Garden Gate® TOP PICKS

You know a plant is well-loved, timeless and a good addition to any garden if it has been zealously passed on and preserved from generation to generation (and painted by artist after artist, and written about over and over). I love summer bulbs for their vivid presence, their splash of color and sudden appearance in the middle of a season when other plants are starting to whimper and fade. You can find them in elegant and over-the-top gardens, as well as planted in a line along the edge of a family’s vegetable patch, adding beauty to an otherwise ordinary spot.

It’s not just that these beauties will look good in your garden, but they’ll have a reason for being there, too. Heirloom plants are rooted in story, embellished by a history that connects you to the past and spurs you toward the future. Because they aren’t always widely available, and newer hybrids and varieties are often chosen in their place, growing