The Hottest June Ever

        It's official. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this past June was the hottest ever recorded. TIME magazine reports that "The combined global land and ocean temperature was 1.22 degrees F above the 20th century average." Temperatures in March, April, and May were also the hottest ever recorded, and "2010 is well on its way to becoming the warmest year worldwide since 1880, the earliest date for which global data is available." (July 2010)

Summer Reading: Between Tulips and the Gloomy Sea

        Flowers have been inspiring art and poetry for millennia. Here's a recent poem that starts with a familiar scene from the Dutch bulb fields but quickly morphs into something darker and more poignant. Thanks to our good customer Sue McIver for emailing it to us, the Poetry 180 program of the Library of Congress for emailing it to her, and Doug Dorph and his publisher for giving us permission to share it with you.

Dutch Boy, by Doug Dorph
        To one side, the North Sea like lead,
to the other, tulips, too bright, too colorful,
and your finger hurts. You are tied
to the big belly of the dike, your finger
a reverse umbilicus that sucks the boyish
into responsible sea. My complaint concerns
childhood, the premature loss thereof.
Mother, from under one of her headaches, told me -- cook dinner:
fish sticks, spaghetti sauce,
beef Wellington, hummingbird's tongue under glass.
How did I know we wouldn't wash away
like silt in the burst? The Provider,
the Protector, the Pleaser, Good Boy --
it's ingrained like the fat that marbles
choice beef. But there's no choice.
When the gloomy sea threatens, you're there
with your trusty finger. The bicycle lies forlorn
on the gravel bicycle path in the shadow of the dike.
The family windmill is brittle and blue as a scene on a plate.
Yet your other hand, the one with the free digit,
reaches for the painted flower heads
bobbing in their painted flowerbeds.
          (From Too Too Flesh, Mudfish Individual Poet Series #3, 2000, Box Turtle Press, New York, NY) (July 2010)

Bankruptcy Stuns Fans of Wayside, Park Seed, Jackson and Perkins

        The economy is picking up, but it’s still a tough world out there. On April 2, three of the oldest and most highly respected plant suppliers in the country filed for bankruptcy protection. According to a spokesperson for the three, “The horticulture industry is challenging and highly seasonal in the best of times. As the general economic situation declined starting in 2008, demand for luxury, non-essential purchases dropped sharply. . . . Seeking court protection and restructuring is clearly our best option for returning to a position where we can focus on delighting our customers.”
        We wish our colleagues at Wayside, Park, and J and P all the best as they face the challenges ahead. We can’t imagine American gardening without them. (May 2010)

Laughing Locally: Arlo and Janis Grow Their Own

        Last week my favorite comic-strip couple did what a lot of us are doing this spring: they planted vegetables. And, as usual, they not only made me laugh, they got me thinking. You can enjoy their week-long adventure at comics.com/arlo&janis/2010-04-12/. Click on the arrow by the date above the strip to continue to the next day’s installment. You could also ask Comics.com to email “Arlo and Janis” (or dozens of other comics) to you every morning. It’s free and, like gardening, laughing is good for you. (May 2010)

Eating Locally: The Year’s First Asparagus

        On one of our first dates, my wife Jane took me searching for asparagus growing along the roadsides out by her family’s farm. Unfortunately, we’d picked just two stalks when our car got stuck in the mud and we had to call a tow truck. That wasn’t a lot of fun, but it’s a happy memory now and we laugh about it every spring when our favorite vegetable finally comes back into season here in Michigan. From mid-April till we can’t get it anymore, we eat asparagus from our local Farmers’ Market every single day. At first we just want it steamed or grilled (perfection!), but eventually we get around to recipes like this easy one from the old “Cartoon Kitchen” (anyone remember that?) which we hope you’ll enjoy:

        asparagus (1/4 lb. per person)
        rotini, penne, or similar pasta (two handfuls per person)
        grated Parmesan cheese
        butter (one pat per person)
        black pepper, salt to taste
        Bring salted water to boil while washing asparagus. Break stalks into 2-inch pieces. Cook pasta according to directions. Steam asparagus for 3-4 minutes. Drain pasta. Put pasta and asparagus in serving bowl. Add butter, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Stir until butter is melted and serve immediately. (May 2010)

