As you may know, the Dutch Royal Family is called The House of Orange. It’s an ancient Royal Family dating back to the 1400’s. So forever, the hybridizers that create new tulips have worked hard on pure orange or blended orange tulips, often named for Princes and Princesses. This has …
Read more In Holland, Orange isn’t just a color
Comments - 0Rhododendron. Hydrangea. Viola. Aster. Phlox. These are just some of the botanical “Latin” names you already know. OK. OK. Nobody needs to know them all, and I surely don’t. But I’ve learned that they’re the only way to be sure you’re getting the seeds or plants you really want. For …
Read more Botanical Names? You know more of them than you think!
Comments - 0A few famous plants are named for celebrities, but not the celebrities you know. If you read gardening books like I do, you pick up fascinating stories about plants. Did you know there was a famous doctor and plant expert in Charleston, SC during the Colonial Period named Dr. Garden? …
Read more Celebrity Wildflowers
Comments - 0Hurry. It’s not too late! Plant Lettuce, Kale and other cold crops right now, and surprise everybody at Thanksgiving with fresh greens from your garden. Yes, it’s late, but not too late. Most leaf lettuce and almost all kales love fall weather. In fact, they prefer it to spring! If …
Read more Plant Lettuce, Kale and Other Cold Crops Right Now!
Comments - 2Most all perennials are fine for fall planting. But there are some that almost demand it–—like Peonies and Hostas. Peonies, the big beautiful flowers that bloom in late spring, have very large roots which take time to develop. An established peony root looks a lot like a bunch of carrots, …
Read more Now’s the Time: Plant Peonies and Hostas in Fall
Comments - 0Do you know about “Rembrandt Tulips?” They’re some of the oldest of them all. Named after the 16th Century hybrids which were some of the earliest efforts of the Dutch tulip growers, they are the ones that touched off “Tulipomania.” It was an astonishing financial craze in Holland over the …
Read more Paint your own Rembrandt
Comments - 1When you see those mouthwatering photos from Holland, ever wonder how the pros do all that? Well, there a few things they do and most of us don’t. It’s amazing how easy it is to plant bulbs like a pro. 1. Plant them close together, not spaced out! Nothing’s more …
Read more Secrets from the Pros
Comments - 2This is a big deal with bulbs. Most gardeners just pick the prettiest bulbs and plant them, ignoring their bloom times. That’s one reason the display is often lackluster. Don’t do that. Plan your choices based on when they bloom, not just your favorites. Because if you plan, you can …
Read more Plan Your Bulb Garden for Months of Bloom
Comments - 0It’s easy. Don’t be confused by all the “classes” or types of tulips. All you need to know is that the major groups bloom at different times, in succession, just like a flower parade. So it’s important. When we say “Early Spring” that means early spring in your area, (A …
Read more Picking Types of Tulips
Comments - 0When it comes to daffodils, King Alfred was king of them all for decades, especially in the USA. Just ask your mom or grandmother—they’ll remember King Alfred Daffodils, always the one to plant, famous since its introduction early in the 1900’s. The Netherland Flower Bulb Center keeps scores on these …
Read more Remember King Alfred?
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