NEVER HAS a topic been

so well suited to the phrase,

“Don’t wait for spring, do it now’’ as that of planting

bulbs. Even so, you would be amazed at the number of

dunderheads who insist on waiting until April to ask about
the buying and planting of daffodils along with the other

spring flowering bloomers.

If you want a good show next
spring, now is the time to go
shopping. Even waiting until Oc-
tober will rod you of the oppor-
tunity to acquire some of the best
varieties; supplies are limited.

This does not mean that you
should rush down to your nearest
garden centre and buy everything
you can get your hands on. Make
a planting plan. It may sound a
Hietle repetitive, but it is good ad-
vice no matter how many times it
is offered.

A quick sketch of the area will
not only help to control your pur-
chases, it will also assist you in
creating the best display possible
for the area. If you do it to scale
and try to visualize the ultimate
results you may be surprised at
just how good a garden designer
you are.

Careful plarining will also
enable you to make the best use
of the differing blooming periods
offered by the huge assortment of
spring bulbs. It is quite possible to
maintain color from early Febru-
ary to late Suse or even July.

Some of the carliest to arrive
are Snowdrops (galanthus),
Winter Aconite (eranthis), the ear-
ly Dwarf Irises (i. reticulata and i.
dantfordiae), and the ever-popular
crocus. Others close at their heels

are the Windflower (anemone
bianda), puschkinia, and the early
flowering tulips and daffodils
Cnarcissi).

The middle of spring can be a
riot of color with such plants as
hyacinths, the Grape Hyacinth
Cmuscari), the scillas, fritillarias,
ornithogalum, triteleia and more

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OVER THE GARDEN GATE

daffodils and tulips. The daffs
and tulips even show up at the
end of the season along with the
Flowering Onions (allium),
Bluebell (scilla campanulata) and
Dutch Iris.

In other words there is much to
choose fron.

Do not be intimidated, howev-
er. The low price tag on most of
these plants begs that they be ex-
perimented with. Try a few in the
most adaptable location in your
garden. If you are not that im-
pressed next spring, try something
different next year.

A few tips on making your pur-
chases. Do not go for the
“bargains”; they are generally
smaller and are less likely to pro-
duce the years of color you are
looking for.

**Topsize,"’ on the other hand,
is virtually guaranteed to supply a

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GARDENING SHOP

West Vancouver 926-8784

terrific show the first year as well
as the best chance for color in
successive years.

Do not be too driven by the
color photographs. It is not un-
common for photographs to be
re-touched in order to present the
most tantalizing image possible.

Although every effort is made .

to supply the customer with plants
that are true 10 name and color,
things do happen. | remember the
unsupervised little ones cunning
around the store, happily picking
bulbs up from one bin and depos-
iting them in another.

If you do have a few surprises
next year, tell your supplier. In
most cases, they will appreciate
hearing your problems so that
they can make improvements and
you will receive a credit towards
your future purchases.

As with most of the elements of
gardening, the way in which you
group yous bulbs will make or
break the : uccess of your display.
Beauty may be in the eye of the
beholder, but with some people it
comes in the form of pink eye —
persistently painful and invariably
irritating.

Mass your bulbs in odd
numbered groups and in harmo-
nious colors. It is customary to
use odd numbers; it does make a
difference in the smaller group-
ings. Three plants look better than

Plan now for a riot of spring color

two, five detrer than four. etc.

Be aware of the conditions
presented by your garden. There is
no point in acquiring plants which
prefer full sun and well-drained
soil if all you can deliver is a
shady bog.

In some instances you can im-
prove the circumstances you find
yourself in. Planting early flower-
ing varieties under trees that are

PREPARE FOR WINTER
PREVENT WATER DAMAGE BY SEALING YOUR
CONCRETE DRIVEWAY, PATIO OR WALKWAY

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iate to leaf out will enable them to
replenish their energies before they
low: the sun.

Excavating an area under plants
requiring good drainage will allow
you to fill the holes with fast-
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