Long And Flower Delightfully at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

There need be no question in your mind about the market for good flower photography. One of the big slide film distributors has found flower fanciers the most consistent buy ers of all among slide collectors, even though the pictures offered are strictly of specimen flowers. These cannot possibly have the same appeal as pictures of flowers grown by the buyer in his own soil. The only flower fancier who is not an eager prospect for pictures of his blooms is one who has never seen a color slide transparency of a beautiful flower projected. A close-up of a lovely flower on a screen is a sight to make anyone, flower lover or not, gasp at its beauty.

The fragrant plantain lily (Hosta plantaginea) grows with lush, ribbed leaves, 10 inches long and flower delightfully. In late summer to early autumn, 5-inch-long and flower delightfully, white, very fragrant tubular flowers appear on 2-foot stems. At night the petals seem to spread and the perfume of honey fills the air. They are hardy in Zone 5 but may need a light covering on very frosty nights to protect the delicate blossoms. They make* excellent cut flower, lasting for days in a vase. The moon flower has an entry all to itself on page 96.

Floiver festivals are frequent in the flower belt between Haarlem and Leiden. When the tulips are at their height in April, every Sunday is Tulip Sunday. A National Flower Show (mid-March to mid-May) is held on the Keukenhof Estate at Lisse. Later in the season (not the bulb-flower season), two magnificent festivals occur. The Hague stages a brilliant Flower Festival (early in August), with election of the Flows Queen (parade) and with special prizes such as that for the best bicycle Decoration (open to children); and an Aalsmeer-to-Amsterdam Flower Parade (September) culminates in the Olympic Stadium, for the award of prizes. The floats are always marvelous.