7 New Web-Only Treasures Debut Today

        They're too rare for our print catalog, so we're offering them online only starting today. Quantities are very limited (which means, move fast!).
        Sternbergia, circa 1596. "Perhaps the best of fall-flowering bulbs" one expert calls this crocus-like, fall-blooming heirloom.
        Blue Smoke glad, 1957. One of the most exotic glads we've ever offered, with a glowing amber heart and petals of smoky lavender-gray.
        Lucky Star glad, 1966. Fragrant glads are very rare, and this distinctively different New Zealander is one of the best.
        Allegro glad, 1965. Made for Valentine's Day, 'Allegro' is deep, deep ruby and so lavishly ruffled it seems to be trembling.
        Top Brass glad, 1960. This fresh-faced, baby-smooth classic is as sunny and blissful as a day at the beach.
        Alberich canna, 1949. A top award-winner at the RHS Canna Trials, with big bell-like flowers of luscious, creamy peach.
        Liberation canna, 1920. Buds with an almost lavender cast open into warm apricot flowers marbled with orange, gold, and pink.

Cupid Has Some Exciting Bulbs for You!

        Candy is fattening and cut-flowers won't last, but every gardener on your list will love our gorgeous bulbs – and Cupid says go ahead and give yourself a treat, too!
        Our lovely gift-certificate cards are fun to get and easy to give. Just tell us what to write inside and we'll mail them right out to your sweetie, Mom, or garden friends.
        Pink, red, fragrant, and heart-shaped heirlooms make memorable gifts, too. Choosing them is easy at Cupid's Favorite Bulbs (oldhousegardens.com/V.asp).
        Give spring a boost. Give bulbs. Happy Valentine's Day!

Link of the Month: Historic Sewers

        We're not kidding. Sewers are essential to modern life and critical to the health of our waterways, wildlife, and all of Nature. They can be pretty darn interesting, too – as we think you'll agree once you take a look at garden writer Adam Levine's website The History of Philadelphia's Watersheds and Sewers at phillyH2o.org/index.htm.
        Adam is a smart, funny guy, an avid gardener, and an award-winning author. In 1998 he hired on as a part-time "historical consultant" for the Philadelphia Water Department, and soon he was hooked. Adam's site is rich with historic photos and maps, compelling data, and plenty of laughs. The best place to start may be his article "Down Under!" which is subtitled "Tales from the city sewer system, or why I should have worn a raincoat." Once you start, we bet you'll read more, and before long you'll have a whole new perspective on your own local watershed and sewers. It's enlightening!

'Bloodstone': Friend of Gladiators

       "Just now the dahlias are in full blow," our British friend John Snocken wrote us last August, "and they are very good at slowing the traffic through our village. 'Bloodstone'! How did that ever drop out of cultivation?"
        We're big fans of 'Bloodstone', too, and wondered where it got its name. In Bodyguards: Protective Amulets and Charms, Desmond Morris explains that "bloodstone is a dark green stone marked with flecks of red. Small pieces of it were considered to be powerful amulets in ancient Egypt" where it was called the Blood of Isis. Greek athletes wore bloodstone talismans at the Olympic Games, and Roman gladiators and soldiers carried it into battle. Today it's still valued for protection from "a variety of misfortunes," including stress and lack of self-confidence, and "to help its owners develop special abilities and talents."
        So there you go – more good reasons to plant 'Bloodstone' this spring!

Spring Starts with Stinky Narcissus

        Spring has sprung for many of you (we're jealous!), and your tazettas may already be blooming. These cluster-flowered narcissus include paperwhites which are often forced on pebbles for winter bloom. Some gardeners love their rich fragrance, and others can't stand it.
        Our California friend and tazetta expert, Bill Welch, explains, "About a quarter of the population cannot stand the scent of paperwhites, and that has poisoned their attitude towards the tazettas as a whole. Someone I know was doing a study of the chemical components of fragrance in various flowers, and he found that paperwhites had a lot more indole in them than other tazettas. Then he told me that indole is the same chemical given off by E. coli! Of course I don't usually mention this to people who like paperwhites and ask if the others 'smell as good'"!
        On the other side of the fence, our Texas friend, Greg Grant, writes: "I love the smell of all narcissus including paperwhites. Living on a farm however, the 'manure' tinge doesn't affect me, I guess. Not everybody thinks it smells like manure. A new gardener I worked with said, 'Ooh, smells like pee pee!' The general rule is the more yellow in the flower (cups or petals) the better the scent (inherited from Narcissus tazetta orientalis) and the more white, the more 'manure' the scent (inherited from N. papyraceous)."

This Month in the OHG Archives: Dahlias

        Edible dahlias, local tuber sales, the real 'Bishop', customer favorites, time-saving tips, and more – you'll find them all in the Dahlias Archive of our new, easy-to-use Newsletters by Topic. Why not take a quick break and give it a peek right now?

Scott's Upcoming Lectures

        Come soak up an hour's worth of beauty and learning and say hello to Scott at any or all of these upcoming lectures. For more info, check out our Lectures page at oldhousegardens.com/lectures.asp.
        Mount Vernon, IL, Midwestern Herb and Garden Show, Feb. 9
        Seattle, WA, Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Feb. 21
        Lynchburg, VA, Garden Symposium, Old City Cemetery, March 8
        Pittsburgh, PA, Frick Art and Historical Center, March 18
        Dearborn, MI, Spring Day at the Henry Ford Estate, March 29.

Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!

        January's articles included hand-made vases, great tips for bouquets, wacky 'Giraffe', and more. You can read all 70 of our back-issues at http://www.oldhousegardens.com/NewsletterArchives.asp .

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