Evening star., 1933-02-15

No, Hortcns,. you can't plant tulip
bulbs outdoors at this tim. for Spring
blooming
OF course, you love these beautiful
flowers.
Every one does!
But II any one wants tulips in boom
In his garden in the Spring. the bulbs
must have been put into the ground
in the Fall.
This Is one OF the peculiari.ies of
tulips, and no amount OF wishing can
overcome it.
Bulbs might be forced indoors. and
planted cut later, but that is pro-
cedure requiring much skill.
Those Of us who just love beautiful
flowers, and want to have them around
cur homes In season. must rely on a
little forethought, which is by much
the easiest plan, and the most salts
factory.
Another popularity of the tulip. that
most fascinating of flowers. is that its
blossom Is already formed in the bulb
o0e plants.
This Is not true OF some other bulbs.
notably the gladiolus, which, indeed, is
not bulb at all, but Germ.
Still, most persons call the gladioius
CORN a bulb" and let 1t go at that.
To all extents and purposes that is
exactly what 1t Is
In growing, however, it develops
leaves and later blossoms, whereas the
tulip bulb contains within itself an
outline, as 1t were, Of the actual tulip
blossom.
puts one of these bulbs into the ground
In the Autumn Is to out 1t into cold
storage. awaiting the Springtime.
Nature knows how to care for bulbs
much better than man does.
In her gardens. indeed, bulbs never
come out Of the ground.
Her wild tulips grew, send forth fine
blooms, the next year send up lesser
blooms, and the third year smaller
yet, but by that time new. plants have
been formed, and these are quietly re-
placing the old ones, now PLAYED out,
and gone to extinction with all things
which have served Natures inexplicable
purposes.
When man steps into the picture. he
aims TO plant only first rate. plump
bulbs, ones which viii give the maxi
uaGm OF color satisfaction.
The tulip is. above all, color.
Few other flowers rival It In sheer
color effects.
1t will be found that the person,
man or woman, who somehow loves
color-not every one does-is par
ticularly susceptible to the lure of this
gorgeous blossom.
Nor Is its appeal to a primitive ma
ture. either, as one might think, off,
hand
The range of tulips is now remark
ably large, so that within the ganut
Of Its colorations comes every shade
and tint In the rainbow.
There are some flaming creations,
of course, some which fairly knock
your eye out" but there are scores OF
other varieties which express in their
textures and tints every degree of
pastel coloration. of silky softness, OF
delicatenesS, Ii there Is such word,
and If there isn't We will make 1t. for
once. Words. after all, are only to
say what you mean, and IL the mean
ing is plain, the word Is suitable)
Even those who love other flowers
more are willing to admit that there
is some special clearuess to. the tulip
which sets it apart emong flowers
Perhaps q chemical analysis would
be necessary to pin down the precise
element In the tulip blossom which
gives It such distinctness among our
favof1te flowers.
Surely there are quite as beautiful
tints among the gladioli, the roses, and
the peonies, to name only three.
Yet something unequaled shines
from the petals Of the tulips. Just