Here’s the inspiring story of Holland’s tiny Noah’s ark of bulbs. Founded in 1928, the Hortus today preserves 2500 rare historic varieties. With antique images, color photos, and a list of the entire collection, this unique book offers an inside look at the history of bulbs. Softcover, 177 pages, 68 color photos.

This revised, 2007 edition is wonderfully expanded, with 146 MORE PAGES and 100 NEW PHOTOS! No matter where you garden, this book is a terrific resource. It’s packed with information on some 200 bulbs, many old: Narcissus, cannas, rain lilies, crinums, iris, Lycoris, and many more. Ogden seems to know each one intimately as a gardener, and he details a lot of their history, too. Don’t miss it! Hardcover.

If you garden anywhere in the Deep South – or simply love old daffodils – this pioneering book’s for you. Self-published by our friends Linda and Sara Van Beck, it’s based on years of hands-on research in the “Spanish Moss Belt.” It’s full of history, terrific advice for planting and care (be prepared for some surprises), and descriptions of scores of the very best heat-loving daffodils, old and new. Hardcover, 79 pages, 163 color photos.

Rudy and Joy Favretti, 1991. This classic guide to preserving home landscapes includes a history of American yards; guidance on how to research a site and make plans; and a huge list of plants by era. Written for museums, it’s super for home-owners, too. Softcover, 201 pages, b&w.

A great stocking-stuffer or winter pick-me-up, this A to Z Guide to Classic and Unusual Bulbs is the latest in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s revered handbook series. Invaluable for both beginners and experts, it includes a chapter on heirlooms by our own Scott Kunst. Softcover, 112 pages, 84 color photos.

A great introduction at a great price – and it starts with a chapter about us! From the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, it covers bulbs, annuals, perennials, roses, vines, house-plants, and leaders of the “heirloom plants movement.” By Tovah Martin. Softcover, 111 pages.