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Whltby Fiee Piss, Weckiosda. Sèptemnber.2, 1992. Page 19- The' magi c oý'f hybridizingcrats' fabulous -new flower Humîan nature seée neyer t6 be satisfied 'with. things, the way they are. .People', ýare always tinkering ý'with, thinge to'find a new, angle. or a: better, way of doing thingÈs.- This is, as true in fiower. breedfing as any other Landscaping, enhances home value FROWM PAGE 18>> instance, landscaping can help reduce heating and cooling costs. Deciduous trees will help shield a home fi=m the hot summer suni, while conifers <iLe evergreen trees) prtct buildings and homes fomthe ciiwinter wind.11 Andrews sys that, many Canadians a1riady, recognze, the benefits of b2eauiyng their property and protecting- home- ownership investment. In fact, the lawn and garden'industry in this, country (which' includes' plants, decks, gazebos, etc.) amounted to approximately. $315 billion'in consumer 'expenditurps in 1990. In addition,- today we, knowv that mniintaining the green space around .our homes 'is' also' of benefit to. the global environiment. Plants produce oxygen, whie taldng :i ' caribon"dioximdead< màny scientiéts feel",they als0 pl4y ýan important r.ole iiiheIn to minimize >.the -effeet o pollution. Make. aplan b~ecks, and- patios can change te "configuration of yôur lot and should- ho a focal point in garden G àdo centres and nurseries today offer such a wide variety of p 1,nt matorials and fiowers, it's easy to get carried !away. Su, boWore you lift a shovel Fr hoe, p*ut a., n to papor. Make, a plan or as a landscape- professional to croate one for you. S Romember that the various planta you choose will look best if they ,.are integrateLi Flowors, shrubs and trees can be used ta show each other off ta their best advantage. For,-instance, try inixng ground covers and bù fiowers, e.g. Crocus and Galanthus (snowcfrops) with Vince minor (periwinle) or Hedera helix (English ivy); Colchicum, hUles and Narcissus with cremg Cotoneaster; Ghi=onodx (glory-of-the-snow) and Scilla (squilsa) with Lysimachia num àllaia(commolycfe moneywort or Creeping Jenny or Charlie),- or any of these buiba with ANuga reptans (bugleweed), Alyssum saxatile (basket-of-gold), Arabis (wall rock-cross), Thymus (thyme), epimediums, Gyposo- phila (babys-breath),' Lamiumn maculatuma (nettle) or mossy Sàxifrga(saifrage).' Bulbs also' make fine compamions wxth shrubs. ibes (snowdro~s). Tulipa - especially those witlf a ten<~ency for tenacity, st~ called 'perennial' tuirpa -i1~o make stunnint companioeu. area. Dutch bulb hybridizers, are constantly trying ta obtain newv plant varieties. -The ah imost mythic search for the. black tulip- is just one such effort. H-owever, in additin ta colour, there are a wide variçty of other characteristics that 'hybridizing seehcs ta change. One ,of the most dramatic colour developmenta began lato in the last century 'when a large 1group ýof tulips, called Darwins,, were brought onto the markot. They were sturdy gardon types that also forced well, for prôesslonal growers ta harvest as a cut fiower.> The red and pink types, >'i particular, were wildly popular. Unfortunately, there were .no, yehlow ones in the Darwin group. However, because the ýgroup had m**uch ta commend' it- as a dosirable, plant, the. race was on ta, dovehop a yellow one. InI 1926, 'Yellow, Giante made ita appearance,. the off-spring of a yellow cottage ('BoutondCOr' and a Darwin. Although many others followed rapidliY, yellow i.stihi not a significant -colour' in thus gropp. Also -the frlst 1,almost-black (actulf dai~k purele) tulip aigu camne from the Darwin 'rOUp 9'Queen of the Night! Although other contenders for the 'black tulip' mantde have appeared, the search for, the, bak tulip continues. Other hybridizingi-efforts have foçused on producing fiower vereties that- are resistant ta, vrustypes of' diseases.' The uliaaojective, of course, is ta, be able ta, reduce the number and volume of pest and weed. control age nts> reqired ta, cultivate. the fiQwers. .iMuch of this researchhas'been conducted with lilies, which also have been the focus of ,researh designed ta croate varieties without anthers -- the tiny stemn-ikeorgarns inside the fiower head which produce pollen. Lily pollen produces a stain that is very diffilcult ta remove from fabric, and even hands. Recent oxperiences have been .successful and 'flies, minus the -terri 01 Du Advertis "A ier 01 aedveri of ait a WHITLÀ PRESS Co-owner, Durham- Drivina-,Rai- anthers, are due ta make thoir appearance on the market durig, the'next few years. IýLilies from, the classification called Oriental have fioWers that, look' you straight in the oye. Packing them for transport is often a problem, which could ho eliminated if -the«blossoms were, er;ect ,instead, like thîoe of the' Aiatic' group. Thus, o ther roeparch efforts are a imied 1 at. 'devehoping just such uWight- Orientall hues. Art, science and falth Hybridize rs conduct their work through a.mixture of art, science and faith in the future. To create a new fiower, the grower 'crosses?,, various types, each of which bringa a host of, genetic ancestors to the process. It is virtually impossible ta imagine beforohand what a new crossing will look like. This meticulous work, which requires many years of jpatient trial and error, mnust ho doneby hand. With a. delicate 'pair of tweezers, the hybridizer removes pollen .from"the stamen od oe . flower and places it on the pistil of another. <.1When theý pollinated flowers have -finished blooming, they are hüng upside'down 'in aàspecià dr =g om their seeds are colce nd patdthe- next season. IFor five consecutive yo.ars,'the fiowerâsésed, until they are mnature e. nough ta produce bulbs that wfll fiower -,on their Only thon is it possible ta see what the, new fiower 'looka like. How will it perform:t will it hast a long time in 'thevae Can it ho birought- into' flower throughout the year? Does.it.travel well? .1 floes it bloom well in the gardon, reacting well ta stron sun aPd resisting the wind? Ol several more years of repeatedly growing and observing the <new' bulbs will tell. Hybridizers aiso have ta ho long-shot gamblers: fromn every million seed]lings, onhy five or six varieties will ho suitable for cultivation. No wonder the search for the black tulip still goes on.- AHOLE IN ONE for-'DURHAM DPRI VING RAN GE and the.,WH1TBY, F-REE PRE' SS- l"90 PENING SPECIAL linY 1 BUCKET GET I FREE II. WITH- COUPON J Expires Aug./16/92. 875 ýTaunton--Rd. W., Oshawa I This ad rnJust west of Thornton Rd.I "'rnte htb 433-1506- I -:oihr: IP vi'~ ~ ~~ o 2 -clous::onthe rn aeo r n $24mO î $ .Oe. aO. i"'** couposeO yO8opn i rRoturned I... ...... nge ,m Ulllll rl i "Mý 7,7 -,, 77 77-m M7 lýi7 8 qgu m j