Emailed February 9, 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

         If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.
         -- Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672, colonial American poet)

Valentine's Day is Wednesday: Treat Yourself to Bulbs!

        This year, give your favorite gardeners what they really want: more plants. (And yes, you can give yourself a Valentine!)
        Our lovely gift-certificate cards are fun for them and easy for you. Just tell us what to write inside and we'll mail one out immediately to your sweetie, Mom, or garden pals.
        Or go to http://www.oldhousegardens.com/v.asp for links to our pink, red, fragrant, and heart-shaped beauties for spring planting.
        Or follow the lead of our new customer Jeff Gaulke of Portland, Oregon, who (can you keep a secret?) ordered our true, tiny, red-and-white-with-a-heart-of-passionate-purple Tulipa clusiana for his girlfriend. Happy Valentine's Day!

Book of the Month: Flower Confidential

        We got a preview copy of this terrific new book last fall, and I could hardly wait till its publication this month to tell you about it. 
        It's billed as "an around-the-world, behind the scenes look at the flower industry," and though that may sound a bit dry it's anything but! Author Amy Stewart writes with humor and an infectious enthusiasm that any plant-lover will recognize, traveling the globe from California to the Netherlands to Ecuador to weave a truly illuminating story that will remind many readers of the best of John McPhee. Much of the book focuses on the people behind the flowers we love today, from old-timers like the maverick breeder of Black Beauty and White Henryi and California's last commercial grower of Victorian violets to the whiz-bang entrepreneurs who are bringing us organic roses and hydroponic gerberas at supermarket prices. 
        Looking through the book again as I write this review, I'm tempted to read it all over again! If you're a gardener with an inquisitive mind, I highly recommend it. For more info and an excerpt, visit http://www.amystewart.com/books.html.

Web-Only Specials: Zany Giraffe, Contentment, and 3 Rare Cannas

        Almost every day someone calls here asking, "Will you be offering Giraffe again this year?" Now, finally, we can say YES! Giraffe is one of the most unusual dahlias we've ever grown, with unruly amber petals barred with bronze. We have fewer than 100 available this spring, so order now!
        Contentment gladiolus is also extraordinary, a hauntingly lovely soft lavender with a silvery throat. The last time we had enough to offer it, every corm was snatched up in three days!
        And we're thrilled to announce that, due to the efforts of our fabulous new canna grower in Missouri, we once again have small supplies of three of the rare cannas that originally came to us from France. Alberich is a creamy-apricot beauty with big, lush flowers. Bronze-leaved Assaut is the most vibrant, gorgeous red canna we’ve ever grown. And Liberation is a warm, Rubenesque apricot marbled with gold, pink and orange. Get them while you can!

RHS Votes to Embrace Hyacinths

        Our friend Alan Shipp of the British National Collection of Hyacinths rang us up with some exciting news the other day.
        The venerable Daffodil and Tulip Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society voted recently to take hyacinths under its wing, "the first change in its remit," Alan crowed, "since the nineteenth century!" The Committee is making plans to host a full trial of hyacinths at Wisley, with the best being granted the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit. The Committee also hopes to include hyacinths in the 2008 London Show competitions, though Alan says "much work will need to be done in preparation as it is many, many years since hyacinth shows took place, and whilst the records of rules and judging criteria exist, the type of hyacinths that they related to do not." 
        These new efforts by the RHS reflect and will further spur the rebounding interest in hyacinths (once the world's most popular bulb) and they've left us wondering -- could an American Hyacinth Society be next? 

Old House Glads Featured in Garden Gate Magazine

        The Jan.-Feb. issue of Garden Gate magazine kicks off with "Scott Kunst on Growing Spectacular Glads." It's part of an on-going series that features nationally-known experts talking about topics of growing interest. With the help of editor Jim Childs (one of our favorite garden writers), Scott shares his tips for growing glads in pots, perennial borders, and throughout your garden, and recommends five of his favorite heirloom glads.

Meet Scott at the San Francisco Flower Show – or Filoli!

        In March Scott is coming to California to give his beautiful "Heirloom Bulbs" slide lecture at the extraordinary Filoli estate and the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. Scott loves meeting our customers, so please mark your calendar and make plans to come say hello. Anything you can do to help spread the word will be much appreciated, too -- or just bring your entire garden club! His lecture at the Garden Show is Friday, March 23, at 1:45, and he's speaking at Filoli (where the gardens should be in spectacular bloom) on Saturday, March 24, at 11:30 AM. For more info, visit our Lectures page at http://www.oldhousegardens.com/lectures.asp#StartList.

Reminder: It's Still Freezing Up Here

        Spring has sprung in Mobile and plenty of other happy places, and many of you have been sharing that thrill with us via email and photos. Thank you!
        Please don't forget, though, that no matter how ready your garden is, we can't ship your spring-planted bulbs till it's safely warm up here in Michigan, and this week we're facing highs in the teens. To deliver the best possible bulbs, we'll have to wait till about April 1 to begin shipping. Thanks for your patience!

Your Garden Memories: Hunting for Ladybugs

        Our good customer Sarah Martin of Saraland, Alabama, writes:
        "When I was a little girl, my mom grew lots of flowers and I loved to roam through her roses, cleome, asters, oxalis and phlox searching for my favorite insect, the lady bug. I also loved catching bumble bees in a mayonnaise jar with holes punched in the lid. I released the critters after I had gazed at them for a while, amazed at how God could create things of such interest and beauty. I also remember brilliantly colored hummingbirds whirring around the garden and wanting so much to catch one of those, but I never did. They were way too fast for me. 
        "These are some of the sweetest memories of my childhood, and now when my granddaughters come for a visit, we go exploring among my flowers for lady bugs and bumblebees."

Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!

        We didn't send a newsletter in January, but December's articles included our Zomerschoons at an embassy gala, using alcohol to keep paperwhites stockier, bulbs in art at the NYBG, colonial inventories of garden tools, and more. You can read all 57 of our back-issues at http://oldhousegardens.com/newsArchive.asp.

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