LADYBUG...MANY FLOWERS BESIDES ROSES EXPRESS VALENTINE'S LOVE

There are many flowers besides red roses to symbolize love for Valentine's Day. You can choose one of many colorful cool season plants in bloom at this time of year for a colorful remembrance.

If your best beau is a red rose giver, accept them graciously, even though prices are often raised to their highest yearly level for this special day. Just a word of precaution: the life of these gems can be preserved by keeping them away from hit air vents and direct sunlight.

The fragrance of hyacinths and the vivid red of potted tulips provide special touches of romance as potted gift plants for Valentine's Day. Besides tulips and hyacinths there are daffodils, both large King Alfred and small Tete-Tete, purple Reticulata iris, and colorful crocus, available.

On a snowy February day these brightly colored potted flowering bulbs are a pleasant reminder that spring is not too far away. When selecting potted bulbs, it is wise to select plants that are not in full bloom. Plants without fully developed flowers, especially tulips and daffodils, are easier to handle with less tendency for stems to bend or break.

It is well to cover them well in carrying them home. To get the most durability out of spring flowers, remember when these plants are in bloom outdoors, conditions are cool. Flowers last longer if kept cool, especially careful of direct sunlight.

Forcing bulbs often causes them to go "blind", so if you wish to save them for planting outside, do not be disappointed if they do not bloom next year, but possibly will bloom the following one.

If you do wish to try for outdoor planting, cut the flowers off promptly after blooming. Continue to keep the pot watered, and place in a sunny, cool place. When temperatures moderate, the bulbs may be planted intact without disturbing the roots, into the garden. While hyacinths, daffodils and crocus often will recover outdoors, tulips may be weakened to the point where they will not redevelop in our climate, as a result of the forcing process.

There are many other cool season plants available on the market for your Valentine. There are anthuriums, cyclamen, azaleas, cinerarias, gloxiania and calceolaria.

So if you receive one of the above mentioned potted plants it may be red, yellow, pale pink, hot pink, purple or white, according to a recent survey by American Florists ans men are said to prefer these colors in that order.

The exotic anthurium with its shiny foliage and red or pink blooms dislike being kept too wet so proper drainage is a "must" for them. Cyclamen have heart-shaped leaves and attractive pastel upturned flowers. If well treated it should bloom inside until summer.

Azaleas should be purchased when in bud because the opening ones will cheer the recipient for weeks to come. Plants flower heavily when slightly pot bound so be sure adequate moisture is available. Most available at this time of the year are not hardy if planted outside.

Cinerarias are available in many colors of their daisy-like flowers. They require constant moisture and nothing will cause a cineraria to collapse faster than excess drying.

Balloon-like flowers of calceolaria have given it the more easily remembered name--pocket-book plant. A true annual, it should be enjoyed while in bloom and then discarded as a spent bouquet of flowers. Like the cineraria, it requires constant moisture.

Some gloxianias have heart-shaped leaves, making them an ideal Valentine choice. There are tall ones--six to ten inches and miniatures ranging from three to six inches in height, but these tubers do not rest and do not resprout as easily as their larger friends.

All of these plants like a cool atmosphere. If properly cared for in the home they will be with you fro quite some time.

One of the most common mistake is that of overwatering. Strive for the happy medium in watering. Touch the topsoil with your finger and if feels dry, water the plant thoroughly until water runs freely from the hole in the bottom of the pot. Then do not water again until the soil feels as though it is beginning to dry out. This may be the next day, or in two or three days, depending on how quickly the type of plant growing takes up moisture and how dry the air is in your home.

Light, water and humidity are the most important factors that affect plant health in a home. When a plant has been selected that has been professionally grown,you know it has been planted in proper soil, is insect free and with minimum of simple care, will remain thriving for a constant reminder of Happy Valentine's Day!