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Show Bv PATRICK DENTON Copley News Service a jiety I have been describ-I describ-I various spring-flowering t s ttai are planted now, in :r:ill. 1 gave some planting ' for those who decided to I j: ihe plunge and try some IT what about those who, y :: ne, are too impatient to J (or April and the first J as to appear? And what : those who live in the is of cold and warm - in the northern and imost parts of our -.1? (i ? "ave special problems ! ihese lovely blooms, i - of either too much or - -iecold. SITING up spring-rnng spring-rnng bulbs for early the house is usually : "forcing" bulbs, s He process does not y mnive force, 't it does involve is -Jling the period of cold -est the bulbs, in the '"al course of events out--R need to bloom in the then bringing them to wakefulness and flowering earlier than they would normally nor-mally awaken in the outdoor garden. WHAT DO you need to have in order to successfully bring bulbs to bloom indoors? You need the right varieties of bulbs, a cold, dark corner in your basement (or space in your fridge), and patience. Buy and pot the bulbs as early as possible in the fall. The most commonly used bulbs for indoor bloom are crocus, hyacinth, tulips and daffodil. But not all varieties are suitable for forcing. Catalogues Ca-talogues list the ones that are, and nurseries will have the forcing types indicated. MY FAVORITE indoor tulips are General de Wet for its fragrance, and Carlton for its gorgeous red color. You can't beat King Alfred for magnificence in indoor daffodils. daf-fodils. Geranium and Barrett Browning and good white-and-orange ones for forcing. Just about all crocus are easy to force into indoor bloom, and most of the hyacinths, one large bulb to a pot. BULB pans are good to use for potting bulbs. They are made just half as high as usual, so that more space is available for the bulbs without all the unnecessary height which tends to make the taller varieties topple over too easily. Fill the pot part way with sandy soil, set the bulbs on top of the soil and cover with enough soil to just barely cover the pointed tips of the bulbs and leave the soil level one inch below the pot's rim. FACE the flat side of tulip bulbs towards the rim of the pot the largest leaf will sprout from this flat side. The bulbs can be set close together, for the most effective effec-tive display. Keep just one variety to a pot so that they will all bloom together. Once they are potted, water thoroughly and put the pots in your cold room or other cold, dark corner of your basement. Ideally, the bulbs need about a month of 50 degrees F. (10C.) and another month or more at a bit colder. The large bulbs can be brought into a subdued light when the shoots are grown three to four inches. Keep the soil moist but not wet while the bulbs are forming roots during their cold period. DO NOT bring the bulbs into light too soon. Impatience Impa-tience is the most common cause of failure. I bring ours from the cold room onto the cool, moderate light of the laundry room floor to allow the shoots to colonslowly. When the flowers open, keep them out of sunny windows and the blooms will last longer. You cannot force the same bulb twice. After blooming, let the foilage ripen and dry; store the bulb in the basement in its pot and plant it in the garden in the fall. |