As spring gives way to summer, most of the blooms of April and May wilt before the feverish efflorescence of June and July. Gone are the tulips and daffodils and lilies of cooler days and longer nights.Have you ever wondered why the tulip drops its petals just as orchids are unfolding and while pansies and petunias go on blooming? Is it the heat of summer that makes them fade? Or some aversion to longer days?
Blame it on plant genetics. Flowers don't die off; they are deliberately strangled by the rest of the plant.
Michael Hofferber
Rural Delivery
Science and the Garden
Artwork: Orange Parrot Tulip
