Friday, April 12, 2013

Daffodils mean it's undoubtedly spring!

After several weeks of cold weather, today the sun is shining and the daffodils are blooming. It's finally  spring! Buttercups, jonquils, daffodils, narcissus... whatever you prefer to call them, they are undoubtedly one of my favorite flowers. I am lucky to have several varieties that were given to me by my mother. 

I don't know the names of most of them, but this one is Thalia. It is creamy white and sweet smelling. Thalia often has two or more blooms on a single stem. I love the little glass basket too. It was my mother's and I can remember filling it with buttercups when I was a child.

This little narcissus blooms profusely with three or four flowers on a stem and a wonderfully strong fragrance that means spring to me!

Another white daffodil, this one has a ruffled pink trumpet.

 photo file_zps70496037.jpg
16x20 oil on canvas
Several years ago I did this painting of an arrangement of daffodils from my yard. It hangs in my kitchen so I can enjoy "spring" all year long. Can you find the varieties in the photos above? 

Daffodil Tips and Tricks

One of my favorite things about buttercups is that they return each year with no effort on my part! All I have to do is remind Pa not to mow down the foliage until it turns brown in late June or July. Daffodils use the foliage to store food in order to bloom the following year. If they are mowed down too soon, they will not continue to bloom! 

Another nice thing about daffodils is that the bulbs can be dug up and shared with others. Wait until they have finished blooming, preferably when the foliage has died down, to dig them. Then plant the bulbs 4 to 6 inches in the ground. Add a little bone meal to fertilize them. Next spring, they'll bloom and will return each year. Easy!

A vase with a narrow opening works well with buttercups. If you want to use them in an arrangement that requires floral foam or oasis, insert a floral pick or a toothpick in the hollow of the stems to make them more sturdy.

Jenny Matlock 
 I'm linking this post to Jenny Matlock's AlphabeThursday... for daffodils mean it's undoubtedly spring!!!

And I'm linking to Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits at Stone Gable.

8 comments:

  1. We have lots and lots of daffodils growing in our garden beds, in pots and in the woods. Every year we plant more of them, and what a joy they are at this time of year! I like your little painting very much - my favourite colour combination is blue and yellow - always has been!

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  2. I look forward to seeing them bloom here. So far I don't even see their leaves. Oh, well! I need to be more patient.

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  3. Daffodils have special meaning for me, also. Back in the mid-80's, the American Cancer Society started having Daffodil Days. Volunteers would go door-to-door taking orders for them. I loved doing that! Especially as I lost a sorority sister to brain cancer and it was my way of remembering her. But times have changed and we now do these orders online. I miss the face-to-face contact with potential customers! Now every year I get bunches of them from the grocery store and display them in sweet vases. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my story. And your tips were fabulous.. as well as that lovely painting of yours!!

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  4. you are lucky ! In Belgium we still have now sign of spring !

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  5. Daffodils are also special to me. My mother in law grew them and always brought me bunch. I miss her and her wisdom every day...

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  6. Daffodils are truly one of my favorite harbingers of spring.

    We can't grow them here in the desert...but someday...

    oh someday...

    I will have hundreds of them around a farmhouse at a higher altitude!

    Thanks for a fUn link for the letter "U".

    A+

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  7. Peg your getting to be a very good Ar'teest :)

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  8. We have several types of daffodils bouncing along the roadside on the way to church and they are such a treasure to view. I loved your post.

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