The Countdown Begins…

Welcome, garden lovers, plant whisperers, and veggie-obsessed visionaries! Whether you’re a raised-bed rookie or a backyard gardening boss, you know the thrill of picking that first ripe tomato, snipping a fresh herb for dinner, or proudly showing off your sunflowers to anyone who even glances in your yard.

So, in celebration of the plants that rock our gardens—whether they dazzled us with flavor, boosted our harvests, or just made us feel like green-thumbed garden gods and goddesses—we present:

The Top Ten Plants We Love

(Yes, we’re doing this Letterman-style. No, we’re not wearing a suit. Probably.)

#10: SUNFLOWERS
Let’s be honest: sunflowers don’t feed the masses (unless you’re a bird), but they sure do feed the soul. These towering beauties bring the wow factor to gardens, reaching for the sky like botanical exclamation points. Whether you plant them for pollinators, sunflower seeds, or just to make your neighbor say “Whoa,” sunflowers earn their spot on our list by brightening up beds and borders alike.

Bonus points: they turn their heads to follow the sun. We wish all our plants had that kind of optimism.

#9: GARLIC
There’s something deeply satisfying about tucking little cloves into the Fall soil and forgetting about them—only to be rewarded months later with full bulbs of pungent, vampire-repelling glory. Garlic may not be glamorous, but it is a workhorse of flavor and function. Whether roasted whole, sautéed into everything, or braided into rustic kitchen decor, garlic keep our meals bold and our gardens productive.

Plus, it’s basically garden magic: plant one clove, get an entire bulb. We love a good return on investment.

#8: HOT PEPPERS
Is it just us, or are our gardens coming in spicy? From jalapeños to habañeros and ghost peppers that dare us to cry, hot peppers are the little devils we can’t get enough of. Small but mighty, these fiery fruits deliver bold heat and beautiful color.

Perfect for hot sauce, drying, pickling—or simply proving how tough your taste buds are—hot peppers kept the thrill alive in our gardens (and occasionally set our tongues ablaze).

#7: CILANTRO
Controversial? Maybe. But to cilantro lovers, our gardens are a flavor-packed paradise. Fast-growing and cool-weather-loving, cilantro proves to be a staple in salsas, tacos, and anything that screams fresh.

Yes, it bolts faster than a squirrel at a bird feeder, but savvy gardeners keep the harvests going by succession planting and embracing the seeds—aka coriander—for spice-rack magic. For the cilantro faithful, this plant is an essential herb in the rotation. For the haters? Hey, that’s more for us.

#6: ROSEMARY
The queen of evergreen herbs struts like the garden diva she is—low-maintenance, fragrant, and fabulous. Rosemary brings bold, piney flavor to everything from roasted veggies to bread dough, and she does it while looking like a miniature Christmas tree.

Hardy in warmer zones and perfect for pots everywhere else, rosemary turns patio planters into culinary goldmines. Bonus: she doubles as an air freshener when you brush past her. Smells like dinner and sophistication.

#5: GREEN BEANS
Snappy, satisfying, and endlessly prolific, green beans climb our hearts and our trellises. Whether you go with bush beans for ease or pole beans for fun, your garden will be full of crisp harvests and backyard bounty.

We love green beans for being garden overachievers: they grow fast, produce often, and rarely ask for much. Plus, there’s just something old-fashioned and wonderful about plucking beans and dropping them straight into a bowl for dinner.

#4: BASIL
The scent of Summer? That’s basil. Nothing says garden goals quite like plucking a few basil leaves and turning them into pesto, caprese salad, or the world’s fanciest grilled cheese. Basil brings beauty and bounty to our beds—plus, it plays so well with our tomatoes (more on those later).

From Genovese to Thai to lemon basil, this herb earns its title as the MVP of “walk-by-and-sniff” gardening. Bonus: the more you snip it, the more it grows. What kind of generous magic is that?

#3: CUCUMBERS
Cool, crunchy, and slightly chaotic if left unchecked, cucumbers take our gardens by storm. Whether you are making pickles by the dozen or slicing cukes for spa water, this vining veggie earns its high rank by producing a lot with very little fuss.

Climbers by nature and sprawlers by temperament, cucumbers take over fences, trellises, and any available square foot. And yet, we love every minute of it—because nothing beats a fresh cucumber in the Summer heat.

#2: BELL PEPPERS
Sweet, colorful, and practically candy for the garden, bell peppers come in hot—figuratively speaking. Red, orange, yellow, green, even purple: these crisp, crunchy fruits fill our harvest baskets with rainbow flair.

Whether you grill them, stuff them, or snack on them raw, bell peppers are reliable, rewarding, and surprisingly long-lasting in the garden. We love them for their good looks, sweet flavor, and willingness to keep producing well into late Summer.

And the #1 Plant We Love…

#1: TOMATOES
Are you really surprised? The crown jewel of nearly every home garden, tomatoes take the top spot—and honestly, it isn’t even close. From heirlooms to cherries to beefsteaks and paste varieties, tomatoes give us everything: taste, abundance, beauty, and the joy of watching that first fruit ripen on the vine.

We obsess over tomato cages, gush about our favorite varieties, post too many garden selfies, and argue about whether to prune. But in the end, the moment you bite into a warm, sun-ripened tomato straight from the vine, you remember why you do it all.

Tomatoes aren’t just a plant. They’re a way of life.

So there you have it—our garden darlings, our green and growing loves, our Top Ten Plants We Love. This list may not be scientific, but it is certified fresh, and we can’t wait to share the stories behind each one in this engaging and interesting collection.

Whether you grow them all or are just getting inspired for the growing season, we hope these plants bring joy, flavor, and a little magic to your garden. Now grab your gloves, sharpen those pruners, and let’s celebrate the stars of our gardens!

Let the growing continue!

And please enjoy these ten plant-lovers’ stories in the Top Ten Plants We Love collection!

Bill Dugan,
Executive Editor