The gardening world relies heavily on the latest hybrids and newest introductions to pique the interest of gardeners. Dwarf plants, more flowers, bigger blooms and, the latest craze, chartreuse foliage, all are meant to tantalize.

	Crocus "Negro Boy" courtesy of Old House Gardens. Click photo for larger image.

Although breeders introduce outstanding plants each season, gardeners never know how the newest variety will stand the test of time.

That's one reason a growing contingent of gardeners are discovering and embracing heirlooms. They're plants that have survived for generations by a combination of toughness and charm.

Fall bulbs have a history dating back as far as 1000 A.D. Tulips became wildly popular in the 1600s and were used as a commodity reaching unbelievable prices. At the height of "Tulipmania" in 1637, one bulb was worth the same as a house in Amsterdam.

It's that deep sense of the past and a chance to resurrect it that attracted Scott Kunst to these bulbs. He runs Old House Gardens-Heirloom Bulbs. The company has been distributing its catalog since 1993.

As a child, Kunst was fascinated with history, dinosaurs and fossils, digging in the dirt for things other people overlooked. That interest mirrors what he does today, saving many historic treasures from extinction.

He went into the business when a bulb catalog stopped carrying one of his favorite tulips, 'Prince of Austria,' first introduced in 1860. "It was the most enduring I'd ever grown. Fragrant in a genus that most people don't think of as being fragrant," he said from his office in Ann Arbor, Mich. The blooms are scarlet, maturing to almost orange on 12-inch stems, the fragrance as a mixture of violets and orange blossoms.

Tulip "Clara Butt," courtesy of Old House Gardens. Click photo for larger image.

Gardeners often give up on tulips. Many plants tire by the third year and push up only a few paltry leaves. 'Prince of Austria' has persisted for more than 10 years without special care in Kunst's garden. He's connected with the last grower left in the Netherlands propagating the bulb.

But what's the difference between new bulbs and the older varieties? "Most lilies are produced for cut flower and pot growing, he said. Older varieties were bred for the back yard. The breeders' aims were different."

There's more attraction to heirlooms than their reputation for toughness: It's special to grow something your grandmother might enjoyed. "The whole stewardship movement, taking care of what we have, like historic buildings," he said.

Brent Heath runs Becky and Brents Bulbs in Gloucester, Va. He's just returned from Holland, where he shot 56 rolls of film of blooms being considered for next year's catalog. He can't contain his enthusiasm for the new, but knows the significance of older bulbs. "It's important we have heirlooms because some of them are the most persistent long-term garden perennials."

Although they don't specialize in heirlooms the company carries a wide variety of them. He's worked with Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon and Monticello to restore and authenticate bulb gardens. Heath is a third generation bulbsman and bought the business from his father in 1972. His grandfather came to the area from Massachusetts in 1900, and bought 600 acres for $5,000 to cultivate bulbs.

	'Prince of Austria' tulip Courtesy of Old House Gardens. Click photo for larger image.

His parents carried more than 1,500 different daffodils at one time. "Sweetness is one of the first I remember planting. I love the fragrance, I love the deep green leaves." Introduced in 1939, the bulb's narrow foliage is easily concealed by daylilies after the bulb is finished blooming. When Heath left the farm for seven years, a clump of Sweetness had bloomed with 100 blossoms. Upon his return he found nothing but foliage. With a little fertilizer, the tough perennial returned to its former glory the next season.

He's using many of these old, strong varieties to breed new hybrids.

Intriguing names also interest growers. Clara Butt is a wispy pink tulip that came to the trade in 1889. It was all the rage from 1910 to about 1930. Kunst compares its popularity to the Stella Dora daylily of today. It was a landmark bulb, the first of the Darwin breed. Butt is extinct in the Netherlands. Kunst found one farmer in the United States still growing it.

In 1944, a tulip named Invasion seemed like a good idea. When Kunst first saw it, a triumph tulip that is sandstone red with a hint of cream on the edges, he was blown away "Words and photos fail it," he said.

The daffodil 'Sweetness' from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. Click photo for larger image.

He thinks the crocus Negro Boy had an even a worse name decades ago. He's often asked why he doesn't change the name to something more politically correct for the catalog.

"That's history, too, he said, it's not the plant's fault. Changing the name would be editing history. We hope it doesn't offend somebody." It's a dark purple rimmed with silver from about 1910 and was preserved by a collector in Latvia.

"I would invite people to join in and plant a little Noah's Ark in their back yard," Kunst said. "You're doing something good for the planet."

To reach Kunst's Web site log onto www.oldhousegardens.com or send $2 for a catalog to Old House Gardens, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. The phone number is 734-995-1486.

Brent and Becky's bulbs Web site is www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com or call 1-804-693-3966.

Here's are other companies offering bulbs:

White Flower Farm. Reach this source at www.whiteflowerfarm.com or 1-800-503-9624.

John Scheepers. See www.johnscheepers.com or call 1-860-567-0838. Scheepers' wholesale sister company is Van Engelen Inc., offering bargain prices on bulbs bought in large quantities. See www.vanengelen.com or call 1-860-567-8734.