When the willows are gardening and the rosy blush of maples sweeps over hills and swamps, daffodils bloom in equal glory in your garden. Of course, you must put them there, and if you have not already attended to it, now is the time to plant. Even in a small garden, there is space for … Read more
Golden daffodils grow 3″ inches tall with rushlike foliage; purple tulips but 4″ inches overall; small sunny crocuses in the middle of winter; miniature hyacinths in bloom for New Year’s Eve—these are some of the delightful bulbs that can be forced into bloom on a sunny, moderate-to-cool window sill, in a home greenhouse or under … Read more
For those of us who must keep a hand in gardening even though the ground is frozen outdoors, there is nothing so enjoyable as paper-white narcissus. They are vigorous and do well in just water and pebbles. Even if you live in a city apartment, you can easily force narcissus. All you have to do … Read more
The mountains of Spain and Portugal provide numerous species of miniature daffodils, which are charming little Spring subjects for the rockery of easy culture. The dainty flowers have a variety of interesting and pleasing forms and show the best advantage when height is no hindrance. The blooms stand stately on 3” to 6” inch stems. … Read more
The flamboyant “crowd” that inspired Wordsworth to write about “A host of golden daffodils; dancing in the breeze” was not made up of aristocratic novelties from a modern catalog or even our old standby, King Alfred. Instead, they were undoubtedly one of England’s native daffodils, perhaps the Tenby daffodil, obvallaris, or perhaps the lent lily. … Read more
The title I’ve chosen is not merely figuratively true. The daffodils actually are growing up. They are getting taller and bolder, more sophisticated, and prettier. The ungraceful creatures of the first decade of our century made room for RED BEACON and RED CHIEF. They, in turn, made room, in the next decade, for daffodils of … Read more
Little-known facts about growing daffodils in hot climates. Daffodils are Soil Conscious Daffodil may be a “dilly” when soil and climate please her, but she fades out of the garden picture when conditions are not to her liking. Few gardeners expect a trumpet daffodil to be as soil conscious as an azalea because current garden … Read more
Daffodils take many forms; plant breeders beginning with a handful of species or wild daffodils 200 years ago, began to cross-breed them, first out of botanical curiosity and later to create beautiful new forms. The breeding program gained momentum over the past 100 years, with a flood of new types and varieties almost too great … Read more
Daffodils will bring joy to the senses and uplift the spirit every spring, no matter how planted. But they can give increased pleasure if you take time to consider color combinations, patterns of arrangement, and periods of bloom in the fall, in addition to following the fundamentals of good planting. My daffodils are naturalized on … Read more
How many weeks of daffodil bloom do you have in your garden? If less than four, something is radically wrong with your planting. If you select types and varieties with reasonable care, you should have daffodils to enjoy for two months or even longer. The trick to having a longer daffodil flowering season is a … Read more