FLARE& f lame Linnels Farm Bulbs Glorious Bulbs 2023 in association with
2 Front cover - the NEW Allium basalticum ‘Silver Spring’ (p. 7) Back Cover - Allium siculum (p. 5) Contents Alliums 4 Narcissi 8 Tulip varieties 14 Early 15 Early - Mid 16 Mid Season 18 Late 19 New & Favourites 20 Gift Collections 26 Hyacinths 34 Little Beauties 36 Fritillaria 40 Camassia 42
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Well what an ‘upside down year’ of seasons. It was starting to feel quite ‘Alice in Wonderland’! Up North we had no spring just grey, overcast days and winter seemed endless - this was suddenly followed in May by Summer and no rain for 5 weeks. Gardening is like your favourite ageing pet: just when you think you know it so well - it comes out and bites you! So, having always proclaimed the joy of early flowering tulips that herald the end of winter here in Northumberland this year’s wet spring with no sunshine produced ‘tulip blight’. For more info visit the journal article www. linnelsfarm.com/journal. Fortunately, the subsequent dry weather ensured a wonderful and long-lasting display from the late-flowering varieties: the 2000 planted by the roadside elicited daily happy messages from passers-by all month. The alliums and narcissi were totally unaffected by the vagaries of the weather, simply doing their thing. Moral of this tale? ‘Don’t have all your eggs in one basket’ - plant a variety of different bulbs so whatever next year’s weather brings the garden will look magnificent and will bring joy.
New Additions and Introductions
Narcissi: We are introducing 4 new varieties: Polar Hunter (p.12), Tresamble (p.11) is an heirloom variety (1930), Pink Pride (p.9) and Sailboat (p.8) another older variety that we’ve had flowering here at the farm for years and it shone through like a beacon in all the wet weather.
Tulips: We’ve gone a little bit overboard this year! Sabina went all soft, deciding on a pastel hued collection ‘Sherbet Sorbet’ (p30) and (amongst others) indulged with two new varieties in her favourite colour orange: Valdivia (p.23) and Disneyland Paris (p.16) which looks a little like it ‘just got out of bed’. Karen’s got her wish for the return of her favourite tulip Rem’s Favourite (p.20) describing it as ‘like blackcurrant ripple ice cream’ and sourced Mango Charm (p.15) which starts off the colour of unripe mangos, slowly turning a delicious pink …. and then there is Rasta Parrot (p.20) which as Sabina says is simply bonkers!
Alliums: Globemaster (p.4), did so well in both of our gardens that we decided to re-introduce it in this year’s catalogue and added a smaller flowering variety (Allium unifolium Eros (p.6) which makes a long lasting cut flower.
Sometimes it can be hard to justify spending money on flowers but even a few tulips by the front door will brighten up a grey spring day and more perennial bulbs like narcissi, camassia and alliums will multiply and get better each year.
We had great fun putting this year’s selection together and hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Karen & Sabina
3
Welcome to our 2023 Bulb Catalogue.
Alliums
Alliums are a great investment, reliably flowering each year and are a magnet for bees
Allium ‘Globemaster’
One of our all time favourites.
Large mauve balls which can reach up to 20 cm across. Will happily multiply, year upon year.
80 - 100 cm
May - June
3 @ £18
5 @ £25
4
Allium
‘Gladiator’ silvery mauve
May - June 120 cm
5 @ £10
Allium
‘Mount Everest’ pure white
May - June 90 cm
5 @ £8
Allium
sphaerocephalon
claret drumsticks perfect dotted through borders
June - July
50 - 90 cm
30 @ £4.50
Allium siculum
(syn. Nectaroscordum)
bees adore these
May - June 120 cm
10 @ £6
5
Allium unifolium ‘Eros’
We love the delicacy of these elegant alliums. They form small clumps when left undisturbed, plus they make a great cut flower.
45 cm June 10 @ £6 30 @ £15
6
NEW
Allium basalticum ‘Silver Spring’
There is only one word : Stunning! Jewel like, deep purple centres set within small white flowers. 10 cm flowerhead and long stems make it perfect for arranging.
