Applejack Farm
I spend as much time as I can in the village of Wickford, a historic district that is at the heart of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. I am told that Wickford is the densest concentration of original late colonial houses anywhere in New England, and I have the incalculable good fortune to own one of them. My house, which I call Applejack Farm after the antique house of the same name in Greenwich, Connecticut, where I spent much of my childhood, is a two story, center chimney colonial that was built in 1804.
There are extensive gardens here at Applejack Farm, and I take particular pleasure in spring bulbs. To give you an idea of what my gardens are like, here is a photo of the major part of them, taken at the beginning of May, 1996, when the bulbs were at their zenith.
The "Avenida Diagonal" of Daffodils at Applejack Farm on May 2, 1996
As you can see, I think that daffodils and narcissi are the ne plus ultra! If you share my passion for these unsurpassable symbols of spring, you should visit the American Daffodil Society home page. I have provided you with a link.
I am also addicted to tulips in equal measure, and I have a particular interest in the older varieties, many of which, I discovered to my absolute horror, have gone out of commercial cultivation in recent years. In an effort to help in the campaign to save many of these allegedly "obsolete" varieties for the delectation of present and future generations, I have dedicated a portion of the gardens at Applejack Farm to "heirloom" varieties of spring flowering bulbs. This area, which was formerly a rock garden, has been named The Rijksmuseum.
Here is a photo of The Rijksmuseum as it looked on May 2, 1997, during the first spring of its existence.
The Rijksmuseum at Applejack Farm, May 2, 1997
I have been documenting the various varieties photographically, and I hope soon to open The Wickford Rijksmuseum, a home page for the display of images of heirloom spring bulb varieties.
In the meantime, however, here are a few samples of some of the heirloom varieties presently to be found in The Rijksmuseum.
First, Keizerskroon, a Single Early Tulip that is one of the oldest tulips -- if not the oldest -- in general cultivation. It was introduced in 1750, the year of Sebastian Bach's death.
Here is another Single Early Tulip that has been in cultivation a long time, although it a "Johnny come lately" in comparison with Keizerskroon. The elegant shape and clean lines of Prince of Austria, which was introduced in 1860, has never been surpassed.
Prince of Austria was on the verge of extinction when the redoubtable Scott Kunst, a horticultural antiquarian and the proprietor of Old House Gardens, the premier dealer in heirloom bulb varieties in the United States, rescued it and reintroduced it to contemporary gardeners. Bless you, Scott!
Another Single Early Tulip of great age is Van der Neer, which also was introduced in 1860, the year that Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States for the first time:
Here is Mr. Van der Hoef, a Double Early Tulip that was introduced in 1911, the year of the coronation of King George V of England:
I said that I adore daffodils and narcissi, and, so far, I have only shown you tulips. Let me correct that apparent oversight!
First, here is a photo of one of my favorite trumpet daffodils, Beersheba, which was introduced in 1926, the year that Queen Elizabeth II was born.
This noble and venerable daffodil is all too rarely seen in present day catalogues, having been generally "superseded" (as if any variety can be superseded!) by the almost as venerable Mount Hood, which was introduced in 1937, the year the composer Maurice Ravel died.
Next, the legendary and temperamental double trumpet narcissus, Van Sion. I found this superb example of the variety tucked away in a remote corner of the gardens here at Applejack Farm.
There is much controversy about Van Sion, which some say is the same variety as the species narcissus known as telamonius plenus. I am convinced that they are not identical.
Here is a photo of what I consider to be telamonius plenus.
A more "scientific" comparison will be possible when the Wickford Rijksmuseum opens, with more and better photographs of what I believe are the two separate and distinct varieties.
And now, a particularly enjoyable and rare Poeticus (Division IX) narcissus called Chinita, which was introduced in 1922. Chinita is another variety for whose survival Scott Kunst is largely responsible. I had never heard of a yellow Poeticus before I saw this variety listed in the 1996 Old House Gardens catalogue.
Technically, Chinita is not a Poeticus, since, as Robert Spotts has pointed out to me (and for the clarification and correction, many thanks!), it is the result of the hybridization of a Poeticus and a Tazetta (Division VIII). Chinita is a "Poetaz" and is "officially" classed as Division VIII, since the final arbiter of such subtleties, The Royal Horticultural Society, "demands" that a Poeticus be "pure" to be classed as Division IX.
Still, if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and waddles like a duck...
I promise to try to add more images to this page soon, but, in the meantime, if you are interested in buying bulbs for your own garden, in addition to Old House Gardens, I recommend the fine old firms of Van Engelen (wholesale quantities) and John Scheepers ("retail" quantities). Both are family businesses. They both now belong to Mr. Scheepers's nephew, the ne plus ultra bulb man Jan Ohms, and the offices are run by my old school chum Sharon Staub Doty. When you write to Van Engelen or Scheepers for a catalogue, please let Jan and Sharon know that I referred you. Here is the address, which is the same for both companies:
23 Tulip Drive,
Bantam, CT 06750
Phone: 860-567-8734, 567-0838
Fax: 860-567-5323
The mailing address for Old House Gardens is:
536 Third St.,
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
If you want a catalogue, please include $2.00 for postage and handling.
Please tell Scott that I referred you.
To be continued...
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Copyright, Teri Noel Towe, 1997
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