109-Year-Old Bulb Burning Bright

        For a different kind of heirloom bulb, check out the illuminating website of Livermore, California’s Centennial Light Bulb. Installed in a firehouse in 1901, it’s the longest-burning incandescent bulb in the country. You can’t plant it, but that kind of longevity is impressive no matter what! (Feb. 2010)

Narcissus Stamps to Celebrate Year of the Tiger

        For centuries, cluster-flowered tazetta narcissus much like our ‘Grand Primo’ and ‘Avalanche’ have been an important part of New Year’s festivities in Asia. Their gold cups symbolize wealth, and if they bloom on New Year’s Day, it’s said you’ll have luck and prosperity throughout the year. To celebrate New Year’s Day for the year 4707 which is coming up February 14, the post office is issuing a bright red 44-cent stamp decorated with these traditional narcissus. Take a look! (Jan. 2010)

Bulbs Gone Wild: Craving Spring

        If you’re already looking forward to spring, this poem’s for you. Written this past March by our good customer Stephani Franklin of Tulsa, it’s so far from smarmy it may deserve a warning label, but we love how it captures the desperate exuberance that all of Nature seems to feel as spring gets near. (Stephani added in a post-script, “Don’t worry, it melted, they all survived.”)

“March Snow”
by Stephani Franklin

Icy morning penance
Catches revelers off guard
To their sorrow;
Affirms ascetics
Of their canon.
Snug under a blanket of
Mulch and warming earth,
Smug, biding their time
Reciting pious axioms,
“Good things come to those who wait.”
“Patience is a virtue.”

I lament the carousers:
Heads bowed, freezing;
Icicles dripping from
Outstretched frond.
I craved spring.
They felt my longing and obliged
Cheerfully, foolishly,
Bad influences, egging each other on
“It’s spring somewhere, let’s get this party started.
Laissez le bon temps roulet!”
As midnight
Skulked in the alley.

For a few short days
They were the life of the party;
First krewe in the parade.
Staggering, laughing
Leaning on one another
Lifting their shirts
With a boozy wink,
“Throw me some bead, mister!”
Thumbing their nose at forty days
Of ash and deprivation
And me cheering them on
From my kitchen window.

The virtuous will see the sunrise
On Easter morning.
They always do.
But I won’t need them
In April.
They’ll emerge in a din
Azaleas, quince, iris, peony,
Sunday morning congregation
Reverently filing in
Just another fancy hat in the pew

I will remember my good time friends;
The lovely drunks
Singing a little too loud,
Swaying in my yard
At the tail-end of winter.
Who came out when they shouldn’t
Who misbehaved.
Who knew better.
But did, anyway.
Cheers!
(Nov. 2009)

“Now is the Best Time of Year to Be a Gardener”

        Would you agree? Our friend Jessica Walliser made that claim recently in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. See what you think:
        “Right now is the best time of the year to be a gardener. The weather is getting cooler, the grass is about as green as it gets, the zucchini finally have stopped torturing you (and your neighbors), and you get to start planting again.
        “Autumn weather is made for planting. The soil is still warm and perfect for supporting good root growth, and the cooler air temperatures encourage only moderate top growth. These are ideal conditions for establishing everything hardy – from shrubs and trees to vines and perennials. And, let’s not forget about planting the pinnacle of popularity this time of year: bulbs.”
        Radio host and author of Grow Organic, Jessica also praised us for the “unmistakable joy and intriguing history” in our catalog, for holding the line on prices, and for getting so many of our bulbs from small American farmers. (Oct. 2009)

Laughing with Bulbs: Doonesbury’s Zonker

        Even Doonesbury’s Zonker Harris is planting bulbs this fall. For six days of laughs, go to doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html?uc_full_date=20090928. Click the “Next” tab at the top of each comic to see them all. There’s also a link just above that to “Latest FAQ: Why do bulbs keep coming up in Doonesbury?”
        We bet you’ll recognize a bit of yourself – and us – in the strips. Happy laughing! (Oct. 2009)

Congratulations to Our Newest Master Gardener!

