LADY BUG: FLOWERING BULBS, DOGWOOD AND REDBUDS CREATE SPLASH OF COLOR

Passersby and college students going to and from classes are enjoying the colorful planting of spring flowering bulbs and the beauty of the dogwood and redbud trees blooming in the lot at the corner of Pacific and Alta Vista Boulevard.

A group of young women walking by sniffed the heavily perfumed air from the fragrant dark blue violet hyacinths and were heard to say, "Estee Lauder's beautiful scent of perfume could not compete with this."

A large sign in the yard tells the story of this beauty spot: "Welcome. Planted by Southeast Missouri State University Horticulture Club," referring to the university's area where a fountain is surrounded by benches for a sitting area, with neatly pruned boxwoods bordering the plantings. This has been provided by a trust fund given by Mrs. Mary Virginia Johnson Tweedy, adjoining the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Gary Rust, 700 N. Pacific.

Coordinating the white of the dogwood, yellow of the forsythia, deep rosy-red of the dogwood, and pink of the flowering crabapples, Mrs. Rust planted the garden and selected the tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, many varieties of them, all to bloom at the same time.

It was designed on paper before any plantings were made. Because there were so many holes to be dug, and many around the roots of already established trees, she found an electric auger a perfect tool for the digging. For instance, around a pink flowering crabapple, delicate Thailia, a pure white with two or three nodding heads per stem, is blooming. Large clumps of hosta are coming through the ground in a shady area with forsythia in the background. Pretty light yellow and white Ice Follies daffodils stand perky in this bed.

On Pacific Street double bright yellow tulips, some with three flowers, and sometimes called peony flowering tulips, have short, strong stems to support their heavy flower heads. These line the sidewalk area and border the entry to the fountain and seating area.

Ground covers are used in many areas, eliminating the cutting of grass and making for neater beds that are more easily kept. There is an abundance of neatly trimmed vinca or myrtle that now has lavender blossoms. Liriope is one of the ground covers used in the parkway between the garden and street.

Variegated lanum is an unusual ground cover. It has been used in two varieties most effectively around the base of the dogwood trees. Beacon Silver has small pink flowers while Nancy has white flowers.

There are several beds of all yellow tulips, and the daffodils are Sun Dial, Actea, Unique and Spell binder, many with contrasting trumpet or perinth, but all are yellow or white.

Other flowers that will bloom later are peonies, phlox and chrysanthemum. Annuals will be planted to hide the foliage of the bulbs as it begins to die down. Soon the large azaleas will be blooming for additional color.

Several varieties of ground coves have been used throughout the yard. In the front of the Rust home, they create a background for the happy faces of pansies.

Pansies like cool weather and were not happy during our recent hot spell and neither were our daffodils. Normally each variety will stay in bloom for about two weeks, but not during that unseasonably hot weather and some daffodils were gone in less than one week. With special attention to blooming dates it is possible to have blooms over a two-month period.

There are two things pansies are unhappy with -- drought and hot weather. When the unseasonable heat came in March, the cute little happy faces were not at all happy and wilted down to the ground. Some revived and some did not. This cool spell has made them exceedingly happy. The new ones, the Regan and Crown series, are larger, but the Super Majestic Giants are the largest of all. All are brighter colors and some pastels, and are from Sakata Seeds from Yokohoma, Japan.

Today, as in grandmother's time, pansies are a universal favorite of spring in most parts of the country. What could be more cheerful than their perky, velvety blooms to welcome our lovely spring?

The modern garden pansy, named from the French word "pansee," is a far cry from the weedy "three-colored violet" of Europe, from which it is derived. Flower breeders have introduced many wonderful varieties, some with colorful contrasting "faces." Others are faceless. Plants are extremely vigorous, yet neat and compact, but grow best in cool weather.

In planning a garden for the beauty of springtime, Wendy Rust has used the new large varieties of pansies in the front of their home, adjacent to the garden of dogwood, redbud, tulips and daffodils, which is now at its peak of bloom. In creating this garden, she has hoped it will give college students a life, and they will go to their classes with a happier attitude.

~Mary Blue is an avid gardener and longtime resident of Cape Girardeau.