I am suffering from Daffodil envy.
This morning I opened the computer and found the following photos on one of my favorite blogs THE GALLOPING GARDENER.
narcissus
SPRING!
Spring is announced in the ‘Wordsworth Meadow’
It does fill my heart with joy!
Every year the display increases. Presently scouting old abandoned homeplaces to rescue more Narcissus to add to the meadow.
If you have been reading this blog then you know these are ‘old timey’ bulbs that have survived for years unattended. The modern cultivars I originally planted disappeared after a season or two.
The sweep of Narcissus on the left in the above photo is a younger planting than the one on the right, equal number of bulbs. Time is a huge element in garden design.
MORE SCENES FROM AROUND THE GARDEN:
Prunus ‘Okame’ and Spiraea, wish you could hear the bees a -buzz at the ‘all you can eat buffet’
Helleborus orientalis & Narcissus and the ghost of last summer’s Hydrangeas.
Of all the garden areas, it is the ‘Wordsworth Meadow’ that holds my heart. It is still unfinished….
CONTINUOUS AS THE STARS THAT SHINE
And twinkle on the milky way….
The Wordsworth Meadow comes alive again.
I await this event every year and it still amazes.
LATE NARCISSUS
Beautiful & fragrant, Narcissus ‘Thalia’ paired with Snowflake (Leucojum) below.
These are rescued daffs.Late blooming, does anyone know if they are Poeticus Narcissus?
Phlox divericata running through Trillium cuneatum….. 
Everyday brings changes…one can never be bored; particularly when summer comes in March!
THE CUTTING GARDEN
Between trying to weed, (while avoiding the bees) clearing the remaining winter debris, feeding & pruning the clematis that have already budded, trying to finish the seed selection and ordering … it has been a busy time. Spring is here…there may still be cold snaps but we are on our way.
Above, scenes from the Bothy and the endless ‘to do list’
The daffodils in the cutting garden are slowly diminishing and should be replaced this fall. Some have lasted several years, others just one or two seasons at most. Replanting this area is quite a challenge since there are no guidelines in the autumn. One thought was to plant the bulbs in peat pots and then transfer them to their appointed rows in spring when one can see where they are needed, but that plan never came to fruition.
Several years ago I devised another scheme … transplanting Muscari where the daffs had failed. Muscari sends up its foliage in the autumn so it would simply be a matter of trading the Muscari for a daff bulb. But when the spring came and the blue Muscari bloomed with the remaining daffs, the scene was so spectacular that I decided to leave it. Now however, this area needs attention.
Some Daffs have come up ‘blind’ this year; that is lush foliage but no flower bud. I am attributing this to the lack of cold weather…we will know for sure next spring, but this section of the cutting garden is a big disappointment this season.
Above, these were 100 Tete`a Tete (head to head) narcissus..now it is only ‘Tete’ and very few are left. They did give a wonderful show and filled many mini vases over the last few years. I will replant that variety.
Do you have a favorite variety of daffodil?
THE DAFFODILS
The Wordsworth Meadow is in full glory. The very first time I looked at this property, before I saw the interior of the house, I imagined this area flooded with sweeps of Daffodils “fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”
It was a privet and wisteria jungle that took me months to clear. Then the planting began. the first autumn I ordered 500 bulbs recommended for the south. The following year I planted more, but when spring arrived, only a fraction of the original planting returned.
Does this look like 500 daffs? Today,this is what is left of the original planting.
Devastated, I thought my plan for this area would have to be abandoned untill I passed an old deserted homestead with a neat line of daffodils… big, fat,full clumps with many blooms. If these daffs could survive and INCREASE over the years….they were for me.
And so it began, sourcing, digging, dividing and replanting. Yes, I ALWAYS ASKED FOR PERMISSION. I still regret those that were bulldozed to make way for a strip mall before I could find the owners.
There are no words to describe the joy these bring every spring as I watch them multiply over the years.
Do you think it was worth the effort?
CAMELLIA MADNESS
The Camellia Walk is in full flower.
The Helleborus are also at their peak, I love them together, makes for a lush planting…the only kind.
Just about here, I turn around to see………
The daffodils in The Meadow.
Up close & personal……… 
© All photos & text 2011
THE CUTTING GARDEN
The cutting garden is located adjacent to the potager. It was in fact where my husband attempted to grow melons for several seasons. I usurped the space when the ‘bones’ of the shade garden (Circle of Friends, Camellia Walk ) and the Viburnum Court, were planted.
A cutting garden devoted to supplying flowers for the house was one of my prerequisites dreams, when we were looking for a house with acreage. This space was in full sun, already cleared, tilled, in a word…perfect.
Divided into three distinct areas, the first, primarily for daffodils (Narcissus).
It is here I indulge myself in all the named varieties that ‘do’ in the south…even a few that don’t but are guaranteed to bloom the first year.
Here also, are a few daffodils I have rescued from old abandoned homesteads, whose origins remain unknown.
I never cut flowers from The Meadow. It is planted exclusively with heirloom bulbs I have rescued & divided over the last 13 years. (More on why in another post.) Meanwhile, enjoy the early show in the cutting garden.
It is so rewarding to share this abundance, I have taken to sending bunches home with friends who visit. Daffodils spread joy & the promise of spring.
© All photos & Text 2011
SIGNS OF SPRING
Last day in January and there are signs of spring everywhere.
The daffodils (Narcissus) are coming up in the meadow…
and the Prunus mume (Japanese Apricot ) is blooming!
I didn’t have my glasses, but you get the idea. Too bad one can’t photograph the fragrance.
I know there will be more ‘cold snaps’ before winter releases us from her grip… but these signs that she is waning, gladden the gardener’s heart.
© All photos & text 2011
THE MEADOW
The Meadow is located where the walk from the Circle of Friends terminates on the south side. When I first saw this area I knew this would be where I could try “The English Thing’ with naturalized bulbs.
Since the foliage of the bulbs must be allowed to mature and the wildflowers must be allowed to ripen their seed, no mowing is allowed. Voila… a MEADOW!
Totally delightful, easily sustainable, pollinator friendly …. a gift for living away from the city. I wish you could smell it after it gets it annual haircut.
Daffodils (Narcissus) in early spring followed by Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata) and Trilliums (Trillium cuneatum), and NOW Spider lilies (lycoris radiata)!!
© All photos & text 2010
Recreating Eden Landscape Blog 