Two springs ago daffodils began blooming in the fields alongside Route 2 between Charlemont and Shelburne Falls. Where did they come from? Daffodils are not usually planted among the alfalfa, even at the edges of hayfields.
The mysterious daffodils were noted by commuters on their way to work, and others making their necessary rounds. People could not help smiling and wondering. Had someone been sneaking around in the dark of night to plant daffodils secretly the previous fall? Had someone donned dark pants and black sweater and hat, possibly blacking their face in order to keep hidden in the moonlight? Had someone hoisted a spade over his or her shoulder and hauled a sack of various daffodil bulbs from field to field?
This mystery brought such delight that it was noted in the local newspapers. As far as I know no one was ever unmasked or claimed responsibility. This was a random act of kindness that brought pleasure to the whole broader community.
The thing about acts of imagination and generosity is that they generate more of the same. Last year the original mystery daffodils increased in number, as daffodils cannot help doing.
This year I noticed that many households along Route 2 have planted their own bands of daffodils in front of their house or land, alongside the road. Not mysterious, but providing more delight to the same broad community.
Of course, I don’t know for a fact that the mystery daffodils were the inspiration for these new plantings, but surely I have made a reasonable assumption.
Daffodils are perfect for public plantings. Once they are planted they require no work to keep blooming and increasing. And, as drivers can see as they move along the Mohawk Trail daffodils come in a whole variety of forms from the standard brilliant and sunny yellow, to paler shades of cream and pink, some with ruffled cups, some cups trimmed with orange-red. The different varieties begin blooming early in the spring and keep coming over a long season.
Daffodils are hardy plants, needing only lots of sun to multiply year after year. Although daffodil bulbs are planted in the fall, I know that many people receive forced bulbs as gifts at Christmas and throughout the winter. Then, thrifty yankees that we are, we keep those bulbs after they have done blooming, letting the foliage ripen in an unobtrusive window. Now that it is spring we put those bulbs in the ground.
There is no guarantee that those forced bulbs will bloom next year, but they may. Forced daffodils are more likely to bloom in later years than tulips, but nothing is lost by putting any of them in the ground. If you plant forced bulbs it doesn’t hurt to put a little bone meal in the planting hole, just as you would in the fall.
Spring blooming bulbs are a reminder that gardeners always need to be thinking ahead. To bloom in the spring, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, as well as the little bulbs like grape hyacinths and snowdrops, need to be planted in the fall.
Daffodils belong to the family Narcissus. They are not fussy as to soil. Bone meal which supplies potassium for good root development is the recommended fertilizer when planting. In addition, another application of fertilizer can be spread in the spring. You will notice that fertilizers advertised especially for bulbs have a greater percentage of potassium in the formula. You’ll remember that the three numbers like 5-10-5 in a fertilizer formula refer to the respective percentages of Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. Potassium is essential for good root development and general healthy growth of a plant.
Fertilizing in the spring should be done early when the shoots are just emerging and then should be well watered in. I was slightly late with my fertilizing this year, but I mostly only have shoots so far. I did get out there when the rain began last weekend and I can say that the bulb fertilizer was definitely watered in. We got just over two inches of rain on our hill.
The hardest part of growing daffodils, or any bulb, is letting the foliage ripen after it blooms. Ripening foliage is not lovely. I grow most of my daffodils at the edge of the lawn which does not get mowed until just before the Annual Rose Viewing in late June.
If daffodils are grown in a flower border the foliage can be bent over and tied together so it will not be as noticeable as other flowers come into bloom. This ripening period is essential because the foliage uses the sunlight to manufacture food and strengthen the bulb for good bloom the following year. If the foliage is cut down too early bloom will be limited or not happen at all.
I had one friend ask why her daffodils had stopped blooming. Her problem was not that she had cut the foliage too early, but that her garden was probably too shady. Daffodils need at least 6 hours of sun a day. Since they are often planted in a woodland setting, that setting can get shadier and shadier without the gardener noticing, and the daffodils will not get the necessary sunlight.
I treasure the appearance of daffodils in the spring. Their sunniness and cheerfulness are simple delight. I marvel at and give thanks for the imagination and action of the mystery daffodil planter.
April 2006