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[mailto:] Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 5:43 PM
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Subject: Old Bulbs Gazette, April 2008
Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette
Old House Gardens, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103, (734) 995-1486
“When a young man presents a tulip to his mistress he gives her to understand, by the general color of the flower that he is on fire with her beauty, and by the black base of it that his heart is burnt to a coal.”
— Sir John Chardin, Travels of Sir John Chardin into Persia and the East Indies, 1711
Shipping Is in Full Swing — And You Can Still Order!
Today is Day 9 of spring shipping. Woo-hoo! Orders to warmer areas have been flying out the door, and by the end of the month we’ll have every order shipped.
Despite record sales (thanks!), we still have plenty of great bulbs for you to plant this spring for summer beauty and fun.
Can’t decide? Try our fabulous “Intro to Heirlooms” or other samplers. Or check out our dahlias for bouquets, fragrant Aztec tuberoses, small-flowered glads, hummingbird-magnet cannas, and potted St. Joseph’s amaryllis at our lowest price ever!
Customer Raves: Another Glad-Hater Converted by Our Heirlooms
Last summer, Kerry Hoffman of Clara’s Meadow Flower & Herb Farm in Watsontown, Pennsylvania, wrote us in excitement:
“Just wanted to tell you how absolutely GORGEOUS the glads are that I planted this spring. I’m a cut-flower market grower, and I stayed away from gladiolus because they were just too big for my bouquets and, truthfully, rather gaudy looking to me. But your heirloom varieties are stunning! They’re an absolute hit with my customers, too. ‘Atom’ was the first to bloom last week, and everyone wanted to know its name. I love you guys. I will buy from you faithfully forever and ever and ever.”
Hyacinth History Now Online
Once the world’s most popular bulb, hyacinths have been cherished in gardens since the days of Greece and Rome. Very few people know anything of their history, though, so we recently posted a terrific short history of hyacinths at our website. We bet you’ll find it fascinating!
Two Ugly Little Buggers: Daffodil Bulb Fly and Gladiolus Thrips
Deer-proof and rodent-proof, daffodils have only one pest that troubles them, the elusive daffodil bulb fly. And late spring is when it shows up in the garden. To learn more, visit our new web-page at oldhousegardens.com/DaffodilFly.asp .
Thrips can be just as destructive. These almost invisible insects suck the life out of glads. To learn about their warning signs and how to protect your glads, check out our new web-page at oldhousegardens.com/thrips.asp .
DaffSeek.org Offers Thousands of Photos, Wants Yours
DaffSeek.org is a great place to see and learn about thousands of daffodils. Sponsored by the American Daffodil Society, this simple website includes some 18,000 varieties that visitors can search by name, type, date, color, bloom season, and other criteria. Enter “1914,” for example, and you’ll get a list of 54 introduced that year, with photos of 12 including the charming ‘Daphne’ which we’ll be offering in our new catalog.
When the folks at DaffSeek asked to use 50 of our photos, we were happy to oblige. You can help, too, by sending clear, close-up photos to site-master Nancy Tackett at . She asks that you please:
1. Take more than one photo of the same flower but from different angles such as front, side, etc.
2. Send JPG files only, and in the original or highest possible resolution.
3. For the filename, use the name of the daffodil as it appears in DaffSeek — for example Grand Primo.jpg.
4. If you send multiple photos of one variety, put a comma and ver# after the name — for example Sir Watkin, ver2.jpg .
170 photographers from fifteen countries have already contributed photos to DaffSeek. Yours could be there, too, enjoyed and appreciated by daffodil enthusiasts around the world!
Did You Miss Our Last Newsletter? Read It Online!
March’s articles included the country’s liveliest cemetery, historic plant labels, 1942 rain lilies, crocus humor, and more. You can read all 72 of our back-issues — by date or by TOPIC — at oldhousegardens.com/NewsletterArchives.asp .
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