Daffodils

I love Daffodils. In my mind their vivid yellow colour is practically synonymous with Spring, and what a welcome sight it is after months of Winter drabness!

In my small garden, the shorter varieties look best, and they are also the most practical because they suffer less from wind damage than the bigger, taller varieties. One variety that I have grown several times is "Jetfire". It grows to a height of about 12" and has a lovely two-tone flower: yellow petals with a bright orange trumpet.

The yellow petals always have a swept-back stance, making them look almost as if they are constantly rushing forwards into a gale of wind. (Actually, they have been doing a lot of that just recently!)

Individual Daffodil flowers don't last very long - 10 to 14 days is about normal - and of course each bulb only produces one flower, once a year. However, if you choose wisely, you can have Daffodils flowering in your garden for at least three months. The first ones generally flower in late January, and there are plenty of types that flower in late April or early May.



This is Tete a Tete, which grows to about 8" tall - perfect for rockeries, small beds or the front of a border.

Daffodils, despite their frail appearance, are actually very hardy and resilient. Mine have been all but submerged in snow, battered by icy blasts of wind, and deluged with torrential rain, but they still look pretty good.

Yes, well... In the circumstances, those daffs do look nice, with their vivid yellow colours contrasting with the white snow background, but don't you just wish I was publishing photos of Geraniums, Rudbeckia or Sunflowers?