Old House Gardens Heirloom Flower Bulbs

Web-Only Rarities

From America’s Expert Source for Heirloom Flower Bulbs

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Fall-Planted Bulbs

Web-Only Cannas

ALBERICH, 1949 RAREST & WEB ONLY

One of our most sensuous cannas, ‘Alberich’ blooms in arching sprays of big, languorous bells of a soft, luscious, creamy peach. One of the top award-winners at the 2002 RHS Canna Trials, it’s named for the dwarf-king in Scandinavian myth (and Wagner’s operas) who forges an all-powerful gold ring. Look for it inside these flowers! 3-4 feet, green leaves, from Missouri.

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SOLD OUT

~~1/$6.50~~

~~3/$18~~

~~5/$28~~

~~10/$52~~

~~25/$117~~

LIBERATION, 1920 RAREST & WEB ONLY

A warm apricot marbled with orange, gold, and even pink, ‘Liberation’ looks as if it were painted by Rubens. In lovely contrast, its buds have a grape-like bloom that makes them look, as expert Ian Cooke says, “almost lavender.” Ahhhhh! Green leaves, 4-5 feet, from Missouri.

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~~1/$6.50~~

~~3/$18~~

~~5/$28~~

~~10/$52~~

ROBERT KEMP, 1900? RAREST & WEB ONLY

Beloved by hummingbirds, ‘Robert Kemp’ looks like a wild canna with its tiny, vibrant red petals — flickering tongues of flame — massed into torch-like clusters held on six-or-seven-foot stalks above lush green leaves. Its history is obscure (can you tell us anything?), but from its “country primitive” look we know that it’s old. From Oklahoma. Chart to compare.

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~~1/$6.50~~

~~3/$18~~

~~5/$28~~

~~10/$52~~

Web-Only Dahlias

GIRAFFE, 1940 RAREST & WEB ONLY

‘Giraffe’ is not just weird, it’s wonderful! Its unruly, golden petals twist and fold forward to reveal back sides barred with bronze. Some see giraffes, others orchids or wild cats, but everyone agrees it’s not like any other dahlia – and it’s very cool. Cut a few for a vase so you can enjoy its rich complexity up close. 4 inches, 3-4 feet, from Oregon. Chart to compare.

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~~1/$9.25~~

Web-Only Gladiolus

ALLEGRO, 1965 RAREST & WEB ONLY

An unusual red, light-years away from the orange side, ‘Allegro’ is a deep rose-ruby with smoky purple undertones. It’s also lavishly ruffled, as if trembling with intensity – or passion? In Italian its name means “quick, spirited, lively,” and this show-stopper definitely is! 4 feet tall, from Maine.

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SOLD OUT

~~1/$4.50~~

~~3/$12.50~~

~~5/$19.50~~

~~Limit 5~~

BLUE SMOKE, 1957 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Here’s a glad that really gets people excited. A half-century after it was introduced, its exotic, smoldering colors are still so unusual. From a glowing heart of apricot and bronze its petals shade into a smoky, rosy lavender-gray that’s almost beyond words – and ravishingly beautiful. Don’t be surprised if it leaves you and your garden visitors babbling! 4 feet, from Maine.

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SOLD OUT

~~1/$12.50~~

~~3/$34.50~~

~~5/$59.50~~

~~Limit 5~~

LUCKY STAR, 1966 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Fragrant glads like ‘Lucky Star’ are as rare as hen’s teeth. Although some wild glads have substantial fragrance, breeding it into modern glads has proven difficult. In fact, ‘Lucky Star’ is the only fragrant seedling to emerge from years of crosses made by New Zealander Joan Wright using garden glads and the fragrant Abyssinian glad – whose genes are also evident in its looks. For the richest fragrance, sniff its newly opened florets on a hot, humid evening – and watch out for the hawk moths. 4 feet, from Maine.

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SOLD OUT

~~1/$9~~

~~3/$24.50~~

~~5/$38.50~~

~~Limit 5~~

TOP BRASS, 1960 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Simple can be sublime, and though we love ruffled and patterned glads, it’s hard to beat the fresh-faced, baby-smooth look of classics like ‘Top Brass’. Whether it reminds you of a sunny day at the beach, a lemon meringue pie, or the clear, thrilling notes of a trumpet fanfare, this luminous yellow glad is something special. 4 feet, from Maine.

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SOLD OUT

~~3/$8~~

~~5/$13~~

~~10/$24~~

~~Limit 10~~

PARROT, 1830 RAREST & WEB ONLY

G. dalenii, G. psittacinus, G. natalensis — The first African glad in US gardens, this vivid orange, green, and yellow wildling was soon crowded aside by new hybrids. But it lingered in Southern cottage gardens and now it’s back! “The most desirable,” Bridgeman wrote in 1837. “It blossoms freely, and the colors are exquisitely beautiful.” We have just 50 corms this spring, so don’t delay! 3-4 feet, perennial in zones 7(6?)-9S/11W or dig and store. From Alabama. Chart to compare.