        We’re happy to announce that Renee Hytinen, who does more than anyone else here to keep our Trial Garden thriving, has successfully completed Master Gardener training! She joins five of our crew who are already MGs: Rita, Mary Beth, Kelly, Arlene, and Karen – and Rob has his application in for the next term. To learn more about this terrific, nationwide, volunteer program and where you can take the training, go to http://www.ahs.org/master_gardeners/. (Apr. 2009)

New Hope for Zone-Stretching Gardeners

        A brief note in the current April issue of Garden Gate magazine tells of a new development that could have North Dakota gardeners growing cannas year-round:
        “Scientists at Miami University and the University of Alabama have developed a spray called Freeze-Pruf which improves a plant’s cold tolerance by 2.2 to 9.4 degrees F, depending on the species. This solution works kind of like antifreeze by lowering the level at which a plant’s tissue is damaged by cold. . . . [It also] prevents ice crystals from forming in a way that damages plant cells. It’s been used successfully on palms, house plants, bananas, citrus plants, and a variety of flowers, . . . [and] it’s safe for vegetables, too. Spray Freeze-Pruf once in the fall, right before a freeze, to extend your tomato [or dahlia!] season. Or improve your temperature zone by about 200 miles for your favorite banana. . . . Developers expect to have Freeze-Pruf available for purchase within the year.” (Apr. 2009)

Buying Local: Our Bulbs Help Feed Your Neighbors

        When you buy your bulbs from us, you’re giving a whole lot of your neighbors right here in America something better than a bailout – a job that allows them to continue paying their bills and feeding their families.
        Unlike virtually everywhere else you can buy bulbs, we’ve always sought out American growers. In fact, this spring a whopping 85% of our sales are for bulbs grown for us here in the USA.
        When you buy our dahlias, for example, you’re supporting 13 full-time and 12 seasonal workers at a family farm in Oregon.
        Our glads support 12 full-time and 80 seasonal workers at a family farm in Michigan, 5 full-time and 20 seasonal workers at a family nursery in West Virginia, and a husband and wife team in Maine.
        Our cannas and daylilies support 4 full-time and 6 seasonal workers at a family farm in Missouri as well as 7 full-time and 30 seasonal workers at a family farm in Oklahoma where the owner emailed us recently: “We are thankful to do what we do and that this business generates income for many families in our rural area.”
        When you buy our ‘Mexican Single’ tuberoses, you’re supporting 2 full-time and 15 seasonal workers at a family farm in Illinois. Our iris are grown and shipped by 25 full-time and 150 seasonal workers at a family farm in Oregon. And our montbretia and St. Joseph’s lilies are nurtured by a very active retired couple in Alabama.
        And then there’s us. Not counting Charlie (since he’s a cat), there are 7 of us working here year-round and another 9 during our two busy shipping seasons.
        Final tally = 79 full-time and 322 seasonal workers who are VERY glad when you buy your spring-planted bulbs from OHG. On behalf of all of us, thank you! (Apr. 2009)

“In the Dirt”: A Gardener’s Song for Tough Times

        Our good customer Karen Savoca is a gifted singer-songwriter whose funky, melodic, highly personal songs have gained her a loyal following across the country. If she and her guitar-wizard husband Pete are ever performing anywhere near you, go! They’re mesmerizing, and a whole lot of fun. One of Karen’s songs has been echoing through my head recently, and she was happy to let us share the lyrics with you. We hope you’ll find it a helpful tonic for these challenging times. (You can listen to it here or buy it from iTunes for $.99!) (Mar. 2009)

gonna dig down in the dirt
get it all over my skin
sleep real well and up with the sun
do it all over again
        dig down dig down
        way way down in the ground

gonna dig down in the dirt
feel it between my toes
gonna find out what every farmer knows
there down in the dirt
        dig down dig down
        way way down in the ground

gonna dig down in the dirt
plant good things to eat
gonna heel it in with my own two feet
way down in the dirt
        dig down dig down
        way way down in the ground

gonna dig down in the dirt
where all the good things grow
gonna have a long talk with mother earth
she knows how to soothe my soul
        dig down dig down
        way way down in the ground

whatcha gonna do when you've had enough
        when the bills pile up
        when the water's too deep
        when the hill's too steep
                dig down dig down

whatcha gonna do with a head full of bees
        when you're tired of sayin' please
        when the motor won't run
        when you're feelin' done
                dig down dig down

whatcha gonna do when the baby can't sleep
        when you're too tired to weep
        in a world full of schemes
        to remember your dreams
                dig down dig down

(Mar. 2009)

Got Too Many Plastic Pots? Try This!

