Investing In The Future?
~Mark Dunaway

Think the Stock Market has been crazy lately? You ain't seen crazy till you've looked back at the history of bulbs. When Tulips were introduced to Western Europe from Turkey in the 16th Century, they were so coveted that people began to hoard them. The trend grew so ridiculous that, at its peak, Tulip bulbs sold for well over the equivalent of $2000 (current US $) apiece! They were so valuable that people were scared to plant them, so they displayed the (ugly) bulbs on their desk like a paperweight or on their mantle beside the candelabras!

Give Me Dependability!
While not worth their weight in gold, the golden tones of the Daffodil are where this bulb expert would invest this fall (for the Southern states, at any rate). Daffodils and the rest of the Narcissus family are the Timex of the bulb world. From the lowliest wild Jonquil to the latest magnificent Trumpet introduction, this family of flowers is as dependable a performer as a flower can be. Give them full sun to filtered shade, fertilize them with Bone Meal and leave them alone until the leaves disappear, and they will multiply and beautify your property with ever increasing grace.

What About Tulips?
If the Daffodil is the Gainer of the Bulb Market, the Tulip is the Decliner. Tulips are at their best the first spring after you plant them in fall. Landscapers consider them an annual and remove the roots and all after they bloom. If left in the ground, they will suffer and decline as each year passes, until they finally disappear. Tulips labeled "May-flowering", though they bloom in April, are the most dependable returners year after year. Still, I wouldn't put them in my 401K.

Other bulbs are available and dependable. The best investments of these small-caps for Zone 7 are Muscari, Leucojum aestivum (not vernum), Chionodoxa, Sternbergia and Anemone blanda. My favorite rare bulb for the South is Lycoris squamigera, the Surprise Lily. It leafs out in the spring but does not bloom, then the leaves disappear. Then suddenly, when you least expect it (in late August), two-foot naked stems shoot up and burst forth with glistening pink blooms like Easter Lilies. Stock up on this one and your amazed neighbors will be asking where you got this great "tip"!

Autumn Kids Craft
~Submitted by Trevor Barker, son of Keith Barker

Here's an activity to help young children learn about the autumn/fall season, shapes and fall colors.

First, create templates (shapes) from construction paper in your choice of color or black & white.

• Cut out shapes such as triangles, squares and rectangles for forming a house with windows and doors.
• Black and white templates allow you to decorate the pieces with a variety of materials.
• Templates can be traced over construction paper, scraps of wallpaper, wrapping paper or colored in with paints, crayons or markers.
• Use light blue construction paper or paint paper for a background and add a strip of green paper for a lawn.
• Decide what weather conditions you would like to portray.

Ideas and Suggestions for Decorating the Landscape

• Cut pieces of construction paper for shingles.
• Add a button for the doorknob.
• Create autumn flowers using small pieces of yellow tissue on the front of the house.
• Use yellow, orange, and red construction paper to form piles of fall leaves.
• Use small pieces of blue ribbon or yarn to make falling rain.
• Make a picket fence with small rectangle shapes.
• Stickers are a great option to add elements such as birds and animals.