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SOLD OUT

~~1/$18.50~~

~~3/$55.50~~

~~Limit 3, please.~~

Web-Only Spring Diverse

Sternbergia lutea, FALL DAFFODIL, 1596 RAREST & WEB ONLY

“Perhaps the best of fall-flowering bulbs” says John Bryan in his mammoth, expert Bulbs. Despite its name, Sternbergia is actually a crocus-like goblet of gold that likes it best where it’s warm and a bit dry. According to Elizabeth Lawrence in 1942, they were “once plentiful in the South, [but] were so neglected they disappeared from all but a few Virginia gardens.” After years of searching, we finally found a Texas grower with heirloom stock – and voila! As animal-resistant as daffodils, fall-blooming, zones 7-9 (or 6 in a warm spot with straw mulch to protect their winter-green leaves), 6-8 inches tall, from Texas.

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SOLD OUT

~~3/$15~~

~~5/$23.50~~

~~10/$44.50~~

~~Limit 10~~

Fabulous Treasures from the Hortus & More!

Treat yourself to something unforgettable! Once again this year from the Hortus Bulborum and world-renowned private collectors we’ve received a handful of treasures so rare that we can offer them ONLINE ONLY. If you see something you like here, don’t delay. They always sell out quickly!

Web-Only Tulips

BLACK AND WHITE, 1920 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Historic? We’re not sure. Extraordinary? Yes! This true broken tulip was discovered at the Hortus Bulborum. It’s not clear whether it’s an heirloom whose label was lost or a newly-broken version of one of their other heirloom varieties, but it’s so stunning we couldn’t resist it. With deep, dark purple flames on creamy white petals, it’s a tulip that Tulipomaniacs of the 1630s would have given a fortune to own! Single Late, 16-20 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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BLUE FLAG, 1750 RAREST & WEB ONLY

The first time this sumptuous, pearly violet, Double Late tulip bloomed, George Washington was still a teenager! Looking a bit like a lavender peony, it’s been favored by connoisseurs ever since, including Anna Pavord who writes in The Tulip that it “holds the record in my own garden for longevity of bloom, standing in good fettle for nearly a month.” Exceptionally rare, 10-12 inches, zones 4-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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CAFE BRUN, 1840 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Opening from dragon-mouthed buds that may remind you of the blood-thirsty plant in The Little Shop of Horrors, ‘Café Brun’s ruffled, jagged, over-caffeinated flowers are a deep gold intricately patterned with dusky-red. Though its name means “Brown Coffee” – that is, coffee with milk – it’s not really brown, just cool. Be sure to look for its tiny horns and spurs. Parrot, 12-14 inches, zones 5-7, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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GLORIA NIGRORUM, 1837 RAREST & WEB ONLY

With wisps and splashes of dark violet on creamy white, “Black Glory” is one of the very oldest surviving Bybloemen tulips. Also known as ‘Violet Ponceau’ and ‘La Victorieuse’, it was first offered in 1837 by Voorhelm and Schneevogt, a fabled bulbhouse that had catered to wealthy bulb enthusiasts since the 17th century. Zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#TU980

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JAMES WILD, 1890 RAREST & WEB ONLY

A brown tulip? You bet! And it’s fabulous. This is the original, Breeder form of ‘James Wild’ that’s more often seen in its mahogany-on-gold Bizarre form. Though yours may break into feathers and flames someday, this anything-but-plain brown tulip needs no improvement. With shades of coffee, bronze, and amber, it’s already amazing! Bred in smoggy, Victorian Manchester, it’s a strong tulip that with good care should increase well. Single Late, 18-20”, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#TU70

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KOH-I-NOOR, 1895 RAREST & WEB ONLY

A deep, smoldering ruby that’s so dark it’s just not right to call it red, ‘Koh-I-Noor’ brings a touch of midnight and mystery to the spring garden. Even its shape is unusual — spade-like petals opening into an angular crown. It’s named for one of history’s largest and most celebrated diamonds, the 700-year-old “Mountain of Light,” now part of England’s Crown Jewels. Zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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PAEONY GOLD, 1700 RAREST & WEB ONLY

An exotic green and gold protea from some trendy SoHo floral designer? No, but that’s definitely what this 300-year-old double tulip looks like when it first starts to open — and no modern tulip looks anything like it! For a close-up view of its weird beauty, simply click on our small photo. See what we mean? Now imagine that in a vase where you can watch it day by day as it slowly matures from a chartreuse symphony into a full-blown, peony-like blossom of gold brushed with red. Wow! Double Early, 10-12 inches, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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SILVER STANDARD, 1760 RAREST & WEB ONLY