100 cm May - June
7
3 @ £14
NEW
6 @ £25
Narcissi
Spring 2023 was challenging with very wet weather; however, the narcissi almost relished the rain and they shone through. From April to May not a week went by without large bunches gracing the house. And the best part? Each year they’ll return and produce more and more flowers. Each year we trial new additions to our stable of narcissi – above all we look for scent, flower form and garden worthiness.
New introductions are Stainless (only available in our All White Collection), Polar Hunter, Sailboat, Pink Pride and Tresamble.
March - April
35 cm
10 @ £ 4.50
8
NEW ‘Sailboat’ multiflowered & sweetly scented
‘Replete’ pure white intermixed with apricot ruffles
Mid April 45 cm
10 @ £6.50
‘Sir Winston Churchill’ loose clusters with a spicy scent
Mid April 40 cm
10 @ £6
‘Sweet Love’
ivory petals and sweet scent
April - May 40 cm
10 @ £6
NEW ‘Pink Pride’ large pink apricot cup
Mid April 40 cm
10 @ £6.50
9
‘All White Narcissi’ Collection
25 or 60 bulbs
NEW
‘All White Narcissi’
Collection:
N. Thalia
N. Tresamble
N. Stainless
25 bulbs @ £22 or
60 bulbs @ £45
‘Thalia’
The orchid daffodil - delicate will naturalise in grass
March - April 30 cm 10 @ £7
‘Silver Chimes’ up to 10 flowers per stem
April - May 35 cm 10 @ £10.50
‘Tresamble’ NEW multi-headed heirloom variety (1930)
April 30 cm 10 @ £6
11
NEW ‘Polar Hunter’
This spring’s standout favourite introduction. Very early flowering - each stem produces up to 4 green flowers which fade to white with a green tinge. Long-lasting. Beautifully scented.
30 cm March 10 @ £11
12
Hunter’
13
‘Polar
is also a great cut flower that florists are raving about - bewitching.
Tulips
Individual Varieties
Early Tulips
flowering late March - mid April
‘Apricot Beauty’, ‘Gabriella’, ‘Candy Prince’
(see opposite)
14
‘Margarita’ sweetly scented
Tulips
‘Mango
pale green to pale pink
All prices for 10 Bulbs
‘Purissima’ tall with large flowers
15
double fosteriana 50 cm £6.50 ‘Verona’ citrus scented 40 cm £6.50
variegated leaves 50 cm £6
long-lasting 40 cm £6.50
great in pots 45 cm £6.50
delicate lilac colour 35 cm £6.50
45 cm £6.50
Early
‘Exotic Emperor’
‘Jaap Groot’
‘Apricot Beauty’
‘Gabriella’
‘Candy Prince’
40 cm £5
50 cm £6
Charm’
Early-Mid Season Tulips
‘Merlot’ strong and elegant 50 cm
‘Prinses Irene’ long lasting 30 - 40 cm
‘Negrita’ mixes well 50 cm
‘National Velvet’ long lasting flowers 60 cm
‘Grand Perfection’ bold & striking 45 - 50 cm
‘Double Negrita’ peony flowered 45 cm
‘Gorilla’ beautifully fringed 45 - 50 cm
‘Disneyland Paris’ NEW 30 - 40 cm
All prices for 10 Bulbs
‘Orange Brilliant’ as the name implies... 50 cm £6
16
£6.50
£6.50
£6.50
£6.50
£6.50
£7
£6.50
£6.50
NEW Tulip ‘Queensday’
Vibrant and bold orange peony variety with raspberry pink and coral tones.
