THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411240101
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
``Bulbs for All Seasons,'' a new book from Better Homes and Gardens, lets even beginning gardeners successfully grow bulbs year-round.
There is no better or easier time to improve your ``curb appeal'' than in the fall. The solution is Dutch bulbs.
April and May are traditional months for peak home sales. Whether you plan to sell your house or not, how it looks from the street is important. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowering bulbs can brighten it up with eye-catching spring color. You get a big payoff for a small expense.
Any color in the yard is better than none, say landscape architects and real estate agents.
Think strategically about where and what you'll plant. Stand in the street and examine your yard, then approach the front door and ask, ``Where would flowers brighten the way or accentuate the special features of this house?''
Besides traditional garden beds, where color always looks great, these are additional suggestions:
Along the property line or fence, plant masses of jaunty yellow daffodils. They naturalize and come back to bloom year after year. Choose several types with different bloom periods to keep the color going for months on end. Here and there, plant a dozen tulips to create single color ``bouquets'' in red, purple, white, orange, pink or stripes.
Brighten a lamp post or mailbox by encircling it with purple and gold crocus, dainty white snowdrops, pink and white daffodils, blue hyacinths, bright white anemone blanda (Greek wind flowers) and tulips of several colors. Position rocks or boulders around the posts to create added interest.
If you have a stone ledge or retaining wall, clouds of pink and white tulips look great against a rocky backdrop. If you want something jazzier, choose tulips of red, yellow, white, or stripes of red and yellow or red and white. Be sure to plant assortments that bloom early, mid and late in the season to enjoy continuous color.
Use window boxes for small tulips such as the Kaufmannia or Fosteriana varieties.
Make color work to your advantage, remembering that a large bed of white tulips can make a small yard look larger. A smattering of naturalized yellow daffodils can make a barren bit of property look like a natural wonder. Eye-catching yellows and reds appear closer to the eye than they are, but cool blues appear further away. Blue along the borders can make a small yard appear larger.
Don't forget fragrance. Hyacinths planted near doors and walkways add a perfume to spring air.
All bulbs require good drainage, plus fertilizer now and again in early spring. Apply the fertilizer on top of the ground, not in the planting hole. Plant daffodils and hyacinths 6 inches deep, tulips 8 to 10 inches and smaller bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep.
Tulips and hyacinths will seldom come up and bloom again. But the others not only repeat but multiply and give you wonderful color for years and years. MEMO: Better Homes and Gardens' ``Bulbs for All Seasons'' is published by
Meredith Books (hardcover, $24.95). It provides information for each
region of the country, naming the best blooming varieties, and has 200
color photos. Any bookstore can order it. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Better Homes and Gardens' new hard-cover book costs $24.95
by CNB