Nature’s Surprise Packages

For years, Burkard Nurseries in Pasadena has been synonymous with bulbs in the minds of experienced gardeners. Back when other nurseries had meager assortments of mostly back-East bulbs, Burkard’s brought in rarities that actually thrived and multiplied in this climate. The nursery bought and imported bulbs from specialty growers like Van Tubergen of Holland, small local growers and even hobbyists. It was not uncommon to find amaryllis hybridized by home gardener Polly Anderson, or the wild Tulipa clusiana that naturalizes in the Southland grown by a fellow in Arcadia. “We cultivated all sorts of friendships with small, mostly backyard growers, so we would have really unusual bulbs each fall,” said Frank Burkard, the third-generation owner. They even raised a few in pots at the nursery.

One of the Southland’s foremost bulb authorities, George Harmon Scott, worked for years at Burkard’s and wrote what is still the best general bulb book for the Southland, the unfortunately out-of-print “Bulbs, How to Select, Grow and Enjoy” (HP Books, 1982). He too grew rare bulbs for Burkard’s in his backyard in the San Gabriel Valley.

For years, the nursery published a staggering list of bulbs, but this year that information will be on the Web, at https://www.burkards.com. Visit Burkard’s at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena, and you’ll find baskets and dresser drawers full of individual bulbs, many that you may never have heard of, displayed with family antiques found in their garage.