More than 50 years ago, Doris Kehlor and husband John "Wes" found their perfect little dream home high atop a steep hillside.

There stood a picturesque Cape Cod-style brick house with gently sloping front and backyards.Doris knew instantly, it was the right place."I bought the house for the garden," she says.And then she went to work.Over the years, the couple planted, seeded and cultivated what became not just any old garden, but a flowering masterpiece that draws national attention and critical acclaim for its imaginative display of 6,000 to 8,000 tulips.The spectacular presentation of nature's colors and textures is once again drawing tourists to Tamaqua's North Ward for a glimpse of botanical wizardry at 405 N. Lehigh St.Known as the Tamaqua Tulip House, the Kehlor home has become the community's biggest tourist attraction for at least two weeks every year, showcasing tulip varieties accompanied by complementary dogwood and crabapple trees, accent flowers and potted plants.Some say tulip bulbs come up every year, but not for Doris and Wes.They create the annual display anew through love and devotion."I dig out the old ones and plant new ones," says Doris, noting she sometimes puts as many as five bulbs in one hole."I map it out. It's different each year," says the retired schoolteacher. John is retired from the Atlas Powder Co./ICI Americas Inc.Retirement gives them the freedom to create something exquisite each year for the enjoyment of others.Make no mistake, the garden's popularity isn't just about the number of bulbs; instead, it speaks to choreography of color, size and texture.Color progressionAbout 15 years ago when the display consisted of 2,800 tulips, Doris experimented with various colors.An initial rainbow presentation led to today's highly sophisticated theme of just the right color, height and complementary mix of pinks and whites and shades in between.This year's tulip symphony includes a subtlety of other hues and flowering plants to complete the palette.In addition to the mainstay tulips, the Kehlors dabble in begonias, daisies, geraniums, petunias, impatiens, verbena, sweet alyssum, delphinium, foxglove, fuchsia, bacopa, millionbells, stocks, mums, columbine, azaleas, violas and ranunculus.With springtime kicking into high gear, the home has been attracting photographers and admirers since last week.But like all good things in life, there is a window of opportunity in which an admirer must abide in order to catch the glory."They're really only good for seven to 10 days," says Doris.However, she also has acquired a knack for incorporating early bloomers and late bloomers, thereby extending that time frame."Last year we had cool weather and got a month out of it."This year, unseasonably warm temperatures of early May have coaxed the tulips to bloom very early."It's really at its peak right now," said Doris Kehlor late last week.So the clock is ticking.Time and tulips wait for no man.AcclaimThe Kehlor home has been featured in national publications including Good Housekeeping and Country Garden and many other "beautiful home and garden" magazines, all of which sent their best photographers to try to capture the essence of the tulip showcase.The Kehlor home also hosted a Schuylkill County formal garden tour.The tulip symphony features a study in softness, but contrasted against a subtlety of other hues, such as borders created by pale blue pansies and violas.Adding texture and interest are impatiens baskets and alluring hydrangea pots tinted with a next-to-impossible-to-find pale shade of pink.With springtime kicking into high gear, the home has been attracting photographers and admirers for the past two weeks, drawing onlookers from the Lehigh Valley and beyond.Linda Yulanavage of the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce reports that phone calls come in to the chamber office to find out the best time to plan a visit.The Allentown Garden Club and other similar organizations have sponsored trips to see the spectacle.Many say the quaint cottage reminds them of an enchanted fairyland from childhood fables.As for the Kehlors, they intend to continue their labor of love.They've developed a keen awareness of flowing beauty and an approach that shows what man and nature can accomplish when the two work in harmony.Above all, perhaps, they've proven that it's entirely possible to create the perfect garden, not just once, but every single year.