SPRING FINALLY ARRIVES WITH ALL OF ITS GLORY

Easter Greetings!

Even though there was spring in January and February and then winter in March, spring has finally arrived with all of its glory. Tulips, grape hyacinths, scilla, dwarf iris, pansies, creeping phlox, azaleas and dogwood all are making it a beautiful Easter.

Spring flowers, announcing nature's yearly rebirth with color, are in plentiful supply this year, local florists and garden center personnel report. The Easter parade of spring house plants is more colorful than ever. Professional plant growers continue to come up with radiant new colors to enhance house plant collections.

Easter is late this year. Last year it fell on March 31, and next year it comes on April 11. The earliest it can be is March 25, as set by the first Nicene Council, A.D. 325, fixing Easter as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21. It often is heard that the weather cannot be relied upon until after Easter.

One of the greatest pluses of spring is that regardless of the unpredictable weather drought, storms, freezes and unseasonably warm weather, most plants leaf out and bloom when it is their time.

The reliability of spring bloom is because most embryonic flower and leaf buds are formed and developed during the previous growing season and are kept in nature's cold storage over the winter. There are a few exceptions to this rule. One is the wild specie of tulips that grow from an underground shoot they did not like the first freeze in March, or the second or third, and with the last one they just lay flat on the ground, their foliage turned brown and sluffed off way ahead of schedule. Will they bloom next year?

The lily is the symbol of the holiday, and has long been referred as the Easter lily. Plants that have buds in several stages of development will bloom for quite some time. The pollen can be kept from discoloring the pure white trumpets by removing the anthers, which contain the pollen, with tweezers.

Bermuda was the first region to grow bulbs of the lily commercially and for many years had the market practically to itself. However, some of the Japanese varieties fit well into the needs of the flower business because they can safely be kept in cold storage for long periods and taken out to be forced at any time.

This is why we can have Easter lilies for Easter, no matter whether it is early or late, and it does not matter when the date changes.

If you receive an Easter lily for the holiday and it is covered with foil, poke several holes through the foil to allow the water to drain when the plant is watered. The plant should be kept in a moderately cool temperature, avoiding drafty locations. Permit the soil to dry, then water, but do not ever let the plant dry out.

After the flowers are gone, store the plant in a cool place until ready to put it outside. Do not cut off the stems or leaves until after they are dead as they provide food for the bulb to use in making flowers next season.

When planting the lily outside, remove the plant from the pot and place the entire root ball in the ground in a well drained, shaded area. Most lilies do not flower again the summer they are planted, but should bloom the following year.

The custom of Easter eggs came to us from ancient Egypt and Persia. They are the symbol of new life, and legend has it that they are laid by the Easter rabbit on Easter eve.

In "Roses Love Garlic" by Louise Riotee, she tells of the German custom of using natural materials to color eggs. She tells how they saved the skins of onions and rainwater and made a broth to tint the eggs yellow. Grape hyacinths made a delicate blue color, dandelions made yellow and pink japonica for a delicate hue. Other materials used are beet juice and coffee grounds.

In Russia, the Pasque flower imparts a green color, in England gorse shrub makes yellow eggs, and names can be written on the egg by using a wax pencil. Some could even put the imprint of a fern on a light color.

Beautiful eggs, she says can be acquired by using natural plants.

There are many flowers that join the traditional lily for Easter. At this time of year there are colorful chrysanthemums, hydrangeas, azaleas, gloxiana, cyclamen, and spring flowering bulbs. All are rewarding and bring cheer into the home.

Enjoy the many blessings of the season the awakening of the plants which have been dormant through the winter, the peaceful beauty they bring to the landscape and wooded areas, and the miracle of the religious significance of this Holy Season.

HAPPY EASTER!