        If your pile of empty plastic pots and cell-packs is getting dangerously high because you hate to send them to the landfill, here’s an earth-friendly solution. Last fall our friends at Milwaukee’s Boerner Botanical Gardens and UW-Extension hosted a Plastic Pot Recycling Weekend. They invited local gardeners to bring in their empty plastic pots, cell-packs, garden trays, hanging baskets, fertilizer and mulch bags, greenhouse poly film, irrigation drip tape, and landscape edging to be shredded on site by a company that makes plastic lumber for decking and outdoor furniture.
        With the help of 50 Master Gardener volunteers, the event netted a staggering 21.5 tons of plastic! Another weekend is already in the works, and we’re hoping maybe you’ll be inspired to help get one started in your neck of the woods. To learn more, email patrice.peltier@ces.uwex.edu or call 414-525-5638. (Feb. 2009)

Mourning Ed McRae, Champion of Lilies

        American gardening lost a great friend with the passing of lily expert Edward McRae late last year. Born in Scotland, Eddie moved to Oregon in 1961 and spent the rest of his life growing, hybridizing, and promoting lilies. In 1995 he launched the Species Lilies Preservation Group, and in 1998 he summed up a lifetime’s worth of knowledge in Lilies: A Guide for Growers and Collectors.
        Most importantly to us, Eddie was “our” lily grower, and opening his boxes of freshly dug, beautiful bulbs was always one of the highlights our fall shipping season. A small clump of his stunning red form of Lilium canadense soldiers on in our garden, and I’m sure we’ll enjoy it more than ever this summer, remembering and missing him. (Jan. 2009)

Happy 250th Birthday, Pittsburgh!

        One of my favorite cities is celebrating its 250th birthday this year, as I was recently reminded by an insightful article from the Associated Press. Pittsburgh is a Rust Belt city that’s been doggedly transforming itself into a vibrant, livable 21st-century city without losing sight of its past. It has a spectacular natural setting; diverse, lively neighborhoods; the historic, revitalized Phipps Conservatory – and I could go on and on. Add it to your list of places to explore, and if you’re one of our many friends who live there, congratulations and Happy Birthday! (Dec. 2008)

Now Online: Extended Info on 8 Bulbs of the Year!

        Only our most exciting bulbs are crowned Bulb of the Year. For a list of all 16, visit our brand new Bulb of the Year page. Click on the “Learn more” links there and you’ll be taken to our original press releases announcing eight of the winners, each full of information we just can’t squeeze into a catalog description. You might get so inspired you’ll want to put together your own Bulbs of the Year sampler. Enjoy! (Oct. 2008)

Don’t Bury Your Money in the Backyard, Plant Bulbs!

        In troubled times like these, flower bulbs are one of the smartest investments you can make. And what other luxury costs so little? For a few dollars you get months of anticipation, weeks of beauty, fragrance, and pride when they bloom, and – as long as you meet their simple needs – they multiply happily year after year. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the Fed knows what it’s doing, but we’re also hoping that you’re like us – and that nothing’s going to stop you from planting some very special bulbs this fall. (Sept. 2008)

Anniversary Party Favors from the Hortus

        To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the Hortus Bulborum has printed four snazzy bookmarks, each decorated with antique bulb illustrations, and they’ve given us 1000 of them to share with you. We’ll tuck one into every order we ship this fall that includes a bulb we get from the Hortus (while supplies last). If you see “from the Hortus” in the description of any bulb you’ve ordered – or will order – for delivery this fall, you’ll get a bookmark! (Aug. 2008)

An Unexpected Tote-Bag Testimonial

        Our brand-new Heirloom Bulbs Tote-Bags are getting rave reviews from some very demanding critics: our staff. Twenty-something Renee Hytinen, for example, found a couple of unorthodox uses for it on a recent weekend trip to Lake Michigan.
        First she filled it with ice and beer and lugged it down to the beach. That worked so well, she told us with excitement, that later on the ferry ride to Manitou Island when the waves got rough and she started feeling green at the gills, she kept it close at hand, confident that it would also make a leak-proof – and elegant – barf bag. (Jul. 2008)

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! (Feb. 2008)

        Here’s a cheery little treat from our friend Linda Beutler of Portland, Oregon, author of the fabulous Garden to Vase: Growing and Using Your Own Cut Flowers. She writes, “Some of us here have started a little horticultural singing group, The Goddess Flora Chorus and Dead-heading Society. I’m their principal lyricist, and I was very much thinking of Old House Gardens when I penned the following. (For maximum pleasure, sing it aloud to a friend!)”

