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February 18, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Smith College to Present Annual Bulb Show

Bulb Expert John Bryan to Give Opening Lecture

NORTHAMPTON, Mass.—A spectacular array of blossoming crocuses, hyacinths, narcissi, irises, lilies and tulips will provide an early glimpse of spring at Smith College’s Lyman Conservatory from Saturday, March 5, to Sunday, March 20. The annual spring bulb show is open daily to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Friday nights March 11 and 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. Parking is available on College Lane for the two weeks of the show. The bulb show is free; a donation of $1 is suggested. All groups with more than ten people wishing to attend the event must schedule in advance by calling (413) 585-2742.

On Friday, March 4, horticulturalist John Bryan will open the show with a lecture, titled “A World of Wonderful Bulbs,” in which he’ll discuss ornamental bulbs as seen in the wild from Turkey to Afghanistan to South Africa as well as those cultivated in gardens around the world.

Bryan’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Carroll Room of the Campus Center and will be followed by a reception and preview of the bulb show in the illuminated Lyman Conservatory.

Bryan is the author of several books about bulbs, including what is regarded as the authoritative reference book, “Bulbs.” He was trained in the United Kingdom at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley and was the first American to be elected a Fellow of the Institute of Horticulture in London. A horticultural consultant, lecturer and television personality, Bryan also publishes a monthly gardening newsletter and leads annual garden tours to Europe and South Africa. He has served as vice-president of Oregon Bulb Farms and director of the Strybing Arboretum in California and now gardens in the Bay area of California.

Smith’s spring bulb show is a long-standing tradition of Smith College’s Botanic Garden, dating back more than 75 years. Ordinarily blooming at different times, some 5,000 bulbs are coaxed into a simultaneous blooming beginning in October when Smith horticulture students put them into cold storage. In January, the bulbs are transferred to the greenhouses and, with careful timing and temperature control, are ready for their colorful debut in March.

The Lyman Conservatory is wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact the Botanic Garden of Smith College at (413) 585-2740 or visit the Web site at https://www.smith.edu/garden.

Office of College Relations
Smith College
Garrison Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063

Marti Hobbes
News Assistant
T (413) 585-2190
F (413) 585-2174
mhobbes@email.smith.edu

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