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Fall-Planted Rarest
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Our 2008 Fall-Planted Heirloom Bulb of the Year

CHESTNUT FLOWER Heirloom Flower Bulb of the Year

double CHESTNUT FLOWER, 1880
     The starry, overstuffed florets of this petite Victorian double are a lovely “dawn pink.” Though double hyacinths were once the most prized, today only a handful survive. To celebrate – and help save – their complex, old-fashioned beauty, we’ve named this glorious relic our Fall 2008 Bulb of the Year! 10-12 inches, zones 5-8aS/10W, from Holland. Chart to compare.
      And don’t miss our new Doubles Delight sampler with all four of our fabulous double hyacinths.
For prices or to order, click here.

Web-Only Treasures
     Every year we get a handful of spectacular bulbs that are so rare we can offer them ONLINE ONLY. To view or order these treasures, please click here, or for an email alert the moment they go on sale, subscribe to our free email newsletter.


Our Fall-Planted Crown Jewels
Throughout our site, these treasures are highlighted with a green or purple bar and the word RAREST. Most you can’t get anywhere else in North America, and the rest you’d be very hard-pressed to find. That makes them extra-endangered — and extra-exciting in the garden.
     Capitals indicate bulbs that are NEW or returned to our catalog after a hiatus.

Negro Boy Heirloom Crocus
Negro Boy, 1910


Horn of Plenty Heirloom Daffodil
Horn of Plenty, 1947


Orange Phoenix Heirloom Daffodil
Orange Phoenix, 1731


Vuurbaak Heirloom Hyacinth
Vuurbaak, 1948


Cafe Brun Heirloom Tulip
Café Brun, 1840

Byzantine Glad Heirloom Gladiolus
Gladiolus Byzantinus, 1629
CROCUS
Cloth of Gold, 1587 — bees flock to this “Turkey crocus”
Negro Boy, 1910 — darkest of all
Peter Pan, 1943 — innocent white from WW II

DAFFODILS
APRIL QUEEN, 1938 — bright, flame-kissed cup
Broughshane, 1938 — amber-white Irish trumpet
CHINITA, 1922 — fragrant, pale amber moons
Colleen Bawn, 1885 — demure, nodding white trumpet
Conspicuus, 1869 — Victorian butterflies
DAPHNE, 1914 — ADS 2008 Best Historic Daffodil
Dick Wellband, 1921 — deep orange and cream
Early Pearl, 1899 — early, fragrant, and luminous
Firetail, 1910 — is its cup truly RED?
Golden Spur, 1885 — extra-early Victorian trumpet
HORACE, 1894 — poet of carpe diem
HORN OF PLENTY, 1947 — long, dramatic bells
INSULINDE, 1921 — graceful, exuberant double
Little Witch, 1921 — cute little pixie with swept-back petals
LOUISE DE COLIGNY, 1940 — sweet-scented apricot beauty
Lucifer, 1890 — angel wings, devilish cup
MARJORIE HINE, 1943 — extravagantly ruffled
MARTHA WASHINGTON, 1927 — jewel-like colors, warm perfume
Mrs. Langtry, 1869 — crinkled canary cup ringed with gold
Niveth, 1931 — Thalia’s elegant, uptown cousin
ORANGE PHOENIX, EGGS & BACON, 1731 — cottage-garden classic
Princeps, 1830 — graceful white and yellow wildling
Red Devon, 1943 — powerful yellow and orange
ROSE OF MAY, 1950 — rose-like shape and fragrance
SHIRLEY TEMPLE, 1937 — broad ivory ruff with a sunny rosette
VERGER, 1930 — as brilliant as a cathedral window

HYACINTHS
Queen of the Blues, 1870 — soft, silvery blue
Roman Blue, 1562 — wildflowery, and it multiplies!
Roman Pink, 1573 — wildflowery, pink, and wonderful
Vuurbaak, 1948 — deepest rose

TULIPS
clusiana, 1607 — original WHITE & red
Absalon, 1780 — chocolate and chestnut on gold
Alabaster, 1942 — long-lasting, fragrant white
CAFE BRUN, 1840 — over-caffeinated and very cool
CARDINAL RAMPOLLA, 1913 — burnt orange on dusky gold
COLUMBINE, 1929 — purple, lace-like tracery
COTTAGE MAID, 1857 — rose and white sweetheart
DUC VAN TOL AURORA, 1700 — tiny yellow flamed with red
Duc van Tol Rose, 1700 — tiny pink and white ballerina
Elegans Alba, 1895 — fragrant vanilla
GLORIA NIGRORUM, 1837 — dark violet splashed on cream
Golden Harvest, 1928 — fresh, dewy yellow
Greuze, 1891 — rich, deep purple
Insulinde, 1914 — enjoy its enchanting transformation
JAMES WILD, 1890 — gloriously amber-brown
Lac van Rijn, 1620 — ancient, purple-red & ivory
Lincolnshire, 1942 — American-grown ruby
MARKGRAAF VAN BADEN, 1750 — molten-lava “dragon” tulip
PRELUDIUM, 1945 — rose-pink over ivory
Prince of Austria, 1860 — fragrant and enduring
RED HUE, 1700? — edgy, off-kilter viridiflora
SILVER STANDARD, 1760 — dazzling red on white
The Lizard, 1903 — flames of lilac and rose on cream
Willem van Oranje, 1933 — Renoir coppery-peach

DIVERSE
antique freesia, 1878 — super fragrant naturalizer
Byzantine gladiolus, 1629 — true stock!


Click here to see WHAT’S NEW this year.

Click here to see our SPRING-PLANTED RAREST bulbs.

Click here to see our CUSTOMERS’ FAVORITES, our best-selling bulbs.

Click here to see our SPRING-PLANTED SAMPLERS, collections to bloom in summer.

Click here to see our FALL-PLANTED SAMPLERS, collections to bloom in spring.



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