12 Unusual and Interesting Plants You Should Grow

There are always gardeners who find themselves stifled by the selection at their garden center. To them, these plants are dull and uninspiring, lacking the weird, wonderful factor that makes them sing. Maybe you’re looking for a plant that would be right at home in Wednesday Addam’s greenhouse – or a truly unique species endemic to the Galapagos Islands.  

Native to exotic locales, many unusual plants are hard to find or not suitable for the average home environment. However, recent cultivation efforts have yielded a diversity of wildly strange and beautiful plants that can be grown in your garden. 

Here are a few interesting and unusual plants that aren’t afraid to be different. 

1. Prairie Smoke         

Prairie plants often leave a soft, faded impression on the viewer – none seem to stand out, except for the prairie smoke, which catches attention without being overpowering. In late spring, prairie smoke explodes in plumes of delicate pink, similar to skeins of yarn or wisps of smoke. It’s a good choice for wildflower gardens, where it acts as the perfect foil for more vibrant, theatric plants. 

2. Teddy Bear Sunflowers   

While some gardeners are wary of the garishly canary yellow prevalent in sunflowers, that is no longer a concern once they gaze upon the overflowing cuteness of teddy bear sunflowers. With dwarf varieties reaching a compact height of 2 – 4 ft, these densely packed sunflowers are versatile enough for every type of garden. They bloom until first frost, providing late season interest.  

3. Corkscrew Grass 

Grass seems like the most boring thing in the garden, until you come across corkscrew grass. Instead of languishing on lawns, this unruly, rush form of Juncus effusus brings drama to consistently moist raised garden beds; it can be also grown indoors as a houseplant. The blades of this grass are wonderfully twisted in every direction – it makes a very interesting centerpiece when grown in a pot with a face. 

4. Tuscan Blue Rosemary 

Lavender, while beautiful when elegantly placed in the lawns of manor houses, is considered tawdry when planted en masse in parking lots. Opt for Tuscan Blue rosemary, a lemon-scented herb with a color far superior than the sterile spikes of lavenders. In mild, Mediterranean-like climates (zones 8 – 10), Tuscan Blue rosemary can bloom as early as February, banishing away the winter blues with spires studded with exceptional lavender-blue flowers. 

5.  Candy Cane Sorrel   

Candy cane sorrel, also known as oxalis, adheres closely to its colloquial name, its red-and-white flowers intensely resembling a candy cane. Although it’s commonly grown as a houseplant, it creates dramatic interest when grown outdoors in containers. Since inside light can cause it to become leggy, some gardeners prefer to grow it outside. 

6. Cinnamon Fern  

Although the cinnamon fern is not a rare plant, it still draws more attention than the scraggly deciduous trees that people are tired of seeing. Cinnamon fern mixes fantastically with shade-loving plants, cloaking unsavory spots. Emergent ferns bear fiddleheads – tightly curled, fuzzy fronds that unfurl into brown spikes as they mature. In the fall, the foliage transforms into a timely coppery-orange that you can’t help but stare at. 

7. Porcupine Tomato    

Roses have their thorns, but sometimes, so do tomatoes. A wayward member of the nightshade family, the porcupine tomato is invariably strange, broadcasting “do not touch” with a ferocious set of orange-tipped thorns that tracks along the length of its leaves. Violet, star-shaped flowers complement, but do not temper its prickliness. The fruits are poisonous and not edible, and seeds can be fickle to germinate, though that shouldn’t deter you from growing this bristly curiosity. 

8. Black Magic (Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic')

Large-leaf plants alone are a mystical sight, but when they’re a darker shade, they add a serious statement to the garden. A dusky, velvety purple that appears black, it doubles as a worthy Halloween decoration. In zones 7 – 11, it can be grown as a perennial; in colder zones, the tubers can be lifted and stored indoors. 

9. Pink Variegated Eureka Lemon Bush

Add a paradisiacal touch with this unusual, variegated lemon variety, which produces stippled chartreuse-and-lemon colored fruit that reveals pink flesh, much like a grapefruit. You can grow compact versions in a rolling planter and bring it indoors. The flavor is comparable to a regular Eureka lemon, but less sour, with fruity overtones. The juice, though, is clear and won’t make pink lemonade. 

10. Haemanthus albiflos

When it flowers, it amazes in its globular, otherworldly flowerheads – milky in color and topped with gold-tipped stamens; when it doesn’t, it easily passes for an orchid. It’s a surreal sight when a whole brood of Haemanthus albiflos blooms, staring out like a posse of feelers for some alien creature. To get it to bloom, provide it bright, indirect light and regular fertilizer. 

11. Foxtail Fern 

Despite its name, the foxtail fern is actually a member of the asparagus family. With pliable stems composed of needle-like leaves, it’s definitely different from the plethora of flowering potted plants. Although its spread can be invasive, you should have no problem if growing in a colder climate. It can tolerate full shade, but may not perform its best. 

12. Summer Drummer Alliums 

The latest blooming allium and also the tallest, the Summer Drummer allium has a unique texture that gives it a rockstar quality – the florets are more grape-like, almost like a muscari. Once the summer winds down, the dried seed pods make for excellent flower arrangements or winter interest.