“Catalog in Hand” (to the tune of “Winter Wonderland”), by Linda Beutler

Post man rings,
Are you listening?
In the box,
Paper’s glistening,
A beautiful sight,
On this autumn night,
Walking ’round with catalog in hand!

Gotta get
Bulbs for spring time,
Order now, it’ll save time,
My order is long,
Hope nothing goes wrong,
Walking ’round with catalog in hand!

On the internet there are more pictures,
But how to know the server is secure?
They all want my VISA information,
And I just want some tulips to endure!

Later on
I’ll perspire,
A hot flash, by the fire,
There’s buyer’s remorse,
And no room of course,
Walking ’round with catalog in hand,

In a meadow I could naturalize you.
Narcissus as far as I can see,
Lots of little crocus tantalize you,
But they don’t give those bulbs away for free . . .

If it snows
I’ll be knowing,
In the ground,
Bulbs are growing,
And it’ll be grand, a true wonderland,
Walking ’round with catalog in hand! (Dec. 2007)

Tour the Hortus Bulborum and Holland in April!

        Imagine hundreds of rare old tulip varieties blooming in a vast patchwork of color alongside a tiny medieval church. That’s the Hortus Bulborum, and in April you can be there as part of a special “Holland for Horticulturists” tour co-sponsored by the Hortus and Maryland’s Cylburn Arboretum. Spend eight days visiting Keukenhof, Palace Het Loo, the Boskoop nurseries, and more, for just $2500 per person, airfare included. For more info, contact our friend Jane.Baldwin@Cylburnassociation.org. (Nov. 2007)

Heirloom Tulip Wallpaper by Bradbury and Bradbury

        This Arts-and-Crafts wallpaper frieze in ochre, olive, and sienna would be gorgeous even if it didn’t feature tulips. See for yourself at the website of California’s famed Bradbury and Bradbury Art Wallpapers. While you’re there, you may find the perfect wallpaper for your Victorian parlor or 1950s rumpus room, too! (Sept. 2007)

Garden For Tradition

        The National Garden Bureau offers eight great reasons to try gardening, starting with this one which we, of course, loved:
        “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, click here. (Aug. 2007)

Save the Pollinators!

        Have you seen the beautiful new pollinator stamps? With intertwining images of four native flowers being pollinated by a bee, butterfly, hummingbird, and bat, they were released in June to celebrate the first annual Pollinator Week.
        To learn more about pollinator-friendly gardening, visit www.pollinator.org and www.nappc.org. Horticulture magazine encourages gardeners to support pollinators by “planting native plants and heirloom varieties” – and we completely agree! A few pollinator favorites in our gardens are ‘Cloth of Gold’ crocus and camassia for bees, and Canna indica and ‘Atom’ gladiolus for hummingbirds. Please tell us about yours! (Aug. 2007)

Sticker Shock in “Tulip City”

        We’ve worked hard to hold the line on prices, but with the euro at record levels, Dutch-grown bulbs are costing more throughout the US this fall. In Holland, Michigan, that’s an especially big problem.
        Founded by Dutch immigrants, Holland celebrates its heritage every spring with a week-long Tulip Time Festival that features six million tulips in bloom. (Yes, six million!) Every fall, to keep things looking their best, the city plants about 400,000 new bulbs. Last year the bulbs cost the city $55,000, but this year the lowest bid was more than 20% higher, a whopping $66,393. City council finally approved the purchase, but not before taking a couple of weeks to recover from sticker-shock. (Aug. 2007)

Bad News for Bulb Lovers: Euro at All-time High

        Once again we managed to hold the line and even reduce prices for many bulbs in this year’s catalog. Unfortunately, we also ended up raising more than we’d like, mainly for varieties grown in the Netherlands where the euro continues to soar. Not so many years ago the euro was worth about $.85, but as the Associated Press reported just last week, “The euro shot to an all-time high against the US dollar Tuesday, [reaching] $1.3738, its highest level since the 13-nation currency started trading in 1999.” (July 2007)

