Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-26

| Spring sales of rosebushes and other
plants bring out some striking con-
trasts. There was the young lady, fol
instance, who wouldn't have known g
rosebush from a rake II the former
| hadn't been labeled.
How sweetly she stood by the big
bins! Her hair was marcelled to per-
| lection, her stockings were of the very
| latest "suntan" shade. her smile was
broad and willing, but wouldbc pur-
chasers realized that she knew nothing
about flowers
She was an extra" who had been
taken on to help in the Spring rush
And thus she pointed squarely to the
most interesting features Of such sales
the customers themselves.
II the little girls who do not know a
/ rosebush from a hole in the ground
are interesting, what may be said OF
the eager purchasers who want to beau
| tify their grounds and who think they
| know 1t all?
| 1t is amusing to watch them, as they
examine the wrapped plants carefully
as If sitting in Judgment, when all the
| time the chances are 10 to that they
do not know the horticultural points
| to look for.
One imposing lady picked up a
specimen Of shrub and pointed to the
branches, long and bare.
You say this will bloom?" she asked,
| with huge doubt In her voice.
1t was the pretty girl who answered
OF course, she didn't know a snow
berry from calycanthus, but she was
| placed there to sell EN-.
"Oh. yes. surely 1t will b1oom!" said
she, in her sweetest tones, holding the
plant by the burlap around its roots,
and looking at it critically. as if point
ing out visibly the blooming qualities
* X X X
People are so pathetically intent on
getting good plants, but that is a
| matter which must be left to the
growers and the dispensers. There Is
really no way Of telling from the ap-
pearance of dormant plants how they
will bloom
Much depends upon factors beyond
the control of growers and sellers. The
purchaser, alas, has a great deal to do
with it! He or she-we insist on she
may put a shrub which demands sun
on the north side of the house, where
shade is what 1t will get most.
Then when 1t refuses to do well the
purchaser will kick" about it, but the
fault lies squarely at home. On the
| chance of getting poor specimen.
In seeds termination tests may be
applied, and the seller may be able to
tell the customer what per cent of
termination per 1000 seeds he buys he
will receive, but with dormant plants
this is not feasible.
It Is unfortunately true that among
every hundred plants there will always
be few which will do no good, no
matter how well planted and tended
II the purchaser is SO unlucky as to
draw one of these, he will have no sue
cess. or half-Success, which is almost
worse than complete failure.
Perhaps this is one of the charms of
the early Spring plant sales, which
draw forth so many aspiring gardeners
and foundation planters. They sense
the fact that this selling and buying is
something in the way of natural grab
bag
You buy plant, and you put it in
the ground. but the roots may not be
as good as they should be, or your
planting may be faulty, or for some
other reason it will not do as we'll as
you expected
Well, you must expect that. After
all. bushes and plants do not cost a
fortune. and you surely will get your
moneys worth from those which do
we'll.
Everything else being equal-and we
hope they are---tt is good advice to buy