The Bulb Show

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Fitzpatrick Conservatory becomes a harbinger of spring starting March 2, when the public is invited to enjoy hundreds of flowering bulbs in an annual exhibition featuring New England springtime favorites, lesser known varieties, and a collection of South African bulbs rarely seen in the northeast. Visitors to the greenhouse will see an evolving collection of blooming plants over a four-week period.

“This year, in addition to the more traditional and New England spring bulbs such as daffodils, tulips and grape hyacinths, ” said Dorthe Hviid, Director of Horticulture, “we have added some lesser known hardy and half-hardy bulbs to the show, including Anemone coronaria ‘Lord Lieutenant,’ Corydalis solida ‘George P. Baker,’ Erythronium ‘Pagoda,’ Fritillaria meleagris, Leucojum aestivum, and Iris histrioides ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ as well as the not-quite hardy and very beautiful Scilla peruviana. Since we renovated and rebuilt our old Center House,” explained Hviide, “we have better facilities for forcing bulbs, so we are very excited about this year’s show.”

Images courtesy Berkshire Botanical Garden