, or wait one to two weeks after the last frost to sow outdoors.
Purple Coneflower
Coneflowers are beloved for their tough nature and ornamental value in the garden. But they also have health benefits that make them a valuable addition to a Madhatter’s tea garden. Echinacea can reduce risks of colds and infection, often added to medicinal products for its immune-boosting benefits.
Purple coneflowers grow well in a wide range of conditions, from poor soil to drought and more. Cut the flowers to use in arrangements or leave them on the plant to allow the seed heads to attract birds in fall and winter.
Sow coneflower seeds indoors 10 to 12 weeks before your average last frost date. This head start means they may bloom in their first year. If sown outdoors two to four weeks before last frost, these perennials will bloom in the second year.
Mint
Mint leaves are incredibly versatile. They are great in teas, which is why they are on this list, but they can also be added to almost any dish for a fresh, icy flavor. Or mix your mint leaves with chamomile or echinacea flowers to make your own custom tea blends.
Mint is known for being aggressive, so be careful where you plant it. If you don’t want it to take over an area, plant the seeds in a container and grow in a container garden, or bury the container in the soil to stop the plant from spreading invasively.
These tough plants will grow almost anywhere. Sow your seeds around six weeks before last frost indoors, or one to two weeks after last frost if you’re sowing outdoors.
Cat Grass
An enchanted Wonderland garden is incomplete without reference to the iconic Cheshire cat. For that reason, we’ve included cat grass as the final entry on this list. It’s the perfect treat for this fictional cat, and your real ones, too.
Cat grass is often grown in containers indoors to keep cats from eating potentially harmful houseplants. Despite the name, it’s also great for dogs, providing nutrition and a delicious fresh snack your furry friends can look forward to.
Since this grass is kept indoors, you can sow it any time of year. Sow the seeds densely directly into your chosen container and keep in a bright location. Seeds will germinate in three to eight days.
