Evening star., 1948-11-22
This and That
Bp Charles Z. Trace11eu

6y (H"SGS d. 4FUCcWeN
This autumn has been kind to persons with
the put-on complex
Those who as yet have not planted tulip
and other bulbs for next springs blooming
still have time in which to do 1t.
We were reminded of this the other day by
L. A. c., who sent In the following verses, very
much to the point:
APRIL WILL REMEMBER.
Brown bulbs planted here,
In bleak and cold November;
may forget this spot
But April will remember
To bring forth golden daf1odils
With jonquils, shy and fragrant.
When loud the mating redbird trills,
That jaunty. ardent vagrant.
may be far away
When all these miracles appear
But April will remember
Should forget next year.
.
That Is, indeed, one of the happiest features
OF the Dutch bulbs.
They will remember to bloom, provided they
are planted at the proper depth, and squirrels
or Boston terriers do not get them.
There is a right depth of planting for each
sort, and the home gardener must make sure
he knows each one.
Despite the good verses there is not much
danger that he will forget at blooming time.
If he Is of the worrying disposition, he may
even fret and fume because of the slow ma
turing of his plants.
In the Jolly springtime, worry also blooms.
Nothing is worse than bulbs not coming
true to colors
This is q source Of great disappointment 10
many gardeners.
In most cases. fortunately, they come out
lust as the seller said they would, but occa-
sionally they do not, and 1t Is then that the
gardener should remember that any color Is
good.
Soil conditions, too, play part. Every one
knows how the hydrangeas change color, &C
cording to the amount of iron in the soil.
It may be that at times tulips and other
bulbs are changed somewhat by the operation
OF other factors, mostly unknown.
Every one has his favorite among the spring
Towering bulbs
Our own is the tulip.
It not only has grand history both in story
and legend, but with various sorts gives long
blooming time
and the various sorts, ranging from what may
be called straight tulips to the botanical speci-
mems as they are called, the tulips give us a
real range.
They possess clear colors scarcely rivalled
by any other bloom, and coming as they do,
out of the very cold of winter, are rather
startling.
Their after care is one of their poor features,
but most home gardeners solve the problem
by paying no attention to them at all.
Letting them take care OF themselves. then,
is one way of doing it, and 1t takes all the
worry out of 1t, too.
They take care Of tulips just as some people
take care of pets, they just turn them loose.
Often it seems to work out very well.
Tulips were introduced into the Low Coun-
tries in the 18th Century from Constantlnople
and the Levant.
The bulbs found just the right combination
of climate and soil to suit them. and with the
patient care of the Dutch became world
famous.
Many tulips are grown in the channel islands,
particularly the Isle Of Guernsey, IN England
and at Belfast, Ireland.
Today many tulips are grown in Michigan.
In addition, we should not forget, millions
of tulips are grown in the small gardens and
yards of America, in small towns large cities,
on farms, wherever human beings work and
play.
There is a certain pure brightness to the
colors of the tulips that sets them apart from
almost every other flower.