(Left
to right) Kate Fitzpatrick '02 and Rebecca Connor '01 help Ellen
Shukis, director of the botanic garden, prepare for the spring flower
show.
The Talcott Greenhouse will
host its annual cure for the winter blues when it fills its space
with colorful and fragrant blooms that will give viewers an early
taste of spring. "A Walk on the Wild Side" is the theme of this
year's spring flower show, which will feature both species and dwarf
bulbs and larger, showy hybrids. The show will be up from March 4
through March 19; hours are 11 am to 4 pm daily. In conjunction with the show,
David Burdick will deliver a talk titled "Humans and Bulbs: Rising
above the Squirrel Mentality" Thursday, March 16, at 4:30 pm in
Gamble Auditorium. A reception and refreshments will follow in the
greenhouse. The species bulbs and related
plants on display will appear as they grow in the wild. Most don't
have common names. For instance, there's the Tulipa humilis
with bright rose pink flowers, growing four to six inches, and the
Tulipa polychroma with violet-tipped white petals, growing
three to four inches tall, as well as the Narcissus
bulbocodium or Hoop Petticoat Narcissus, which has yellow flowers
and grows to be four- to six-inches tall. Other bulbs and
spring-blooming plants in the show include Hyacinthus,
Scilla, Muscari, Oxalis, Anemone,
Erythronium, Crocus, Bellevallia,
Brimeura, Fritillaria, Eranthis,
Galanthus, Ipheion, Ornithogalum, Oxalis,
among other varieties. Highlighting the show will be
a center bed that will replicate a naturalized landscape using
species and dwarf bulbs. The outside benches will showcase hybrid
tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, primroses, cinerarias, and
ranunculus.
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