Old House Gardens Heirloom Flower Bulbs

Gone Forever or Back Soon?

From America’s Expert Source for Heirloom Flower Bulbs

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Lilies, Hyacinths, Crocus, Etc. We Hope to Offer Again

Though preservation is our mission, bulbs drop out of our catalog every year.
Sometimes it’s because the harvest was too small. Sometimes it’s because they’re widely available elsewhere and don’t need our help. And sometimes it’s because we’ve lost our only known source due to severe weather (cold, drought, etc.), health problems (a debilitating stroke), or economic woes (small farmers are always at risk).
The good news is that, in time, we’re often able to return these bulbs to our catalog. So here’s a list of many we’ve offered in the past. For an alert the moment they’re available again, subscribe to our free email newsletter. Or to find a similar bulb, try our easy Advanced Bulb Search.

Other heirloom bulbs we hope to offer again someday:

Daffodils Tulips Spring-Planted Bulbs (Dahlias, Etc.)

Heirloom Crocus We Hope to Offer Again

LITTLE DORRITT, 1943 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Rated one of the “most rodent-resistant” in trials at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, this luminous, pale amethyst gem is named for the Dickens’ heroine born in a gloomy prison yet destined for the sunshine. C. vernus, zones 4-7, from Holland. We’re building up stock and hope to offer this rare variety again in the future. Please check back or sign up for our email newsletter.

#CR31

Currently Unavailable

C. vernus, PURPUREUS GRANDIFLORA, 1870

True stock, and we’re glad to have it back! Deep, vivid purple, this Victorian relic is the oldest purple C. vernus still available. Why has it outlasted all of its peers? Grow it and you’ll know: great beauty and wonderful VIGOR. Zones 4-7, from Holland. Last offered in 2003. “Commercially extinct.”

#CR08

Currently Unavailable

Heirloom Hyacinths We Hope to Offer Again

APPLE BLOSSOM, 1910 WEB ONLY

Can “obsolete” be a good thing? We think so! Dropped from the International Register in 1954, this “obsolete” beauty is well-named. It’s an ethereal soft pink, paler than ‘Lady Derby’ and brimming with the dawning light of spring. Alan Shipp of the UK National Collection dates it to the early 1900s, but its history is obscure and if you find it in any old books or catalogs, we’d love to hear from you. Zones 5-8aS/10W, from England. Last offered web-only in 2006. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

#HY40

Currently Unavailable

BLUE DIAMOND, 1920 WEB ONLY

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, a few bulbs of this horticultural refugee came to the UK National Collection from a beleaguered public garden in Lithuania, a garden that despite all sorts of difficulties had managed to preserve a remarkable collection of antique hyacinths. Tough and vigorous, it sports blue-purple petals that are deeper in the center shading to almost silver at the edges. Russian records date it to 1920. Zones 5-8aS/10W, from England. Last offered web-only in 2006. We may offer it again periodically, or we could special order it for you.

#HY41

Currently Unavailable

LORD BALFOUR, 1883 WEB ONLY

One of our all-time favorite hyacinths, ‘Lord Balfour’ is an unusual, old-fashioned color that’s hard to describe but easy to love. It’s officially “wine-colored violet,” but we think it’s better described as “old rose shading to silver” or maybe “raspberries at twilight touched with frost.” We were heart-broken when it went commercially extinct in 1999, but now, thanks to Alan Shipp of the British National Collection of Hyacinths, it’s back! Exceptionally rare, zones 5-7bS/9W, from Holland. Last offered in 2005. We expect to offer it again once the UK National Collection builds up stock for us. Check back in July or subscribe to our email newsletter.

#HY22

Currently Unavailable

PRINS HENDRIK, 1910 RAREST

Last chance! This years’ Dutch harvest will be the very last for ‘Prins Hendrik’. Smaller and more buttery than the leading yellow, it glows softly in the spring garden and smells great! We’re proud to have re-introduced it. Zones 5-8a, from Holland. Last offered in 2004. We hope to offer it again once the UK National Collection builds up stock for us.

#HY28

Currently Unavailable

PRINSES MARIA CHRISTINA, 1948 RAREST

We sell a ton of ‘Gipsy Queen’, but the ‘Prinses’ is even prettier — a lovely mix of peaches and honey, ripe apricots with a shimmer of gold. Distinct — and vanishing! Zones 5-8a, from Holland. Last offered in 2004. We hope to offer it again once the UK National Collection builds up stock for us.

#HY33

Currently Unavailable

Heirloom Lilies We Hope to Offer Again

L. canadense var. coccineum/rubrum, RED MEADOW LILY, 1629 RAREST

Rare and prized, the red form of our native “spotted Canada martagon” is one of the most spectacular and graceful wild lilies, its nodding bells ranging in color from brick red to almost scarlet. Best in moist, acid soils and filtered sun, it’s highly sought-after by eager collectors. 4-5’, zones 5-7. Superb Oregon-grown bulbs! Last offered in 2003. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock.

#LL25

Currently Unavailable

COPPER KING, 1958

Copper, apricot, cantaloupe, amber — you’ll see all of these warm, summery colors in this tall, fragrant, long-lived trumpet lily. Colors are richer in cool summers, but the ‘King’ is always a pleasure. Virus-free, seed-grown bulbs from our fabulous Oregon grower. Mid-summer blooming, 5-6 feet, zones 5b-8S/10W. Chart to compare. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock.

