Yesterday I received my first shipment of spring bulbs to plant this fall. It was daffodils--PINK DAFFODILS! I ordered from a mail order company earlier in the year at a special price. I ordered 6 different varieties, 10 of each. So, 60 beautiful blooms of different combinations of pink and white will be planted as soon as possible and they will be among the first flowers to bloom next spring. Earlier in the season, I marked the 6 different places in the garden that I need to plant them. This ensures that I won't accidentally dig into other bulbs, since their foliage has long-since disappeared, and I want them to be pleasingly interspersed in the garden. Daffodils belong to the genus Narcissus--so daffodils and narcissus are really the same thing. Jonquils, however, belong to a different genus. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and most come back year after year, increasing their clumps over time. One thing I really like about them is that they are not bothered by deer or rodents because of the bitter poison, lycormine, that keep them away. I've pictured some of my favorite daffodils that we have in the yard in the collage--my very favorite is ICE FOLLIES--a very large cupped, tall, white petaled daffodil, with a frilled, creamy yellow flat crown that eventually turns white. It's a good forcer, and it naturalizes well (increases every year). I also love SMILING SUN--a beautifully, perfectly formed, sparkling white-petaled daffodil with a clear yellow perianth. It increases as well. They do well in arrangements, lasting a long time. I like the fall--it gives me a chance to cut down everything, get the beds cleaned up, raked, and new bulbs and perennials divided or planted. I love it when the beds look manicured--a far cry from the wild jungle I feel I have right now!
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