Sweet corn is probably the crop plant whose genome has experienced the most change through breeding or genetic manipulation. Industrially used maize seed allow farmers to grow plants that are resistant to a wide range of herbicides and even partially produce their own insecticides. Growing open-pollinated heirloom maize from seed is a good and sensible alternative to such high-performance plants.
But even as a purely decorative plant, maize has earned a spot in your garden - especially the South American varieties, which often produce cobs with corns of many different colors and look quite spectacular.