A lot has changed since 1760, but ‘Silver Standard’ is still one of the world’s most exciting tulips. A true broken tulip, it’s a dazzling combination of purest white boldly splashed with red and guaranteed to leave you and your garden visitors standing open-mouthed in awe. Single Early, 12-14 inches, zones 4b-7a, from the Hortus Bulborum. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#TU91

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Web-Only Hyacinths

GIGANTEA, 1859 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Extinct? That’s what the experts thought. Not even the Hortus Bulborum grew ‘Gigantea’. But then Alan Shipp of the UK National Collection got a surprise phone call from the Lithuanian ambassador’s wife and before long a box full of old hyacinths arrived that had been preserved by a botanic garden behind the Iron Curtain – including this Victorian beauty. With a “large truss” of “delicate rose” florets, ‘Gigantea’ was the most expensive single hyacinth offered in the 1870 catalog of the Olm Brothers of Springfield, Massachusetts. Very limited supply, from England. Sorry, no photo. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#HY44

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GRAND BLANCHE IMPERIALE, 1798 RAREST & WEB ONLY

The oldest hyacinth we’ve ever offered – by far! – “this ancient hyacinth has huge flowers that are fleshy and white, with a faint pink blush that fades as the flowers mature,” according to Geoff Stebbing in his terrific Spring Bulbs. It arrived in America before 1830 when it appeared in the catalog of William Prince’s Linnaean Botanic Garden of Flushing, NY, as hyacinth #353 (of the 373 offered!). Preserved by a small botanic garden in Lithuania and grown for us by the UK National Collection of Hyacinths. Very limited supply. Sorry, no photo. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#HY45

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GRAND MONARQUE, 1863 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Unusually old — Mark Twain, Van Gogh, and Florence Nightingale could have grown it — this luminous beauty is a surprisingly true, light blue that may remind you of soft spring skies. Lost to us years ago when it went “commercially extinct” in the Netherlands, it has been preserved by our good friend (and former potato farmer) Alan Shipp of the British National Collection of Hyacinths. Zones 5-8aS/10W, from England.

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SOLD OUT

~~3/$11~~

~~5/$17.50~~

~~10/$33~~

~~Limit 25, please.~~

MENELIK, 1911 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Black is beautiful, and this astonishing hyacinth — named in honor of the Victorian king of Ethiopia and quite possibly the most exciting hyacinth we’ve ever offered — is an intense indigo-purple shading to absolute BLACK. Though it went commercially extinct in Holland in 2001, every year we get a handful of bulbs from Alan Shipp of the UK National Collection. Don’t delay — we always sell out! Zones 5-7, from England. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#HY27

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TUBERGEN’S SCARLET, 1920 RAREST & WEB ONLY

My all-time favorite hyacinth is still the petite, deep maroon ‘Distinction’ which, sadly, went commercially extinct several years ago. We’ll have it again from the UK National Collection eventually, but in the meantime here’s a wonderfully deep rose “sport” (mutation) of it. ‘Tubergen’s Scarlet’ is identical in size, color, and intensity to its own sport, the double ‘Hollyhock’, and its single florets give it added grace. Very limited supply, from England. Sorry, no photo. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

#HY46

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Web-Only Daffodils

MACLEAYI, 1823 NEW & WEB ONLY

Here’s a perky little flower with a “stove-pipe” cup no wider than a pencil — and a mysterious past. Naturalist and wine merchant Alexander Macleay reputedly sent it to London from Smyrna in the 1820s, but it has never been found growing in the wild anywhere and experts continue to debate its parentage. No matter, “it is a jolly little plant and a collector’s piece,” says John Blanchard, and “deplorably scarce.” Amen! 13 W-Y, 8-10 inches, zones 6-8, from Holland. We’re not sure we’ll be able to offer this rare variety in 2008. Please check back in June or sign up for our email newsletter.

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SHIRLEY TEMPLE, 1937 RAREST & WEB ONLY

Known today as ‘Snowball’, this award-winning double was originally named for the curly-haired moppet who was brightening the spirits of a world wracked by the Great Depression. With an ivory ruff of outer petals and a center rosette that seems touched by sunshine, it’s informal, refreshing, lightly scented, and increasingly rare. 4 W-W, 18-20 inches, late-middle blooming, zones 4-7S/9W, from Holland.

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SOLD OUT

~~3/$15.50~~

~~5/$24.50~~

~~10/$45.50~~

~~Limit 10, please.~~

Fall-Planted Bulbs

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 email: 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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