Spring Bulb Show and Opening Lecture at the Botanic Garden of Smith College

The annual Spring Bulb Show at the Smith College Botanic Garden will open on Friday, March 3, with a lecture by Scott Kunst, a nationally-known landscape historian and preservationist. The lecture, titled "Heirloom Bulbs for Gardens Old and New," is at 7 p.m. in Seelye Hall 106 and will be followed by a reception in the illuminated Lyman Conservatory. Both events are free and open to the public.

Kunst, from Ann Arbor, Mich., has been researching historic bulbs for 15 years. He will speak on colonial daffodils, Victorian cannas, Jazz Age gladiolus, heirloom crinums, hyacinths, crocus, tuberoses and more. In addition, he will trace the history of bulbs in gardens from the Middle Ages through the 1930s, spotlight scores of heirloom varieties that are still available today and recommend mail order and other sources.

In 1993, Kunst launched Old House Gardens, the country's only mail-order business devoted to these increasingly rare living antiques. Since then, his bulbs have been featured in Garden Design, Country Living, Victoria, and The New York Times.

The Spring Bulb Show in the Lyman Conservatory on College Lane will be open to the public daily from Saturday, March 4, through Sunday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Bulb Show features a spectacular array of forced bulbs, which ordinarily bloom at different times throughout the spring. There will also be a special evening illumination of the Bulb Show on Tuesday, March 15, from 6 to 9 p.m., which is open to the general public at no charge.

The Botanic Garden is open to the public free of charge (although donations are always appreciated) and is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on College Lane for the two weeks of the show. For more information, call the Botanic Garden at (413) 585-2740.

February 15, 2000