A Brief History

Seminars on gardening are often available in the Spring, but in 1997  few addressed gardening in the Fall.  The Smith County Master Gardeners wanted to fill this void by bringing in outstanding speakers to deliver season-relevant presentations, encouraging gardeners to take advantage of this planting opportunity.  Furthermore, they wanted to present this program at no cost to the participants.  The Bulbs to Blooms event continues to be presented each fall with several hundred regularly in attendance.

Many people in the community believed that growing spring-blooming bulbs meant refrigerating the bulbs, planting them, and treating them as annuals.  There is a group of bulbs that have grown in this area for years without all the fuss of treating them as annuals.  The MGs researched the availability of these bulbs, mainly daffodils and jonquils in the beginning, and found that they were not readily available in the retail market and often were available only in limited quantities.

In October 1999, the first Fall Bulb Sale was held and was an instant success, selling out in less than one hour. The success of the Fall Bulb Sale continued in ensuing years and beginning in 2001 the Fall Seminar and the Fall Bulb sale were combined into a single event.  The seminar subjects focused on bulbs and following the presentations, attendees can buy the bulbs and more that are offered for sale.

The 2026 “From Bulbs to Blooms Conference & Bulbs Sale” is rapidly approaching. Our online store opens on October 12, 2026, and the conference happens on October 24, 2026, so mark your calendars. To find out more about the event, click HERE.