Happy Earth Day! Save the Bulbs! Save the Planet!

Only 10 Days Left to Order Bulbs for Summer Blooms

        It's been a cold spring in many areas, but our spring shipping season is wrapping up soon anyway. The good news is we still have plenty of easy, gorgeous, spring-planted iris, daylilies, dahlias, glads, tuberoses, rain lilies, and even a few cannas for you to plant now for summer fun. Too busy to choose? Simply order one of our samplers -- we guarantee you'll be thrilled. Just don't delay any longer or you'll have to wait a whole year for another chance to enjoy these rare beauties!

Bonus Glads (25% More!) and Brand-New Dahlia Sampler (Save 20%!)

        One of our most popular samplers, "Glorious Glads" is now an even better value. While supplies last this spring, we'll send you 3 bulbs of not just 4 varieties but 5. For just $12.50 you'll get 15 classic glads from the 1940s and '50s. They're easy to grow, dramatic in the garden, and LONG-lasting in bouquets.
        But don't stop there. You can also save 20% on our never-before-offered "Endless Bouquets" dahlia sampler. Dahlias make great cut-flowers, and when you grow your own they're wonderfully fresh and cheap. We'll send you 3 diversely different ones, all perfect for bouquets, for just $17.50 when you order NOW for delivery this spring. Save, grow, enjoy!

Wisconsin's Favorite Dahlia: The Secret Life of "Catherine Becker"

        Family-heirloom flowers are often well-loved but nameless -- such as the ruby-red dahlia that came to us from a Wisconsin farm family. We grew it, loved it, and, when we couldn't discover its real name, we offered it online for the first time this spring under the study name "Catherine Becker."
        But it turns out there was more to this old dahlia's story. A Master Gardener emailed us to say she thought it might be the dahlia she called "Heirloom Red" which another Wisconsin family had been growing since about 1900. We called her and . . . well, for the rest of the story and photos go to oldhousegardens.com/Wisconsin-Red-Dahlia.asp. And if you're from Wisconsin or Minnesota and recognize "Catherine"/"Heirloom Red," please let us know!

Boone Gladiolus: Small But Mighty

        The baby 'Boone' plants we've been shipping this spring are babies, but give them a sunny spot and good care and they should bloom by late summer.
        If not, that could be a blessing in disguise -- to judge from the experience of our good friend (and garden writer) Russell Studebaker of Tulsa. The ONE we sent him a couple of years ago didn't bloom its first year, but the next year he had five bloom stalks from that one plant. Yes, FIVE! As Russell said, "Not bad. And who knows what it will do next year!"

Site of the Month: Have You Discovered the Joy of Google Books?

        We love to learn, and we're constantly searching for more information about the history and care of the bulbs we sell. Although we have a good-sized collection of antique garden books, we discovered not too long ago that Google has a much, much better one. And it's staffed by an amazing librarian called Search who can find the exact few words you're looking for in millions of books.
        Try it yourself. Go to Google, click on the word "more" at the top of the screen, and then on the drop-down list that appears, click "Books." Enter anything you like in the Books search box – say, Madame Chereau iris, or heirloom dahlias, or growing bulbs in Texas – and see what turns up. Access to the results varies from book to book, from "full view" to the pretty much useless "snippet view," but you almost always get something worthwhile and interesting. Have fun, but be careful -- it can become addicting!

Sharing Plants Then and Now: "A Friendly Society"

        In the 1730s and '40s, John Custis of Williamsburg exchanged letters and plants with fellow plant-lover Peter Collinson of London. Happily for us, many of their letters survived and were eventually published in a book called Brothers of the Spade. Here's a bit from one that Collinson wrote in 1735. Though the writing is archaic, the sentiments will be familiar to anyone who has ever shared plants with a fellow gardener -- or who values heirloom flowers.
        "Tho' I have Enough already myself, yett I think there is no Greater pleasure then to be Communicative & oblige others. . . . I seldome fail of Returns, for Wee Brothers of the Spade find it very necessary to share amongst us the seeds that come annually from Abroad. It not only preserves a Friendly Society but secures our Collections, for if one douse not raise a seed perhaps another does & if one Looses a plant another can Supply him. By this Means our Gardens are wonderfully Improved In Variety to what they was Twenty Years agon."

Looking Ahead to Mother's Day, May 10

        If your mom loves flowers, we'd be glad to help. Send her some of our great spring-planted bulbs? Or a flowery Old House Gardens tote-bag? Or a gift certificate so she can choose exactly what she wants, anytime? We've even got a whole page at our website devoted to gift-giving. And we love making moms happy!

Echoes from the Great Depression: High Praise for 'Jane Cowl'

        In 1934, as America struggled through the Great Depression, George W. Park of Greenwood, SC, kicked off his Spring Flower Book with a big photo and lavish praise for a new dahlia that we're still keen on today:
        "The greatest of them all is Jane Cowl, greatest in size . . . , greatest in form and color, and destined to become the greatest in popularity. It is undoubtedly the greatest dahlia in the world and deserves the highest place in every garden collection. The originators say, 'Jane Cowl has won more prizes than any other dahlia since it was introduced. Just imagine the ideal dahlia bush, fairly tall, with vigorous, dark green . . . foliage. Give it stems that are straight and strong, yet not clumsy, then add monster blooms of bronzy buff . . . , blooms that will stop you every time you near them, and you have a mental picture of our own Jane Cowl. The flowers on long, strong stems look at you and up, some squarely on top, like an umbrella. They are immense, of the full-petaled decorative type, with just enough twist to the broad petals to add the touch of refinement. The many medals won prove it to be one of the greatest dahlias. If it has a fault we have yet to find it.'"
        Park offered "tubers at 25 cts. each, or five for $1.00," and though we can't match those prices today we do agree with him that smart gardeners will "Order promptly."

Congratulations to Our Newest Master Gardener!

        We're happy to announce that Renee Hytinen, who does more than anyone else here to keep our Trial Garden thriving, has successfully completed Master Gardener training! She joins five of our crew who are already MGs: Rita, Mary Beth, Kelly, Arlene, and Karen -- and Rob has his application in for the next term. To learn more about this terrific, nationwide, volunteer program and where you can take the training, go to http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/ .

When Groundhogs Are a Good Thing

        In one of our favorite recent books, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver writes of an unusual birthday gift:
        "One friend had given me fifty tulip bulbs, one for each of my years, which we planted in a long trail down the driveway. Now they were popping up with flaming red heads on slender stalks like candles on a birthday cake. The groundhog that dug up some bulbs over the winter had taken a few years off. I would try to remain grateful to the groundhog later on, when he was eating my beans."

Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!

        Early April's articles included spray-on cold protection, gardening to boost the value of your home, 'Ehemanii' and a bottle tree, our bulbs help 401 American workers, heirloom bulbs at Bartram's Garden, and more. You can read all of our back-issues -- by date or by topic -- at oldhousegardens.com/NewsletterArchives.asp .

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