“Bud Burst” Wants Your Help Tracking Global Warming

        You can help scientists investigate global warming in your own backyard! Gardeners and other “citizen-scientists” are being recruited to note when native plants in their area — including many common garden flowers — first leaf out and bloom. The data will help scientists track the arrival of spring, which since 1955 is coming about six days earlier in the Northern Hemisphere. Several universities and federal agencies are participating, as are elementary and high school students across the country. To find out more, visit www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/. (April 2007)

Celebrating Linnaeus’s 300th Birthday

        This May 23, how about lifting a glass of dandelion wine and toasting the 300th birthday of Linnaeus? This great Swedish botanist created our system for classifying living things into species and larger groups and standardized Latin names into simple “binomials” such as Lilium auratum instead of names that were often dozens of words long. “His contribution to our passion for plant life should make a great party mandatory,” writes Jim Black in the excellent new MasterGardener magazine. And in case you’re hesitating, he adds dryly, “It’s unlikely any of us will make the Quadracentenary.” (April 2007)

David and Goliath in the Garden

        A recent report says that 70% of all lawn and garden sales are rung up by Home Depot, Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart. We shop the big-box stores, too, but imagine this: If that percentage ever reaches 100%, how will that affect your gardening?
        More than ever, thanks for spending some of your garden dollars with us! (Aug. 2006)

Heronwood’s Closing Prompts Tears, Laughter, Advice

        Sometimes a little laughter is the best medicine. Mary Higgins of Cambridge, MA, emailed us recently:
        “Heronswood is closing? That’s horrible! I should have suspected something was up when those pig dogs stopped producing the print catalogue this year. . . . Please don’t ever sell Old House Gardens to Wal-Mart or Haliburton.”
        Don’t worry, we won’t! But we do agree with this advice from Tony Avent: “What’s the lesson here? If you have a favorite nursery, patronize it. Are you one of those sitting there wishing you had sent in your Heronswood order earlier? Lesson learned: If you see a special plant at a mail-order nursery, don’t wait because tomorrow may be too late.” (June 2006)

Just in Time for Summer: Red Velvet (Lily) Cake Recipe

        Red Velvet is a wonderfully deep-colored lily, but I had always puzzled about its name because it didn’t match any red velvet I’d ever seen. [Our former office manager] Rachel set me straight 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! (June 2006)

Farewell to Flora Ann Bynum

        Many of us who love historic gardens were broken-hearted when we learned of the death on March 17 of Flora Ann Bynum. One of the warmest, most genuine people you could ever hope to meet, Flora Ann was devoted to her family and a wide circle of friends in historic Old Salem, NC, as well as in the Southern Garden History Society and all across the country. She founded and worked tirelessly for decades leading the SGHS and landscape-preservation efforts in Old Salem. She had a special affection for Roman hyacinths, making herself the country’s leading expert on these all-but-lost Southern heirlooms, and her big, old-fashioned garden on Main Street became a local landmark. The garden history community has lost one of its brightest lights, the world has lost an amazing human being, and we have lost a good friend who we will miss forever. (March 2006)

Christopher Lloyd Now Gardening in Paradise

        Open-minded and fun-loving, Christopher Lloyd was one of my favorite gardeners. He had the vision and courage to champion plants like Wyoming cannas and Byzantine glads twenty years ago when most people were scorning them, and he never lost his child-like sense of wonder. To read a great tribute to him by our friend Ken Druse, visit kendruse.typepad.com/the_newsletters/2006/02/farewell_to_the.html. For a look at his inspiring gardens at Great Dixter, and to help support their preservation, visit greatdixter.co.uk/index.htm. (Feb. 2006)

Vandals Uproot Historic Iris at Renowned Presby Gardens

        Shocking news reached us in early August. In the words of Philip Read:
        “It’s the botanical equivalent of attempted murder. A swath of New Jersey’s nationally known Presby Memorial Iris Gardens has been ravaged, with some 150 plants uprooted and tossed about like weeds. . . . The plants in beds 26 and 29, two of the gardens’ oldest, were discovered Wednesday afternoon lying on the grass after being yanked out of the newly restored beds. Worse, the metal spikes identifying their heritage were tossed too. . . . An Iris Restoration Fund has been established and a $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.” (Sept. 2005)

Hurricane-Ravaged Historic Sites Need Our Help, Too

        The Gulf Coast is rich in history, and hundreds of historic buildings and gardens were devastated by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. To help, please join us in making a contribution to the Hurricane Relief Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To learn more, click here. (Sept. 2005)

