Our Rarest Bulbs

Throughout our site, these treasures are highlighted with a green or purple bar and the word Rarest. Most you can’t get anywhere else in North America, and the rest you’d be very hard-pressed to find. That makes them extra-endangered – and extra-exciting in the garden.

Capitals indicate bulbs that are NEW or returned to our catalog after a hiatus.

Rarest for SPRING 2013 Planting

DAHLIAS

Andries’ Orange, 1936 — flower arranger’s delight

atropurpurea, 1789 — wild original, dark and velvety

Bloodstone, 1939 — as brilliant as the ancient gem

Clair de Lune, 1946 — elegant and wildflowery

Glorie van Heemstede, 1947 — a buttery yellow flower

Jane Cowl, 1928 — undulating bronze

Jersey’s Beauty, 1923 — 20th century’s most celebrated

Klankstad Kerkrade, 1954 — spiky poofs of primrose

Lavengro, 1953 — soft, dreamy lavender

Madame Stappers, 1947 — chocolate foliage, radiant flowers

Mrs. H. Brown, 1947 — love-child of the ‘Bishop’ & ‘Clair’

Mrs. I. De ver Warner, 1920 — saved by Kentucky farm family

Nellie Broomhead, 1897 — Victorian gem, from Japan

Old Gold, 1947 — flickering like a bonfire

Prince Noir, 1954 — ruffled, dark burgundy cactus

Prinzessin Irene von Preussen, 1912 — rare white, serene and charming

Sellwood Glory, 1951 — dark burgundy on silver

Stolz von Berlin, 1884 — pink perfection

Tommy Keith, 1892 — ruby and ivory

White Aster, 1879 — world’s oldest garden dahlia

Winsome, 1940 — shocking beauty

Wisconsin Red, 1910? — pass-along ruby-red

York and Lancaster, 1915? — mysterious history

DAYLILIES

Caballero, 1941 — Zorro’s favorite

Corky, 1959 — sweet little flower with famous friends

Gold Dust, 1905 — from the dawn of daylily breeding

lemon lily, 1570 — fragrant daylily, true stock!

Orangeman, 1902 — mango-colored stars, extra old

Theron, 1934 — dark landmark

GLADIOLUS

Apricot Luster, 1969 — soft apricot with buff and gold

Bibi, 1954 — vibrant pink and rose batik

Bluebird, 1968 — petite All-American

Dauntless, 1940 — Lauren Bacall in pink

Firedance, 1968 — like a cymbidium orchid

Green Lace, 1961 — daintily ruffled and cute as a button

Lilac & Chartreuse, 1960 — unique coloring

Lucky Star, 1966 — a truly fragrant glad!

Mexicana, 1967 — spring green and complex

Starface, 1960 — rapturously beautiful

SPRING DIVERSE

antique montbretia, 1879 — the antique original

Ehemanii canna, 1863 — arching sprays of dangling flowers

Rarest from FALL 2012 Planting

CROCUS

Paulus Potter, 1920 — ruby-purple & elegant

Peter Pan, 1943 — innocent white from WW II

DAFFODILS

Admiration, 1912 — tafetta-silk and amber

Albatross, 1891 — propeller-like petals

April Queen, 1938 — bright, flame-kissed cup

Brilliancy, 1906 — luminous Arts-and-Crafts-era beauty

Broughshane, 1938 — amber-white Irish trumpet

Camellia, 1930 — chiffon yellow petals piled high

Cassandra, 1897 — rare Victorian pheasant’s-eye

Colleen Bawn, 1885 — demure, nodding white trumpet

Daphne, 1914 — ADS 2008 Best Historic Daffodil

Early Pearl, 1899 — early, fragrant, and luminous

Firetail, 1910 — is its cup truly RED?

Glory of Lisse, 1901 — one of the best of the poets

Golden Spur, 1885 — extra-early Victorian trumpet

Horn of Plenty, 1947 — long, dramatic bells

Horsfieldii, 1845 — the Model T of daffodils

Inglescombe, 1912 — a double helping of sunlight

Insulinde, 1921 — graceful, exuberant double

John Evelyn, 1920 — Copeland’s best?

