Journal

I just love daffodils. Always have. But I especially love them at this time of the year – deep dark winter. I’m so grateful greenhouses ‘force’ them to bloom early for those of us who are prone to winter gloominess (with months ahead to endure). Like all spring bulbs, they’re just so hopeful aren’t they? The way their little perky shoots push through the soil and reach towards the sun, climaxing with delicate blooms and intoxicating scents? Right now, I have a pot of grocery store daffodils next to me on my kitchen table and they are certainly a sign of hope against the long dark evenings of January. I keep pushing my nose into their newly opened blooms for that familiar, earthy, springtime scent.

At home, I usually place daffodils in their growers pot (plastic – not pretty) inside a terracotta pot (pretty) because I find if you repot the bulbs in the clay pot, they dry out too easily. This way, I can keep them moist but cover up the plastic. You can add moss to the top if you want a photo-worthy display, but I don’t mind seeing the bare soil.

Out in the garden I like the idea of ‘naturalizing’ daffodils. This means you let them grow and multiply in clumps as they would appear in their natural habitat. The best way to get a natural look they say is to toss bulbs in the garden and plant them where they land (rather than trying to arrange them). Daffodils are supposed to multiply on their own (unlike tulips which diminish over time) and are stinky / poisonous to wildlife so they don’t get eaten (again, tulips are delicious for animals). I always have this thought that people should buy extra daffodil bulbs and plant them here and there around the community so that they naturalize and multiply. I mean like some tired old corner of grass in a busy place or beside a bus shelter or at the edge of a park. Wouldn’t that be so wonderful? I need to get on this myself. Naturalize daffodils look like this…

Some people worry about how to handle the daffodil leaves as they die back. You need to let the green leaves turn brown and die in place so that the stored up nutrients in those leaves can go back into the bulb for next year’s bloom. Don’t snip them off. I have tried the bundle method and like it – you just bundle the leaves and tie them up with twine or a leaf itself and let them brown there more neatly. It’s usually the time of year when you’re filling in with annuals or other perennials anyways so they hide the bundles.

I love all kinds of daffodils – did you know there were so many? But even common plain yellow ones do the trick, especially in January when we need fresh hope for a new year.

So pick up some cheerful yellow daffodils at the florist, grocers or hardware store next time you see them. I bet you’ll love them as much as me.