Daffodils Mean Spring! -Spring 2014
by: Hilary Newell
Pink, yellow, white or orange, or any combination thereof, daffodils provide bursts of color and interest in the spring landscape from March through May, and are one of the hardier and most rewarding perennials for the gardener to grow.
DAFFODILS ARE THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE HARBINGER OF SPRING ON NANTUCKET. With the first blooms coinciding with longer days and signaling the coming of warmer temperatures, the daffodil beckons summer gardens forth from their winter rest.
Top daffodil varieties include King Alfred, Jetfire, Thalia and Tahiti.
Nantucket’s Daffodil Festival, now in its 40th year, and held the fourth weekend of April, is the island’s true celebration of spring. Coincidentally, it’s the perfect place to get inspiration for daffodil plantings of your own, come fall.
DEER-RESISTANT AND EASY TO GROW
Daffodils are very rewarding to grow. Requiring very little care, they bloom reliably every year, and for Nantucketers and others who battle deer-browse, they are completely resistant to being eaten by deer and rodents of any size. This is because all parts of the plant are poisonous. The botanical name for the daffodil is Narcissus, and they are also sometimes called jonquils, referring to the Spanish word for rush-like leaves. Generally, the term jonquil is given to small-cupped or flatfaced Narcissus. Whether you call them daffodils or jonquils, they are all Narcissus, with at least 50 species of Narcissus and thousands of named cultivars.
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