Old House Garden Heirloom Bulbs

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The only catalog I place an order from the day it arrives is Old House Gardens.

I have success with their bulbs at least 75% of the time and that's a terrific record for our crazy back yard where critters dig up bulbs as fast as we plant them some years.

Here are the fall-planted bulbs I selected -

Drought tolerant and flexibile about soil typeRhodophiala bifida or Oxblood Lily (Called Hill Country Red by Plant Delights) Cold hardiness zones 7a through 11
Sun to part shade
Red flowers late summer to early fall
15 inches tall
A bit pricey at 3 bulbs for $22.50 but they have a reputation for spreading. Easy to grow

White Trillium grandiflorum Snow Trillium 
for the shade garden
Trillium grandiflorum
moist humus soil
Height is 12 to 16 inches
Zones 4a to 7b
10 for $28
Here's a fun bit of information about how they form colonies from Easy to Grow - ants, flies and beetles pollinate trillium flowers and the seeds are dispersed over short distances by ants.

Ornithogalum nutans or Silver Bells
Ornithogalum nutans
Blooms mid-spring
Botanus says they are also called Nodding Star of Bethlehem
A florist favorite as they are scented and have a good long vase life
Easy to grow and naturalizes slowly
Cold hardy zones 6 - 10
Deer resistant
Attract bees and hummingbirds
25 for $18.50



Dicentra cucullaria or Dutchman's Breeches
These are members of the poppy family that are hardy in zones 3 - 7
Bloom in March at the Missouri Botanical Garden
Dicentra cucullaria
Part to full shade
Survive rabbits and clay soil
Intolerant of wet winter soil
Typically grows best in forest, slopes, along streams
Ferny foliage, white-pink flowers on 12-inch stems

I have not had good luck with Bleeding Heart but hope that this cousin will thrive in the shade beds

Click over to the Old House Gardens site www.oldhousegardens.com and see what appeals to you. They have several introductory packages that I ordered when I first started getting bulbs from them ten years ago. Good deals and nice variety in each pack.







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