Emailed June 07, 2006. To subscribe, click here.
To reprint any of this material, simply credit www.oldhousegardens.com. © 2006
Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette
Old House Gardens, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 995-1486
Who loves a garden still his Eden keeps,
Perennial pleasures plants, and wholesome harvest reaps.
Amos Bronson Alcott, 1799-1888, American Transcendentalist and educator
Take a Peek at Our New Catalog: It’s All Online Now!
No need to wait for the mail. Our new catalog is online now and ready for your shopping pleasure. We’ll mail the print version this week, but . . .
bulk mail can be painfully slow, and
many of our treasures will sell out quickly, and
returning customers get a 5% discount for ordering early.
So why wait? Visit http://www.oldhousegardens.com for your first peek!
What’s New? Scroll Down to See Them All!
Daffodils
Butter & Eggs, 1777, long-cherished cottage-garden double
Emperor, 1869, landmark Victorian trumpet
Horace, 1894, classic, jewel-like pheasant’s-eye
Insulinde, 1921, biggest hit from last year’s Rarest sampler
Thanks for a Fabulous Spring!
Despite the sluggish economy, this spring was our best ever. In fact, you bought so many bulbs we couldn’t even hold an end-of-season sale. Thank you!
What’s New: Tulips
Blue Flag, 1750, a personal favorite of Anna Pavord
General Ney, 1837, rich dark cordovan
James Wild, 1890, coffee, bronze, and amber
Kroeskop, 1830, frizzy-headed double
Perfecta, 1750, spectacular colonial dragon
T. schrenkii, 1585, this wild little elf is back
Silver Standard, 1760, red, white, and stunning
Did Your Boone Have a Rough Ride?
Thanks to those of who emailed or called us this spring to say that your Boone gladiolus plant arrived a bit bedraggled because we hadn’t packed it securely enough. Using your feedback, we adjusted our packaging and remedied the problem, which is always our goal.
But just in case we didn’t hear from you, and your beat-up Boone lets you down this summer, please let us know so we can make it right for you!
What’s New: Dahlias
Fannie Williams, 1920? passed down for 3 generations
Kismet, 1932, pink shimmering sands
Matt Armour, 1932, from Ireland’s Glenveagh Castle
Timber Press Sold, Heronswood Nursery Relocating
Recent changes at two of the crown jewels of American horticulture have left many gardeners sad and concerned.
On May 24, Bob Conklin of Timber Press announced that he had sold his company to Workman Publishing. Over the past three decades, Bob and Timber Press have earned the gratitude of gardeners across the country by publishing a wonderfully wide array of books that are beautiful, useful, and above all expert. Although Workman owns Storey Books and is a fine publisher in its own right, it’s hard to imagine anyone else filling the colossal garden boots Timber Press has left
behind. For more about the sale, click here.
Almost as jarring was the news that Burpee and Co. which bought the renowned Heronswood Nursery outside Seattle in 2000 has decided to close the nursery there, sell the property, and somehow consolidate Heronswood into its operations in Pennsylvania. Founded by Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones 20 years ago, Heronswood became an internationally celebrated source for new, rare, and extraordinary plants and helped to inspire American gardening to new heights. As mail-order plantspeople ourselves, we’ve long admired Heronswood as a model of excellence, creativity, and passion. For more, click
here.
What’s New: Lilies, Crocus, & Allium moly
Copper King lily, 1958, it’s back! awesome fragrance
Golden Sunburst lily, 1956, fragrant honey-gold trumpets
white martagon lily, 1601, luminous wildflower
Our Rarest Crocus Sampler, from Holland’s greatest collector
Cloth of Gold crocus, 1587, ancient bee-magnet
golden garlic (Allium moly), 1596, repels witches, we’re told
Just in Time for Summer: Red Velvet (Lily) Cake Recipe
Red Velvet lily is wonderfully deep-colored, but I had always puzzled about its name because it didn’t match any red velvet I’d ever seen. Rachel set me straight, though, when she pointed out that it’s the color of old-fashioned red velvet cake. To see for yourself, try the recipe from our friend Matt’s Grandma Opal. Topped with white frosting and blueberries, it’s the perfect treat for a Fourth of July picnic!
What’s New: Gladiolus & Yellow Rain Lily
Empire Yellow, 1963, like a ruffled party dress
Firedance, 1968, like a cymbidium orchid
Mexicana, 1967, spring green and exuberant
parrot glad, 1830, first African glad in US gardens
yellow rain lily (Zephyranthes citrina), 1880, Yucatan native
Martha’s May Bouquet: Spanish Bluebells and Chives
We’ve grown these two cast-iron classics for decades, but we never thought of combining them in bouquets till we saw how great they look in the May 2006 issue of Martha Stewart Living. As Martha says, they’re “unexpected but perfect partners: They coordinate in color and reach full bloom at the same time, in May.”
Our favorite bouquet was in a style we’ve seen in books of the mid-1800s that’s much like Victorian carpet-bedding. In a small round vase, a circle of chive blossoms makes a neat, frothy border around a center of densely packed Spanish bluebells. For added texture, tuck in a few fuzzy leaves of lamb’s-ear. By all means, do try this at home!
What’s New: Hyacinths
Amethyst, 1950, intriguingly different
Blue Giant, 1935, radiant Depression-era pearl
City of Haarlem, 1893, baby-chick yellow
Marconi, 1900, rich rosy pink
Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!
Last month’s articles included a wonderful reminiscence by Rudy Favretti (dean of American landscape history) about his Aunt Guiditta; a turtle’s-eye view of the 18th century in an enchanting new book; a web-directory of local dahlia sales; historic landscape walks guided by Scott; and more. You can read all 49 of our back-issues at http://oldhousegardens.com/newsArchive.asp.
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