Diversity Diminishes As Big Growers Rely on Unskilled Labor

        Steve Vinisky of Cherry Creek Daffodils posted this message to Daffnet, the American Daffodil Society’s email discussion group:
        “One hundred years ago, over 400 named hyacinths existed. Today roughly 80 exist in the trade and of those, only 30 or so are available in tonnage. Crocus stocks, especially species, are being reduced severely as knowledgeable help to rogue the fields (weed out erroneous bulbs) is becoming a serious problem.
        “During a visit to Holland a couple of years ago, I asked my grower host friend why there were so many Russian Lada automobiles parked along many bulb fields. His embarrassed reply was that field help appears seasonally from all of the former Eastern Bloc countries as illegal farm labor which skirts the Dutch social welfare laws (and cost burden). Knowledgeable Dutch housewives were the traditional labor pool for hundreds of years. As in the USA, a farm wife in Holland today is probably employed outside of the home. Fewer cultivars makes it far easier for unskilled, casual laborers, to maintain plantings without being knowledgeable about what it is that is actually being grown.” (Nov. 2004)

Celebrate Our Aztec Tuberoses with Antique Chocolate

        The tuberose, our Spring-Planted Heirloom Bulb of the Year, is one of the Aztecs’ great gifts to the world. Chocolate is another. And now you can taste chocolate the way it was enjoyed back in the days of the Aztecs!
        A sign at Zingerman’s, our local, world-class deli, caught my eye: “Antique Chocolate.” I picked up a bar and read the label: “Xocoatl . . . was introduced to Europe by the Spanish in the 16th century, who had learned the process from the marvelous Meso-American people. Since 1880, the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto continues to make this chocolate with the same ingredients and methodology that was passed on from the ancient Aztec civilization.”
        I had never tasted chocolate like this before! Enraptured, I sampled another old-style chocolate from Oaxaca, Mexico. Zingerman’s description fits both well: “The texture is coarse, with little sugar crystals exploding in your mouth and a dark, subtle, cinnamon and smoke flavor.”
        For your own taste, visit our friends at zingermans.com and enter either Bonajuto or Oaxacan in their search box. Tell them we sent you, and enjoy! (April 2004)

Our Gift for You – A Spring Bouquet for Your Desktop

        Instead of a blank computer screen staring back at you all day, now you can enjoy spring every day with our very first Old House Gardens desktop background (it’s like a screen-saver that doesn’t move). Remember the luscious bouquet on the back cover of our catalog? Now you can download and install it as a background SO EASILY that even the most inexperienced computer-user can do it in seconds. Click here and enjoy! (Dec. 2003)

Timeless Advice

        We’d like to second this advice from the September 1982 edition of The Mayflower magazine:
        “Try ordering your bulbs early this year. No home can afford to be without the refining influence of flowers.” (2000-01 catalog)

Why Save Old Bulbs?

        Carolyn Jabs offers one good answer to that question in her excellent The Heirloom Gardener (1984):
        “Each time we permit an old variety to become extinct, we sacrifice part of our heritage. Those who ask why we need more than a few varieties of beans or corn [or bulbs] might as well wonder why a library needs more than one book on a subject.” (2000-01 catalog)

Another Reason Why Modern Bulbs Often Disappoint Gardeners

        Don Egger writing in the 1998 Lily Yearbook of the North American Lily Society explains:
        “Before tissue culture . . . of lilies was common, new varieties had to be carefully propagated by scaling or . . . seed, [so] it took years to multiply commercial quantities . . . . During this time viruses and disease would take their toll . . . . Only the [toughest] of new varieties lasted long enough to be offered to the trade.
        “Tissue culture technology has changed that. New clones can be micro-propagated with such speed that clones are on the market before they can succumb to virus . . . . While providing us with a vast assortment of new varieties to grow, it has made it all too easy to produce vast numbers of lilies that are not well suited for the home garden due to their virus sensitivity . . . .
        “It’s obvious why the best varieties have been around for such a long time: they are inexpensive to propagate, and easy to grow, and virus tolerant. These old-timers have proven that they will survive for many years in the garden without pampering.” (2000-01 catalog)

For articles on more like this on other topics, please see our main Newsletter Archives page.