Emailed August 2, 2007. To subscribe, click here.
To reprint any of this material, simply credit www.oldhousegardens.com. © 2007
Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette
Old House Gardens, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 995-1486
"Garden as though you will live forever."
— William Kent, 1685-1748, founding father of the naturalistic "English landscape" movement
To Get Your Returning-Customer Discount, Order by This Sunday!
To say thanks to customers who have ordered from us in the past, we offer them a 5% discount. (It's not huge, but it is heart-felt!) To get it you must place your fall order by midnight this Sunday, August 5. That's just four days from now!
If you're ordering online, simply mention the discount in the feedback box on our order-form page and we'll figure it out here before we charge your order.
Can't decide? Try one of our easy, awesome Samplers!
15 Web-Only Treasures Now Online!
Last night we added 15 spectacular bulbs to our website that are too rare to offer in our catalog. Maybe most exciting are two from the 1700s that we've never offered before — 'Grande Blanche Imperiale' hyacinth and 'Paeony Gold' tulip. But there's also caffeine-addled 'Cafe Brun', sumptuous 'Blue Flag', virtually black 'Menelik', elfin Narcissus macleayi, and more. As usual, quantities are VERY limited and some will sell out out within a few days. Don't miss them!
Link of the Month: Preserving Historic Landscapes
Wow! The website of the Cultural Landscape Foundation — the country's leading non-profit dedicated to preserving all sorts of historic landscapes — has recently been upgraded and it's a gem. Rich with information, resources, and beautiful images, it features major sections on Landscapes at Risk, Pioneers of Landscape Design, Outreach & Education, Stewardship Stories, and In the News. You'll also find a definition of cultural landscapes, a term that's still unfamiliar to many people but which embraces "public parks, historic sites, gardens, scenic highways, college campuses, farmland, cemeteries," and other historic landscapes that both express our shared culture and enrich our daily lives.
"My husband and I are the curators of a little bulb museum, on our very typical 60-by-120-foot lot in an older neighborhood in Kansas City." So begins a charming essay by Marty Ross in the September Horticulture that's a must-read for every old-bulb lover. "We live on McGee Street, and we call our museum the Hortus Bulborum McGeeinsis," she continues. Enjoy it all online (where it's been re-titled "Building a Bulb Collection") at http://www.hortmag.com/gardening_articles/bulbs.asp .
Still No Increase in Shipping!
Though Priority Mail rates went up almost 14% this past May, you won't pay a penny more to get your OHG order shipped this fall. In fact, you'll pay LESS than you did five years ago. We're saving you money so you can spend more on bulbs!
Garden For Tradition
The National Garden Bureau offers people eight great reasons to try gardening, starting with this reason which we found most interesting:
"Garden for Tradition — Old or New. Gardening has been part of the human culture for centuries. Not long ago most families still had a garden and relied on it to provide food for their family. Remember visiting grandma's house as a child and picking deliciously scented flower bouquets — or the thrill of pulling on green tops and being surprised with a carrot to eat right from the ground? Recreate some of those memories for you and your family to enjoy again.
"If you've never tried to garden, start a new tradition. You don't have to dig up the entire yard. Begin with a small container or border area for flowers. If you want vegetables, get some large pots or create a small garden area and fill with easy-to-grow lettuce, delicious tomatoes, or rambling cucumbers. Gardening is a wonderful activity for parents and grandparents to share with the younger generation while creating pleasant memories for the future."
For seven more reasons, visit
http://www.ngb.org/gardening/todays/article.cfm?id=58 .
Meet Scott at Horticulture's "Smaller Garden/Big Ideas"
If you live anywhere near Raleigh, Akron, or Wheaton, MD, mark your calendar now for Horticulture's exciting fall symposium on "Designing and Planting in Limited Space." Headlined by Rosemary Alexander of the English Gardening School, the day-long event also features Gordon Hayward, Lucy Hardiman, and our own Scott Kunst lecturing on, what else, heirloom bulbs. For full details, visit https://secure.hortmag.com/programs/index_2007.asp . (And yes, that's a photo of our true Byzantine gladiolus there!)
Did You Get A Duplicate Catalog?
We don't want to waste resources, and we don't want to bug you, so if you got more than one catalog from us this summer, please let us know so we can clean up our records.
Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!
July's articles included dahlia leaf hoppers, rainlilies for Elizabeth Lawrence's grave, "Best Books for Antique Gardeners," smart irrigation, and more. You can read all 63 of our back-issues at http://oldhousegardens.com/newsArchive.asp .
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