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Ashleigh Smith |
The 4th of July is more than a date on the calendar, it's a celebration of community and history. While most Americans mark the day with backyard barbecues, fireworks, and lawn games, gardeners may be interested in patriotic-themed plants and some garden history dating back to the days of the Revolution. From colonial garden selections to red, white, and blue blooms, you are sure to find something that fits your patriotic spirit.
Across time and cultures, independence celebrations echo one another in surprising ways — fireworks lighting the sky, food shared among neighbors, and communities gathering in the streets. Though they celebrate freedom won from very different powers, countries like France, Mexico, India, and Brazil all arrive at the same moment: a collective exhale, a shared joy, a people reminded of what they fought for. Whatever form it takes, the feeling is the same. Freedom.
As America kicks off its national celebrations of its independence from British Rule, you may recognize some of these popular traditions. Kick back and relax with some good food, friendly company, and a stunning display of freedom celebrations.
Food is at the heart of any good celebration. When it comes to the 4th of July, you will find most Americans enjoying barbequed meat, including your classic burgers and hot dogs. Then add in some color and additional flavor with a variety of cold salads (coleslaw is a favorite), and some fresh fruits and vegetables to crunch on. Most notably, you will find corn on the cob, watermelon, carrots, celery, and pickled cucumbers on a 4th of July picnic spread.
From the east to the west you will find communities, families, and friends enjoying the delight of watching colored fireworks light the skies. While many cities and towns will put on a large sky show, it is common for friends and families to light their own smaller displays as well. Some popular favorites include sparklers, pop-its, and shrieking fountains, each producing their own unique sounds that are guaranteed to bring back memories of celebrations past.
From early morning hours to the sun falling to dusk you can find a variety of 4th of July activities to keep you busy and entertained. Many communities will gather for parades, rodeos, 5k races, watermelon eating competitions, and a good ole game of baseball. Among friends and family, you may pair your BBQ with some lawn games, water fights, or pool time. The key to a good 4th of July celebration is finding fun ways to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather, while also keeping cool and hydrated.
Planting a red, white, and blue garden is a simple and striking way to mark the season. Here are some of the best flowering varieties to achieve the look.
Colonial gardens were not decorative. They were essential. During the Revolutionary War period (1775–1783), colonial gardens and the wilderness areas throughout the East supplied critical food, fiber, and medicine for soldiers and settlers alike. Long before grocery stores or pharmacies, the garden was where families turned to survive — and in wartime, that dependence became even more acute. The plants growing just outside the door were often the difference between recovery and illness, sustenance and hunger.
The colonial kitchen garden was a hardworking, tightly planted mix of herbs, vegetables, and flowers — all chosen for purpose. Most colonists with a kitchen garden grew medicinal herbs interspersed with vegetables and flowers, including staples like rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, mint, sage, marjoram, savory, oregano, hyssop, lavender, comfrey, and fennel. These weren't separated into tidy ornamental beds — everything shared space based on need and season. Many of these same herbs remain widely grown today and are just as easy to start from seed.
In 1775, there were only around 3,500 doctors throughout the colonies, and only a fraction of those had any formal medical training. With English supply lines cut off and trained medical help scarce, soldiers and colonists relied heavily on plants (opens in new tab). Common ailments among the troops included jaundice, diarrhea, respiratory illness, malaria, infection, and wounds — and soldiers were known to carry herbs that addressed the conditions they most commonly faced, including chamomile, mint, licorice, yarrow, horsetail, and sage. Native American knowledge played a significant role as well — it is estimated that Indigenous peoples had over 25,000 medicinal uses for more than 2,700 plant species found growing in the United States. Much of that knowledge shaped the herbal practices that colonists depended on throughout the war.
Color in the colonial era (opens in new tab) came from the garden too. Plants like marigold, sunflower, Queen Anne's lace, elderberry, and snapdragon were used to produce natural dyes for fabric and fiber — providing the yellows, golds, blues, and reds that colored everyday colonial life. The same gardens feeding and healing families were also clothing them. It's a reminder of just how completely early Americans depended on what they could grow.
Long before European settlers arrived, Indigenous peoples across North America had developed sophisticated agricultural systems that would prove foundational to the survival of early colonists. Perhaps the most well-known example is the Three Sisters — corn, beans, and squash — a companion planting method practiced by numerous Native American nations for centuries. The three crops were grown together intentionally: the corn provided a structure for the beans to climb, the beans fixed nitrogen back into the soil, and the broad squash leaves shaded the ground to retain moisture and suppress weeds. It was a self-sustaining system that required no synthetic inputs and produced a nutritionally complete diet.
When European settlers were struggling to feed themselves in an unfamiliar land, it was this Indigenous knowledge — shared through trade, observation, and direct teaching — that kept many early communities alive. The debt that American agriculture owes to Native peoples is immeasurable, and the Three Sisters remain one of the most elegant examples of ecological gardening ever devised. They are still worth growing today, both for their productivity and for the history they carry.
However you choose to celebrate this Fourth of July — whether you're tending your garden, gathering with neighbors, or watching fireworks light up the sky — we hope your holiday is filled with joy. Happy Independence Day from all of us at True Leaf Market.
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