By DR. DIANE REEF

By DR. DIANE REEF

Rappahannock New* Contributing Writer

Hardy bulbs can be planted now to provide color from early spring until the end of summer. Most people think of fall as the time to plant daffodils and tulips. Certainly these lovely bulbs with their spectacular displays should not be forgotten, but a wealth of other bulbs can’t be ignored.

Winter can be endured more easily if promises of spring are brought by extra early small bulbs, such as glory-of-the-snow, winter aconite, and snowdrops. With flowers from three to six inches tall, these bulbs grow well in rock gardens or raised beds. They also naturalize well under leafy trees that allow light early in the season but give shade in the summer. / ■ i nSmall

Tulips Can Be

Tucked in Special Places

Species tulips, such as the Kaufmannia and Fosteriana, bloom next. Their unusual flower shapes and colors set them apart from the laterblooming, larger tulips. Because of their smaller sizes, these tulips also lend themselves to rock gardens, raised beds or window boxes which/ giye them special places to show their individuality.

Hyacinths, daffodils and tulips follow, assuring everyone that spring is indeed here to stay and summer is on the way.

Depending on the variety grown, alliums or flowering onions may be the next to bloom. Giant alliums produce flower balls up to nine inches across on stalks four to eight feet tall. They are certainly not an easy plant to use in the flower bed, but their astounding flowers can be the spark that ignites a child’s enthusiasm for plants. Other species of small, red, yellow, and white flowering alliums (under a foot tall) can also be found in most bulb catalogs.

Another allium with lovely blossoms that often is relegated to the herb garden is chives. Chives can be very effective in a flower border with pinkish lavender, ball-shaped flowers in early June. The added benefit is snipping leaves through