SHS Bulb Sale Offers ‘Bee-Friendly’ Beauties

We’ve barely escaped the summer heat, but soon the dark, cold days of winter will be upon us, and every gardener will start counting down the days to spring blooms. On Saturday, October 19, the Swarthmore Horticultural Society will hold its annual Bulb Sale at the Swarthmore Farmers Market, featuring a variety of beautiful spring-blooming bulbs that share one special characteristic: they are all beloved by bees. 

In keeping with the SHS’s mission to encourage everyone to plant flowers and shrubs that attract pollinators, this year’s bulb sale focuses only on those bulbs that next spring will draw just-awakening bees into your garden or yard. The sale will be held during the Swarthmore Farmers’ Market from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and feature selections such as a vermillion hyacinth that boasts a heady fragrance, a 5 foot tall, two-toned allium; and an heirloom species of fritillary that dates back to 1575. And if you can’t wait until spring for your flower fix, SHS is again offering the indoor-blooming and wonderfully fragrant paperwhite daffodil that you can push to bloom around the holidays.

Planting these spring bulbs is a great way to ensure the early arrival of bees into your garden, allowing them to feed before other native nectar sources are available. And they’re a fabulous way to add visual interest to your landscape! To download the sale catalogue with photos, prices and information on all the varieties offered, visit swarthmorehorticulturalsociety.org.