On the weekend, my heart was dancing with Wordsworthian glee. There weren’t ten thousand daffodils in bloom but there were far more than I wanted to count.
Daffodils make the berm above the Skating Pond a true delight in spring.
For the last umpteen years, we’ve been planting daffodils on the berm above the Skating Pond. I’ve never ordered single varieties, always choosing instead to use the less expensive mixed varieties that are packaged in the hundreds. So I can’t identify any of the particular varieties with certainty.
A daffodil’s beauty is heightened on a sunny day.
And that doesn’t bother me. I don’t care about what they are called. Instead I simply delight in the beauty of each.
The daffodils with orange coronas aren’t my favourite but they definitely stand out from the solid yellows.
And while it is a delight to stand beside the Skating Pond and look one way, it is almost a shock to turn and look the other. The berm shows spring in full colour; across the water, the slope covered with feather reed grass (Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster‘) still looks like winter.
Actually, I love the wind-swept hair look of the ornamental grass.
But mostly it is the promise of spring with summer to come that makes my heart dance. In the woods where the wild garlic grows so profusely, spring beauties (Claytonia caroliniana) are carpeting the forest floor.
They are dainty flowers, easily missed unless you are looking for them, but when you do, when you examine them close up, their appearance more than justifies their name.
Also blooming in the woods are yellow trout lilies (Erythronium americanum). The flowers aren’t as numerous as I’d like but the speckled leaves that give the plant its common name are everywhere.
Also growing only in patches — not in the woods but in the garden — is giant butterbur (Petasites japonicus). I love its emerging appearance, soft little cushions with squishable pins. Soon the flowers will show themselves, then the broad green leaves that last throughout the summer.
But it is the daffodils that most delight. They bloom in large clumps on both sides of our driveway, lighting up the hillside. They seem to be blooming more abundantly this year than they usually do — but perhaps I’m seeing this only because I want to.
I’ll plant more daffodils below those two birch trees on the left. I think I’ll order mostly multi-coloured ones to offer a contrast with the solid yellows.
I am photographing the view from strategic spots to know where I will add more bulbs in the fall. Doing this gives me a boost now when my spirits can drop. (Cold temperatures today, and snow — yes, snow! — predicted for later in the week.)
This view is from farther along the driveway. I plan to add more bulbs on the upper left, near the two skinny birch trees. Below the daffodils you can see the remnants of snowdrops.
But overall, as the garden continues to emerge from winter, I’m feeling optimistic. We will survive.
So glad that spring is finally unfolding for you. All those daffodils look amazing.
I have a friend here who planted thousands last fall (her partner is a gardener and largely stays at home….). and apparently they were remarkable this spring.
So maybe the daffodils are better this year usual?
Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos The daffodils look gorgeous
Best wishes Hans in Pointe Claire (where the grass is green now)
Our grass is greening up daily, Hans. Still lots of dead brown patches but with the sun, all is bearable.
Do you cut any for the house? I tend to cut the floppers. There’s always a few of each kind toppled by the weather or some other accident. But I noticed the stems on many were damaged and that’s why they went over. Looks like some kind of a bruise that turns into a rot. Many kinds are wonderfully fragrant. Because of the slow, cool spring, the individual varieties are lasting longer, so there’s more overlap and that’s why it looks like more. (Just my theory.) And on cloudy days they sure are sunshine on the ground! Have to share this quote from A. A. Milne: « A house with daffodils in it, is a house lit up, whether or not the sun be shining outside. Daffodils in a green bowl–and let snow if it will. » It’s from an essay called « Daffodils » which I’ve not had the good fortune to read. I just got the quote from someone else’s webpage. I hope you cut some before the snow comes–we’re supposed to get an inch of it ourselves.
I cut some flowers every other day. One vase is by the sink in the kitchen and it is green. So I’m following Milne’s dictum without knowing about it.
As for snow, I’m hoping that if it comes, it will only by a dusting that will quickly melt. Two grandsons have been in the lake already — they weren’t in the water for long!
I also have noticed more floppers this year — a weakness in the stems that stays in one spot and doesn’t spread, thank goodness. The white with pale yellow varieties seem more prone than others to this.
Kathy, I hope all at your house are still healthy.
I hope the snow holds off and spring forges ahead for you. We all need the lift that spring brings at the moment. Xxxx
I counting on the weatherforecasters being wrong, or at least that we get only a dusting of snow that melts almost as soon as it falls. Today the sun is shining so life is good!
Same here. It does make a difference!
insert smiley face here.
Your daffodils are beautiful and I love how they naturalized on the hill. Have you tried planting Tahiti daffodils? They are a beautiful yellow and orange double daffodil that is very hardy and easy to grow. Mine have naturalized well. The blooms last for more than 8 weeks and the color stays vibrant the whole time. They are my new favorite.
I’ll look them up, Sally. They may be exactly what I need. Thank you!