Growing Wise : daffodils

Blue and Yellow in the Spring

Elisabeth — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:07:00 GMT

I have always liked the combination of blue and yellow in the garden. It is never better than in early spring. You can combine yellow daffodils with blue chionidoxa or hyacinths. Arrange for your early blooming daffs to come up through a carpet of blue-purple vinca minor. The later blooming ones can emerge from a sea of blue forget me nots. ( The best thing about both forget me nots and daffodils is that once they are established, they require nothing at all from the gardener.)

I particularly love blue or blue-purple grape hyacinths with yellow-flowered tulips. My favorite yellow tulip is 'Maja', which has fringed edges. The pairing with grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) or spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) is inspired in the garden or in a vase.

By making careful early, mid and late spring selections, you can have blues and yellows for at least six weeks. It is worth taking the time to investigate.

Multi Tasking

Elisabeth — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:58:00 GMT

Every year I order too many bulbs. It's the bulb vendors' fault--they make all the tulips, daffodils and crocuses look so gorgeous that it would take a will of iron not to order a large number of them

Now it is early November. The yard is full of fallen leaves and it's quite likely that the grass underneath them needs mowing. I have one hundred fifty daffodils yet to plant, not to mention odds and ends of tulips and hyacinths. The whole situation is overwhelming.

I solve the problem by multi tasking. Starting with the worst part of the yard, I rake up a bag or two of leaves. Once the garden beds in the raked area are clear, I plant bulbs, forgoing individual planting holes in favor of large holes that can hold five or even seven daffodils apiece. Depending on the amount of time that I have, I repeat this step until a large chunk of the lawn is leaf-free and the surrounding beds are filled with daffodil bulbs. Then I mow the newly-cleared section of lawn. It's amazing what you can do in only an hour (or less) by using this method.

Daffodils look best growing in clumps because Mother Nature rarely makes straight rows.

By the time all the leaves have fallen, I have generally gotten all the bulbs planted. I sweep the last batches of leaves into the beds to protect my slumbering bulbs and perennials.

Pink Daffodils

Elisabeth — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Every few years the color pink becomes fashionable in gardening. Most of us, however, don't really have the money to be slaves to fashion, so we stick with the colors we like. Many of us like pink, so we invest in pink roses, peonies, daylilies and mums. About now, some of us are even thinking about pink daffodils.

The problem with pink daffodils is that despite the appearance of the flowers portrayed in the catalogs, the vast majority--if not all--of them are not really pure pink. Most have a touch of yellow, making them closer to apricot than pink. This is fine, as long as you are not expecting something else.

The first "pink" daffodil, 'Mrs. Backhouse', came along in 1921. Bred by Englishman Robert O. Backhouse, it was named for his wife and fellow daffodil breeder, Sarah Elizabeth. The cup of each flower is apricot and the blossoms are graceful and lovely. Later in the twentieth century, 'Salome" was introduced. Like 'Mrs. Backhouse', it has white petals and an apricot/coral cup, but the trumpet is even longer. Another favorite pink is 'Chromacolor', again with white petals and a "pink" trumpet that is somewhat more intensely colored than that of 'Mrs. Backhouse' or 'Salome'.

The trick with any pink-cupped daffodil is to plant it in light shade, as too much sun washes out the pink color.

If you are a purist about pinks, chances are pink daffodils will disappoint you. But if you can accept these lovely flowers as they are and plant them in masses, they will make a gorgeous garden display.

Sweet Smelling Spring

Elisabeth — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 22:39:00 GMT

Fragrance is essential in a successful garden. If you are choosing spring-flowering bulbs remember to check labels for any reference to scent. Hyacinths, of course, are the stars of the scented spring garden, but some varieties of tulips and daffodils are also fragrant.

I am fond of double daffodils, and two doubles--'Cheerfulness' and 'Tahiti'--have sweet scents. 'Cheerfulness' has white petals touched with gold towards the centers, while 'Tahiti' sports bold yellow petals with warm orange at the middle of the flower. Both do well in the ground or in pots and can be forced for early spring bloom.

You don't necessarily associate tulips with fragrance, but some have it. I especially like the double early tulip 'Monsella', which is yellow with bright red strips. The big, showy, Darwin hybrid tulip 'Daydream' is apricot-yellow (depending on soil and other conditions), looks great in bouquets and exudes fragrance.

In my garden, looking good is a good start, but to make my all-star list, flowers must be fragrant. The birds, bees and butterflies agree.