Flowering from April onwards
45 cm
10 @ £7
17
Mid-Season Tulips: flowering April-May
All prices for 10 Bulbs
18
‘Lasting Love’ lily flowered 45 cm £7.50 ‘Barcelona’ lipstick pink 60 cm £7.50 ‘Fancy Frills’ frilly 45 cm £6.50
Tacoma’ classic double 55 cm £7
Shirley’ purple edge darkens 40 - 45 cm £7.50
heavily fringed 50 cm £6.50
blackcurrants 45 cm £7.50 ‘Hakuun’
and tall 60 cm £6.50
55 cm £5
‘Mount
‘Double
‘Honeymoon’
‘Havran’ crushed
strong
‘Ballerina’ a scented classic
Late Tulips: May flowering
All prices for 10 Bulbs
19
Green’ viridiflora 50 cm £6.50 ‘Menton’ fades as ages 55 cm £6.50 ‘Akebono’ NEW 55 cm £6.50 ‘Lambada’ magnificantly fringed 45 - 50 cm £6.50
Triumphator’ 60 cm £7
Parrot’ ruffled feathers 55 cm £6.50
of Night’ best ever 60 cm £6.50 ‘Dordogne’ huge flower 60 - 65 cm £6.50 ‘Angelique’ fragrant 45 cm £7.50
‘Spring
‘White
‘Black
‘Queen
New & Favourites 10
Bulbs
20
‘Rasta Parrot’ NEW Late-season 60 cm £9 ‘Night Club’ NEW truly multi-headed Mid-season 50 cm £7.50 ‘Rem’s Favourite’ NEW Mid-season 50 cm £9 ‘Ronaldo’ We missed him - he’s back Mid-season 40 cm £6.50
New & Favourites
10 Bulbs
‘China Town’ NEW Mid-season 35 cm £6.50
‘Pretty Princess’ NEW Mid-season 30 - 40 cm £8
‘Valdivia’ NEW Mid-season 40 cm £8.50
‘Amazing Grace’ NEW Late-season 35 cm £7
21
New & Favourites
‘Silk Road’
A striking tulip with large flowers held on strong stems. Layers of double petals, ivory white to cream with soft and darker shades of pink. Lush!
April - May
45 cm
10 @ £7.50
‘Charming Lady’ - One of Sabina’s must-haves for cutting. Peony flowers in palest apricot shades; sometimes multi-headed.
Classically romantic.
April - May
40 - 50 cm
10 @ £7.50
22
‘Charming Lady’
‘Silk Road’
New & Favourites
‘Mariage - NEW
A blowsy, sugar-pink, multi-headed double tulip that caught Sabina’s eye on her visit to the Dutch tulip fields this Spring.
April - May
45 - 50 cm
10 @ £6
‘Blue Heaven’
This variety is a real chamelion: blush pink with copper tones, maturing to lavender-blue. Muti-headed and very unusual.
April - May
40 - 50 cm 10 @ £7.50
23
‘Blue Heaven’
‘Mariage’
NEW
New & Favourites
‘Copper Image’ - an old favourite.
Peony shaped with strong copper-pink tones which soften as it matures. Lovely in arrangements, mixing well with other colours.
April - May
45 cm
10 @ £8.50
‘Amazing Parrot’ - Karen’s star performer. This beautifully ruffled mid-late flowering tulip changed from deepest orange to pink whilst flowering for over 5 weeks and looked magical next to the azure blue camassia (p. 42).
April - May
40 - 50 cm 10 @ £7.50
24
‘Amazing Parrot’ ‘Copper Image’
‘Dream Touch’
Dramatic and unsual double late tulip
April - May
45 cm
10 @ £7.50
25
NEW
FLARE & f lame Gift Collections
Perfect to send to a loved one or as a thank you.
All of our bulb collections are beautifully presented in gift bags, complete with planting instructions & gift label. 25 bulbs in each collection - £20 (unless stated otherwise)
Dark & Elegant
Dark & Elegant
Cool White
Cool White
27
28 Primavera
vera
Prima
Avriel Avriel
Persiana
Persiana Crème Fraîche
Crème Fraîche
29
NEW Sherbet Sorbet
Make an impact with100 bulbs of 10 tulip varieties
10 varieties
100 bulbs
£55
30
Sherbet Sorbet makes a fabulous cutting garden collection
31
Scented Spring Collection
45 bulbs £22
10 Tulips, 10 scented Narcissi & 25 Muscari
One of our best selling collections - combines the lovely scent of Narcissi with the big blowsy blooms of double Tulips .... oh and a sprinkling of delicate blue Muscari
32
Rococo
The sumptuous colours of 18th century French paintings.
