Daily Dose Blogger Bios

Heirloom Treasures!

I'm in the throes of plant lust. I just received a copy of Old House Gardens -Heirloom Bulbs for Every Garden. I have to sneak it into the house so my husband doesn't see it - I hide it in last month's Vanity Fair...he thinks I'm reading about the difficulty of being Hilary Swank, but I'm planning on acquiring some serious heirloom bulbs.

Living in a hot place, heirloom bulbs aren't my gardening forte, but I have a deep desire to have them in my garden. I know my tulips and daffodils will never be as glorious as the ones planted by gardeners in, let's say, New Jersey - and I'll have to re-plant them every year - but I am up to the challenge. Some might say these bulbs won't make sense in my tough, succulent heavy landscape ... well, we'lll see, won't we? I like being the mad scientist of gardening! And besides, part of the name of this outfit is "Heirloom Bulbs for Every Garden". And that means mine, too.

I know I can have success with lilies - I have before ... and I think my garden can use the mid-summer drama they'll provide. Operatic drama. My eyes well up with tears when I look at the images of them - you have to drop everything and go to www.oldhousegardens.com to see what I mean.
One of the best things about these gorgeous heirlooms is that you can grow most of them in pots - you can even put some of them in a dish of water and pebbles and grow them on your dining room table! The website has plenty of information and goodwill for the bulb newcomer, (like me), and the pictures of the flowers are so lovely ...
Keep reading to find out what I'm getting for my fall bulb planting -

I don't have heirloom diamonds, but I'm gonna get myself some heirloom bulbs!

The Hardy Byzantine Gladiola - is Old House Garden's Fall-Planted Bulb of the Year! To me, the word 'gladiola' usually means 'not in my flower arrangement', but this isn't one of those overstuffed flower sticks you find in your grocery store's flower section. It is - dare I say - an elegant gladiola.
Lilium 'Black Beauty' - I GREW THIS LILY IN MY GARDEN! Then a plumber dug up the bulb while replacing a sewer line. The flowers are deep raspberry with a green throat - but words don't do it justice.
Lilium pardalinum - the Leopard Lily - wow. The photo of it is off the hook. The colors are like a sunset that you fall in love to. I must have it or I'll explode.
Lilium speciosum 'Rubrum' - if you think a stargazer lily is beautiful, just you wait. This is a stunner, and smells like it should be bottled by Frederic Malle.
Lilium 'Red Velvet' - I have the perfect spot for this lily. Actually, I think everyone has the perfect spot for this lily.
Lilium hansonii - It's an amber colored lily. 'Nuff said.
Daffodil 'Dreamlight'- is just so serene. I need some serene in my garden. I see these weaving around my dark Aeoniums 'Schwartzkopf'.
D. 'Little Witch' - I can't resist the name!
D. 'Rip Van Winkle' - looks like a firecracker explosion of yellow. How could I not get it?
Tulipa acuminata - is it really a tulip, or is it a crazy kind of spider? Unusual is my thing, after all...
T. ‘Absalon’ - a brown tulip. What a misfit - a spring flower, brown! I am it’s friend. It has a home in my garden.

I think these beauties are going to take my planting to sublime new level... do you agree?