Emailed Tuesday, September 19, 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

        "You're supposed to get tired planting bulbs. But it's an agreeable tiredness.
        -- Gail Godwin (born 1937, American novelist)

5 Extra-Rare Daffs and 4 More Hortus Tulips For Sale (Finally!)

        Please forgive the delay. Things have been a little hectic here lately (see below). We hope you'll agree these treasures are worth the wait. Quantities are very limited, so . . . don't delay!

        heat-loving, fragrant Minor Monarque, N. x italicus, 1809
        Marionette, primrose and gold miniature
        "pink" Rosy Trumpet, 1928, better than Mrs. Backhouse?
        Depression-era Shirley Temple, curly-haired double white
        Vireo, green-eyed jonquil from Grant Mitsch
        Cardinal Rampolla, dusky gold, burnt orange, and cinnamon
        Golden Standard, Silver Standard's golden twin, from 1760
        Victorian Julia Farnese, "supremely elegant," says Anna Pavord
        Papillon, 1914, smoldering garnet and gold

Farewell to Rachel (a.k.a. Wonder Woman)

       Over the past five years, many of you had a chance to get to know our terrific VP for Just About Everything, Rachel Murphy. Sad to say, Rachel left us a couple of weeks ago for a much bigger pond, the world headquarters of Borders Books. With her terrific organizational and people skills, we expect she'll end up as a vice-president there, too! We sent her off with our best wishes and tons of gratitude.
        Losing our master-organizer right before fall shipping has been a bit traumatic, but our amazing crew has stepped up big-time and we're looking forward to a great fall. Thanks for your patience and support as we all work extra hard to serve you fabulously well.

We Start Shipping October 1, and Now is Still a Great Time to Order!

Monitor Calls Scott the "Indiana Jones of Heirloom Bulbs"

        The headline made us laugh, but April Austin's article about us in this highly regarded national newspaper is terrific. To read it (and see a photo of "Indy" in our trial garden), go to http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0913/p16s01-lihc.html.

Link of the Month: Heirlooms and Murder

        Regan Culver is the prime suspect in the poisoning death of her father. But don't worry, it's just for fun. She's the herb-farming, plant-loving main character in Rosemary for Remembrance, one of an entertaining series of garden-themed mystery novels by Audrey Stallsmith. Audrey is a great fan of heirloom plants, too, and at her website www.thymewilltell.com you'll find, along with excerpts and reviews of her novels, a score of articles about heirlooms ranging from fritillaries to maize. (Be sure to scroll down the text of her homepage and click on both the "heirloom plants" and the "historic plants" links.) Happy reading!

Your Garden Memories: Carrots and Croquet

        Nancy Wygant is the lead gardener at Bartram's Garden, the Philadelphia homesite of colonial botanist John Bartram (http://www.bartramsgarden.org/), where every fall she adds a few more of our authentic, 18th-century tulips to the gardens. She writes:
        "The first yard I remember was mostly steep, with just a little flat area around the house. Then when I was twelve we moved to a house with a bigger flat space, and I wanted to have a vegetable garden. But my mother had waited all those years for a flat lawn on which to play croquet, and she wouldn't let me dig it up. She told me I'd have to plant my vegetables in our gently sloping back yard, in the glorious high shade of several mature oaks. My carrots grew no thicker than pencils there, and it's a wonder I didn't give up. But it was worth letting my mother keep her croquet lawn. My parents were active in the local Victorian Society and a vintage dance group, and every summer they hosted lawn parties where all those folks gathered in their Victorian whites on our front lawn, played croquet, and sipped lemonade. It was a marvelous sight!"

Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!

        Last month's articles included Domino magazine's Germinatrix blogs about us, more hollyhock memories, Tulipa acuminata in the herbs, a Byzantine testimonial, why we don't start shipping till October 1, and more. You can read all 54 of our back-issues at http://oldhousegardens.com/NewsletterArchives.asp.

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