#LL15

Currently Unavailable

FIRE KING, 1933 RAREST

Still a great favorite in England (though all but impossible to find here), brilliant ‘Fire King’ is a tough, easy to grow Asiatic lily with out-facing blossoms of jazzy orange minutely spotted with purple. The MacNeils in their 1946 Garden Lilies praised it as “definitely ‘look at you’, a most valuable asset.” Asiatic, 3-5’, early-summer, zones 4-8S/10W, from Holland. Last offered in 2005. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock of this widely mis-labeled lily.

#LL22

Currently Unavailable

L. auratum platyphyllum, GOLD-BAND LILY, 1862

This voluptuous Japanese wildflower was the “Queen of Lilies” in late Victorian gardens and stars in John Singer Sargent’s famous painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. Its huge, luxuriously fragrant flowers are white with gold stripes and often cinnamon sprinkles. It requires acid soil and prefers a cool spot with bright but filtered sun. Oriental, 3-4’, mid/late-summer, zones 5-7S/9W, from Oregon. Last offered in 2005. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock of this widely mis-labeled lily.

#LL01

Currently Unavailable

L. bulbiferum croceum, ORANGE OR FIRE LILY, 1629 RAREST

“The pride of many a cottage garden,” this classic “multiplies rapidly and lasts well even in completely neglected gardens” (Rockwell, Grayson, de Graaff, 1961). A European wildflower, it appeared in the earliest herbals, was painted by the Dutch masters, and by 1830 was offered in U.S. catalogs. Its rich orange has made it a favorite in Northern Ireland, and in Germany it’s known as “fire lily.” Up-facing, cupped, mid-summer flowers. 3-4 feet, zones 4-7S/9W, from Holland. Last offered in 2003. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock.

#LL26

Currently Unavailable

SILVER SUNBURST, 1959 RAREST

Magnificently tough and healthy, this statuesque beauty is topped by big, extra-fragrant, wide open, bell-like flowers with long, lovely petals that curl back dramatically from a heart full of sunshine. Virus-free, seed-grown bulbs. Trumpet, 5-6 feet, mid-to-late summer, zones 5-8S/10W, from Oregon. Last offered in 2004. We lost our grower and haven’t found another who offers authentic stock.

#LL24

Currently Unavailable

Other Fall-Planted Bulbs We Hope to Offer Again

Galanthus nivalis, ‘ATKINSII’ SNOWDROP, 1875 RAREST

With two books about them published recently and the British absolutely ga-ga over them, snowdrops are being collected like rare antiques. Here’s perhaps the world’s finest. In 1891, James Allen praised it as “second to none” and in 1956, E. A. Bowles ranked it above ALL others. Taller than most, with long, shapely petals, it blooms very early and increases eagerly. Zones 4-6, estate-grown for us in England. Last offered in 2002. Widely available elsewhere.

#DI30

Currently Unavailable

Allium moly, GOLDEN GARLIC, 1596

You can protect your home from witches with this ancient allium, or just enjoy its starry yellow umbels blooming with the first iris. It’s been a favorite in country gardens for centuries, and as Louise Beebe Wilder wrote, “Miss Jekyll admired and grew it, and that in itself is enough to give it a place in the best society.” Lily leek, yellow moly. 8-12”, zones 4-7. Last offered in 2006. Widely available elsewhere.

#DI01

Currently Unavailable

Paeonia lactiflora, MADAME DUCEL PEONY, 1880

Rarely offered and perfect for smaller spaces, elegant ‘Madame Ducel’ holds her multitudes of fluffy, baby-pink flowers on strong stems that are just 24 inches tall. It's a great size for bouquets, too! Zones 3-7S/7W, from Iowa. Chart to compare. Though it’s always in short supply, we hope to offer this rare peony again in fall 2010. Please check back in July or sign up for our email newsletter.

#DI48

Currently Unavailable

Fritillaria persica, PERSIAN FRITILLARY, 1582

Strange and stylish, this great frit has been in US gardens since at least 1830. Angular, dusky-purple bells cluster on 24-40 inch stems over wavy sage green leaves — very Japanesque. Give it full sun/part shade in rich, well-drained soil. Zones 5b-7, from Holland. Last offered in 2003. Widely available elsewhere.

#DI28

Currently Unavailable

Fritillaria imperialis, YELLOW CROWN IMPERIAL, 1665

Crown imperials are woefully under-appreciated today. Yellow ones like ‘Lutea’ grew in Williamsburg by 1739, and a Long Island nursery listed 22 kinds in 1830. Their height is dramatic, their skunky smell soon fades (we actually like it!), and our bulbs are big and superb. To get them to return, give them well-drained soil. 3-4 feet, zones 5-7. Holland. Last offered in 2002. Widely available elsewhere.

#DI03

Currently Unavailable

Other heirloom bulbs we hope to offer again someday:

Daffodils Tulips Spring-Planted Bulbs (Dahlias, Etc.)

For our print catalog click here or send $2.00 to Old House Gardens 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. phone: 734-995-1486 fax: 734-995-1687 charlie@oldhousegardens.com		For our free email newsletter, “The Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette” with tips, news, history, & special offers, send us an email with “subscribe” in the subject line to newsletter@oldhousegardens.com.
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