Da Mei & Wen Lin (Chinese, 20th C.) "Red Tulip" Stamped lower right and upper left. Original Watercolor on Rice Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting appeared on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the U.S. 29c (F) Coil Stamp issued January 22, 1991. Picture a stream of multihued Alpendoorn and scarlet Red Riding Hood tulips flanked by delicate, fringe-petaled Batterseas. A perennial favorite of dedicated gardeners all over the world, tulips are frequently overlooked by less practiced cultivators who seek longer-lived blooms. Yet planting a variety of tulips and carefully tending the flower bed can produce a profusion of cup-shaped and lily-flowered blossoms which last well into June. Tulips require well-drained soil, and ambitious gardeners meticulously prepare the flower-bed to achieve maximum bulb growth. Adding peat to soils with high clay or sand contents assists with drainage, while phosphorus and calcium provide nourishment to plant roots. Bulbs are set eight to twelve in. below the surface, for the extra depth allows the bulbs to remain in the ground, without thinning or replanting, for several years. Leaves or peat moss make excellent mulch and protect young bulbs during winter's icy sojourn. The first shoots of spring result in a flurry of activity as gardeners remove mulch, add essential elements to depleted soils, and clip drooping petals which rob bulbs of food for the coming year. Image Size: 12.25 x 11.75 in. Overall Size: 14.25 x 12.25 in. Unframed. (B12979)