I have a love/hate relationship with daffodils. I adore the flowers. They are graceful, resilient, occasionally scented, come in a crisp array of spring whites, yellows, golds and orange and make fabulous cut flowers. They provide the perfect hiding place for your resident garden fairy. They cannot be damaged by old man winter and his late season rastiness.
BUT, I hate the foliage. I would someday like to ask God, what were you thinking?! Such a beautiful bloom, but those leaves...! I mean, it all starts well enough, but after the flowers are gone you have to leave all that foliage until it browns before it can be removed. It would be different if they would stand up like most respectable foliage (liriope, for instance) but oh, no! The daffodil foliage lays around like an overgrown bunch of spineless grass.
What is a gardener to do?
Give the Daffodil a gardening buddy, a partner in sublime. Who is this mysterious counterpart? This ying to the daf's yang? Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce, the Daylily!
Here's how it happens. Plant the daffodils just below the daylilies in the same area. In the spring, the daffodils will do their thing. By the time the flowers have passed and the foliage is beginning to get irritating, the daylily leaves are quickly growing up and out. The lilies successfully conceal their low lying companions while their graceful blooms turn to the sun. Double the fun.
This is my kind of math. Daylilies + Daffodils = a Dynamic Do Oh!
Let's Grow,
Ann/GG
Today I made an important decision.
I am a woman on a mission. I am out to reach the world, one bulb at a time.
As a garden center manager, I had many responsibilities but my favorite was purchasing. Christmas ornaments, organic fertilizers, watering cans, I was catalogue after catalogue of beautiful things. But when I first saw the books of spring bulbs, I was stunned.
Did you know there are hundreds of different kinds of tulips? Single, double, fringed, multi stemmed, tall, short, early, late, mid season, hybrid, not to mention red, pink, blue, white, purple, orange, cream, veined, parrot, Darwin, etc. But that's not all. Then there are the hyacinth, alliums, anemones, crocus, snowdrops and daffodils. Scented, unscented, giant, mini, grape, wild, dutch, ... it never ends.
Why have we gotten away from planting these breathtaking beauties in our gardens? Is it cost? Really, for something that will come back year after year, bulbs are a great value. Convenience? Probably. We are all just to busy to get out there and plant them. Sometimes when we have the opportunity, Mother Nature is uncooperative. Still, it's a shame. We need to find a way to turn this around.
Spring bulbs have a unique roll in the world of gardening. They are a visual trumpet for our winterized eyes, like nature's hot sauce waking up your senses and adding zest to an otherwise colorless landscape.
It's time to revisit the bulbs in your life. What else can you plant that doesn't immediately need watering and lots of TLC? Bulbs are virtually free of pests and diseases making them a maintenance dream. They are forgiving and carefree unless you plant them upside down! They plant well with others. They keep to themselves and don't insist on traveling beyond their borders. They insist on blooming their heads off in spite of Mother Nature's late winter antics.
So, have I converted you yet? I dare you to pick up a bulb catalogue and not drool. This is one indulgence you should give into.
All for bulbs and bulbs for all!
Let's Grow!
Ann
