Red, White and Blue: The All-American Garden
The Wide, Wide World
This beautiful world of ours is full of wonders, both natural and man-made: The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids, the Amazon Rainforest, the Himalayas…All places that have drawn visitors for centuries. Maybe you too would like to visit them one day? Far-flung places have a magic quality and they are the perfect backdrop for a bit of daydreaming.
Your Hometown
But there’s one other place that has an even more magical quality, and that’s home. Your country, your state, your town, the place you grew up in, the place where you raised your children…Small-town America. Little mom-and-pop stores, a movie-theatre playing last year’s successes, your loyalty to your home team no matter how bad they are doing…The cute houses with their picket fences and pretty, well-tended gardens…And always there in the background is the US flag, flying in the wind. Most days you don’t even notice it, but then suddenly you do and you are struck again by its crisp beauty, its symbolism and meaning.
First Impressions
And Americans are not the only ones to love this flag. The image of the Stars and Stripes continues to inspire designers all over the world, and in the mid-18th century its beauty led the Chinese to give it a special nickname. The U.S. flag was brought to the city of Canton (Guǎngzhōu) in China in 1784 by a merchant ship that carried a cargo of ginseng. When the thirteen stripes and stars first appeared in the harbor, it excited the local people enormously. News circulated quickly that a strange ship had arrived from the furthest end of the world, bearing a flag "as beautiful as a flower". Everybody went to see the "flower flagship". This name at once established itself in the language, and America is now called "flower flag country"—and an American a “flower flag countryman".
Create Your Own Flower Flag
Just like those Chinese people all these years ago who thought of flowers when seeing the American flag, you can let its colors inspire your flower bulb planting. Below I have made 4 different selections of red, white and blue flowers to help you create a garden that is as American as apple pie!
Early Spring
The dazzling Red Emperor, the tender White Squill, and the sky-blue Siberian Squill are the first to poke their heads out of the ground in Spring. You can plant them in color blocks for a more severe effect or mix them up for a joyous, playful look.
Early to Mid-spring
This next combination will grow around late March and April. Tulip Red Impression will give that pop of red, Daffodil Mount Hood will provide a pristine white and Hyacinth Blue Jacket will deliver the deepest blue.
Mid- to Late Spring
When the days are getting just that bit warmer and longer, it’s time for our next trio: Tulip Kingsblood is red like a cherry-pie, Tulip Daytona is as white as the clothes you can’t wear after labor day and Muscari Armeniacum - Grape Hyacinths contributes to the festive feeling with its wonderful fragrance.
Anemones Only
For an especially ‘smooth’ effect, you could also plant three colors of the same flower bulb, the Anemone. Anemone Hollandia, Anemone The Bride and Anemone Mr. Fokker will work in tandem to give you the All-American garden of your dreams!
Straight to Your Door
Feel inspired? DutchGrown ships the highest quality flower bulbs directly to your door, so you can plant them right away when they arrive, making sure both you ánd your neighborhood can enjoy a wonderful Star-Spangled garden next spring.