25 bulbs £20
33
Hyacinths
(unforced bulbs)
Purest white, this double hyacinth is best up close to appreciate its intricate florets. Perfect to bring indoors.
Simply glorious planted alone or in combination with other early flowering bulbs Cornelia is a ‘diva’!
Beetroot purple a large pot of these hyacinths have flowered reliably on the farm for 3 years
5 @ £6
All the Hyacinths
15 bulbs : 5 of each variety - £16
34
‘Snow Crystal’
5 @ £7
‘Splendid Cornelia’
5 @ £6
‘Woodstock’
Hyacinths flower reliably each year in the garden and are the perfect start to spring; they like a lot of water, can be grown in pots indoors and make a fantastic cut flower. Large pots planted with hyacinths and early flowering tulips make a stunning display.
35
‘Splendid Cornelia’ with Ipheion uniflorum (p. 37)
Little Beauties
Planting these small bulbs will repay you for years to come since they naturalise in the garden (divide and spread slowly to form drifts).
36
Ipheion uniflorum
‘Alberto Castillo’
Perfect for pots
Jan - March
15 cm
20 @ £7
Ipheion uniflorum
‘Wisley Blue’
NEW
Jan - March
10 - 20 cm
20 @ £4
Anemone blanda (mixed)
suitable for dappled shade
March - April
10 - 15 cm
20 @ £6
Narcissus
‘Rip van Winkle’ green tepals
March - April
15 cm
10 @ £6.50
37
NEW Muscari Mix
75 bulbs
50 M. armeniacum
25 M. neglectum ‘Baby’s Breath’
£9
38
Iris reticulata
‘J. S. Dijt’
nectar rich
15 cm
February - March
20 @ £6
40 @ £10
Iris reticulata
‘Harmony’
colours dazzle
15 cm
February - March
20 @ £6
40 @ £10
‘Blue Bird’
early bee food
15 cm
March - April
25 @ £7.50
50 @ £12
‘Cream Beauty’
early bee food
8 cm
March - April
25 @ £7.50
50 @ £12
39
Crocus chrysanthus
Crocus chrysanthus
NEW NEW NEW NEW
Chionodoxa ‘Pink Giant’
Karen’s favourite for pots like petite hyacinths
15 cm
March - April
20 @ 50 @
Leucojum aestivum
‘Gravetye Giant’
summer snowflake
40 - 50 cm
April - May
10 @ £7
Fritillaria meleagris
Snake’s head fritillary naturalises in grass
30 cm
April 10 @ £4 25 @ £8
Fritillaria uva-vulpis
Fox’s grape fritillary
a florists’ favourite
30 cm
April - May
15 @ £5
30 @ £7
40
NEW
Erythronium ‘Pagoda’
Beautiful yellow lanterns held above spotted leaves in March/April disappears completely by summer
20 - 30 cm
5 tubers £5
15 tubers £12
41
Camassia one of the few bulbs that tolerates damp soil. A great naturaliser, performs brilliantly in pots, with an added bonus - a long lasting cut flower!
Camassia
cusickii
60 cm
May - June 5 @ £7 10 @ £13
Camassia
caerulea (leich. Blue)
80 cm
April - May
5 @ £7 10 @ £13
42
‘Alba’
43
Camassia leichtlinii
90 cm May - June
5 @ £7
10 @ £13
Linnels Farm Hexham Northumberland NE46 1TS T: 0783 213 2483 www.linnelsfarm.com
© Sabina Rüber 120 cm June - July 10 @ £6 Catalogue £3 Allium siculum (syn. Nectaroscordum)
Photos
