In a Vase, on Monday – Just Daffs

Chris Mousseau

I read a few gardening articles over the weekend talking about the abundance (over-abundance, some would say) of the colour yellow in the garden at this time of year. More than a few commenters chimed in to say how they abhorred Forsythia (!!), and pruned it mercilessly every year (after enjoying the flowers, of course) while secretly wanting to pull them right out of the ground. I don’t understand this Forsythia loathing – it’s such a cheerful shrub in April, especially, yes, when left unpruned, in a large garden, with little competition. Having recently spent a half day taming an unruly specimen in my father’s front yard, I can; however, almost agree with the arguments against them, if planted in the wrong location, or using the wrong cultivar. Boxy or topiary Forsythia do little to excite me.

My front yard Forsythia – so lovely to gaze upon, from the warmth of the house!

But when people complain about the ‘other’ yellow in gardens now, daffodils, I really see red. With a large dose of yellow thrown in. Daffs are the mainstay of my spring garden. They’re front to back on the property, in clumps large and small, or singly, with many varieties from super short to super tall, early blooming to the ‘will they ever open’ ones. As well as the welcoming colour, they have two very important attributes that make me want to plant more every year: squirrels and chipmunks (as well as most other pests including slugs and snails) won’t touch them, and they just keep showing up, year after year after year.

So when I bring in a vase of cut flowers in April and early May, there’s invariably at least a few daffodils in it. When I bring jars and jugs of flowers to friends, they’re always full of daffs. And for today’s vase, joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden, it’s just daffs. I cut these yesterday and brought them inside, to spend the night in warmth so that they would fully open.

As the sun came up this morning…

There’s at least four varieties here…Delibes, I believe, with the orange cup; Quail – the small one – deliciously fragrant and just starting to open in the garden yesterday; likely a ‘King Alfred’ or two; and Bravoure with its pale petals and yellow cup.

Amongst the tulips…

Have a lovely week everyone – and hope you all have loads of yellow in your garden!

(P.S. – here’s a bonus shot I took on Saturday – the first bumble bee of the year looking for sustenance after a long winter…)

25 Comments

  1. The white with the pale yellow center are my favorites. That deep orange just doesn’t make it for me, I’m afraid. I can’t get past my thoughts of eggs! But that bumblebee? What a great shot of one of my favorite insects. It amused me that he seems to prefer the yellow and white, too!

    Your forsythia’s gorgeous. I love seeing them spread like that.

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  2. They are lovely Chris. The ones with orange centres are pretty. I have to agree – yellow is so cheerful after the grey and colourless winter months. And if you have the space, a Forsythia should be allowed to grow and flourish, like yours! I always look forward to my Forsythia each Spring and would not want to be without it, but some people prune them into tight hedgerows here, which is rather ugly. I do love yellow in the garden though, regardless of the season. 😃

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  3. All your Daffodils are pretty! Tulips soon to bloom. I love cheerful Forsythia! The pollen on the Bumble’s legs! I’ve been watching them on my Andromeda…and took a video…because they won’t stay still!

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  4. I have mixed feelings about yellow in the garden, but as long as we are happy with our own gardens then that is what matters – the prevalence of yellow certainly signifies that spring is here! And for daffodils to keep returning year upon year proves what troopers they are, so thanks for sharing some of yours, Chris – lovely to see the bee too. Sometimes you can chase one around with your camera for ages trying to get a clear shot but it’s not always easy!

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  5. Because they are rare here, and also because they are so big, forsythia get more attention than daffodils. Only three inhabit the landscapes at work, but for here, that is quite a few. I will likely grow copies of them in the future. I prefer to prune them by alternating canes, so that canes do not remain long enough to get old. (After bloom, I leave only canes that grew during the previous season, but remove those that are older.) However, in the future, I may coppice them after bloom. They bloom on vigorous canes that grew during their previous season, so do not need two year old canes. Do you make the same observation? Similarly, I find that I can pollard smoke tree and coppice elderberry. Both bloom on new canes.

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    2. I planted those Forsythia out front eight or ten years ago, have never pruned them (I don’t count snipping branches in late winter to force blooms indoors). They keep growing, and keep blooming…

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      1. By now, they are consuming their own old canes. That is their natural growth habit. If I ever add any beyond the landscapes area, I would not intend to maintain them.

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