Lintie, 1937 — fragrant jonquil/poet combo

Louise de Coligny, 1940 — sweet-scented apricot beauty

Lucifer, 1890 — angel wings, devilish cup

Mrs. Krelage, 1912 — buxom flower of cream and lemon

Mrs. Langtry, 1869 — crinkled canary cup ringed with gold

Mrs. William Copeland, 1930 — Mary and Irene’s mother

Niveth, 1931 — Thalia’s elegant, uptown cousin

Princeps, 1830 — graceful white and yellow wildling

Queen Anne’s Double Jonquil, 1611 — prom dresses for honeybees

Rose of May, 1950 — rose-like shape and fragrance

Sir Watkin, 1868 — one of the all-time greats

Twink, 1925 — a classic southern double

Verger, 1930 — as brilliant as a cathedral window

White Lady, 1897 — Victorian lady with a parasol

HYACINTHS

Bismarck, 1875 — long-lived perennial

Double Yellow, — the world's only double yellow

Dreadnought, 1899 — curly-petalled double, extra rare

General Kohler, 1878 — double blue-purple

Grand Blanche Imperiale, 1798 — blush-white, 18th-century relic

Grand Monarque, 1863 — lost and now found

King of the Blues, 1863 — distinctively slim and dark

Lord Balfour, 1883 — unusual, distinctly antique color

Marie, 1860 — deepest indigo-purple

Menelik, 1911 — black and beautiful

Mulberry Rose, 1946 — raspberry ice cream

Perle Brilliante, 1895 — lost and now found

Queen of the Blues, 1870 — soft, silvery blue

Roman Pink, 1573 — wildflowery, pink, and wonderful

Vuurbaak, 1948 — deepest rose

TULIPS

Absalon, 1780 — chocolate and chestnut on gold

Adonis, 1850 — manly beauty in purple and white

Amiral de Constantinople, 1665 — “dragon” tulip, jagged and billowing

Beauty of Bath, 1906 — rose-on-yellow to purple-on-white

Black and White, 1920 — dark purple flames on white

Blondine, 1956 — Do blondes really have more fun?

Bridesmaid, 1900 — slender cherry and ivory flame

Cafe Brun, 1840 — over-caffeinated and very cool

Clara Butt, 1889 — once the world’s favorite

clusiana, 1607 — original WHITE & red

Cottage Maid, 1857 — rose and white sweetheart

Duc van Tol Red and Yellow, 1595 — ancient, landmark miniature

Duc van Tol Rose, 1700 — tiny pink and white ballerina

Elegans Alba, 1895 — fragrant vanilla

Elegans Rubra, 1872 — stark simplicity

General Ney, 1837 — rich, dark cordovan brown

Gerbrand Kieft, 1951 — named for one of our kind of guys

Gloria Nigrorum, 1837 — dark violet splashed on cream

Golden Harvest, 1928 — fresh, dewy yellow

Greuze, 1891 — rich, deep purple

Insulinde, 1914 — enjoy its enchanting transformation

James Wild, 1890 — gloriously amber-brown

Koh-I-Noor, 1895 — dark, smoldering ruby

La Remarquable, 1879 — crimson, plum, and silvery pink

Lac van Rijn, 1620 — ancient crown of purple-red and ivory

Mabel, 1856 — barmaid’s delight?

Mirella, 1953 — buff-rose and silvery pink

Paeony Gold, 1700 — like an exotic green and gold protea

Perfecta, 1750 — Baroque-filigreed “dragon” tulip

Pompadour, 1929 — as if blushing in slow motion

Preludium, 1945 — rose-pink over ivory

Prince of Austria, 1860 — fragrant and enduring

Purperkroon, 1785 — dark purplish red, aka ‘The Moor’

Rosamunde Huykman, 1895 — like a pink and white sunrise

Rose Luisante Bontlof, 1850 — “glittering” pink with rippling, cream-edged leaves

Royal Sovereign, 1820 — mahogany on gold

Sam Barlow, 1860 — spectacular flames, red, brown, yellow

Silver Standard, 1760 — dazzling red on white

Spaendonck, 1893 — staff favorite

The Lizard, 1903 — flames of lilac and rose on cream

Theeroos, 1890 — tea-rose fragrance

Tournesol Red and Yellow, 1769 — colorful and lovely

Van der Neer, 1860 — rosy-purple, Civil-War-era

Wapen van Leiden, 1760 — did George Washington grow this?

Willem van Oranje, 1933 — Renoir coppery-peach

Zomerschoon, 1620 — true relic of Tulipomania

DIVERSE FALL

antique freesia, 1878 — super fragrant naturalizer

See our CUSTOMER FAVORITES.

See our WEB-ONLY bulbs.

See WHAT’S NEW this year.

See what’s BACK SOON or LOST FOREVER.

See our past and present BULBS OF THE YEAR.