Daffodils

DAFFODILS  / NARCISSUS

Externally hardy and long lived, daffodils will brighten your spring garden
every year with very little care.

Of all the beautiful spring flowering bulbs from early snowdrops to late blooming tulips, few are more dependable than daffodils.  For a reliable display you can count on year after year, these popular perennials  will give you 'the big bang'  for your time and money.

All parts of daffodils are toxic so deer and other wildlife pass it by as they devour the other plants in the environment. If you live in an area with deer, daffodils are one of the few fool proof plants you can count on.

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Deer will devour almost everything in sight but pass daffodils by,
leaving them to bloom for our enjoyment.

Once properly planted daffodils will come back for many years, blooming in early spring with very little care.

There is a long standing debate on the correct name, Narcissus, Daffodils  or Jonquils.  In this article I am simply going to use the most common name in our area, daffodils for all of them.

Trumpet shape flowers which begin to bloom in April, daffodils have a large selection of color patterns to choose from. The most popular yellow will brighten up any garden from the front door to large displays in back yards or even in open fields. In addition pure white flowers are available as well as mixed trumpets blends of two or three colors on the same flower.

For the largest variety of  daffodils and the best quality of  bulbs
order them from a good catalog company. 

Easy to plant, place the 'bottom' of the bulbs six to eight inches in the ground, 5 to 6 " apart. They will fill in quickly.

The bulb is a storage chamber supplying everything the daffodil needs to
survive until next spring.

In our clay soil and handful of chopped leaves will lighten the soil and help with drainage. If you don't have leaves take advantage of your neighbors who mow their leaves and put them on the street.

There are so many color combinations such as 'Fragrant Breeze' you can to to your daffodil display
every year for more interest and impact. 

 After daffodils have bloomed leave the green leaves until they turn yellow before cutting them back. These leaves will supply the energy for next year's bloom.  One of the few drawback of daffodils is that these leaves will remain until early June. When planting my summer flowering plants, I simply push the greens aside and put the new flowers between them. They quickly over grow the yellowing leaves and draw attention away from them.

One of the few yearly task you should do to help your daffodils remain viable is to cut off the dead flowers after they have bloomed, a technique known as dead-heading. This will force the bulbs to transfer major energy from setting seed into producing next year's flowers and ensuring a healthier bulb to survive the winter. I also sprinkle  a fertilizer such as bulb tone around the greens when dead-heading the flowers.

When your daffodils have become overcrowded they will flower less. This is the time to lift
them out of the ground, gently wiggle apart and replant them to increase your display.
 

If your flowers begin to dwindle it's time to dig up the bulbs and divide them. This should be required only once every ten years. This process will re-new your bulbs and double your stock.

Hybridizing daffodils has created  color blends and textures that are dramatically
different from the original trumpet parent plants.
Above: Double Narcissus 'Cherefulness' 

Happy Gardening,

 James

Pumpkins

PUMPKINS

Pumpkins are native to North America where seeds have be found in Mexican graves and temples dating back five to seven thousand years ago. Up north, pumpkins were grown by Native Americas for hundreds of  years before the first European settlers arrived here.

When the Europeans "discovered" America they actually found a
great civilization that had existed here for thousands of years.

The American Indians created a farming technique called "The three sisters". Corn was grown in the same plot as beans and squash. The corn would grow tall and the beans would use it as a trellis. The pumpkins and squash were planted at the base and would discourage raccoons and other critters from eating the corn and beans. 

The "Threes Sisters" planting system would get wildlife to focus on the harder to eat
pumpkins and squash, distracting them from the beans and corn. 

The Natives later taught this practice to the Pilgrims. Without pumpkins it is doubtful any of the Pilgrims would have survived the first long winter.

In later years the Pilgrims would carve out pumpkins, fill them with milk and bake them until they turned in a rich, flavorful custard. This tradition later became today's pumpkin pies. 

Sugar pumpkins are used for baking while the larger pumpkins are used mostly for display.
The stems add interest to the pumpkins and your display. 

Pumpkins and other winter squash are easy to grow if you give them their basic requirements, warm rich soil, heavy but even moisture, lots of sun and most importantly, plenty of space to spread out and grow. If they outgrow their space your can turn the growing tips towards where you want them to grow. When harvesting leave at least one inch of stem attached and let your pumpkins sit in the sun for ten days to cure them before storing them.

If you want to grow a large pumpkin, remove all but one from the vines so the
plant can focus all it's energy the one remaining fruit. 

Our modern Halloween tradition of carving out pumpkins began in ancient Ireland. The Celtic people believed the dead arose from their graves every year on October 31.  

To ward off evil, people carved faces into rutabaga or turnips, beets or potatoes and put them in windows and at their doors. Even the name Jack-O-Lantern is derived from Irish lore and folktales.

October 31 was celebrated as Samhain, marking the end of the harvest season and the being of the
dark winter ahead. It was the day the dead walked the earth.

When our Irish immigrants arrived in America they brought these traditions with them and quickly learned pumpkins are much easier to carve out.
Today pumpkins can be found in a variety of sizes, from the massive orange pumpkins to jack-be-little, which can fit in the palm of your hand. 

Pumpkin craving is a creative and fun event that millions of Americans enjoy as an annual
Halloween tradition. 

Color choices now start at white, then orange, and blended. There are even pumpkins with warts for folks looking for something different.

With the addition of heirloom pumpkins, choices of color and textures are continuing to  grow.

Selecting a pumpkin is often a family event with everyone going to a local farm to make their selections. When choosing your pumpkin pay attention to the stem. Pumpkins with stems last longer; long or curved stems add character to the pumpkin.

Halloween has a centuries old history as an adult holiday.
It has only recently that it has become a children's  celebration with preparations and decorations
 starting weeks before October 31

A pumpkin placed by a door or in front of a house today has come to symbolize the autumn season, good fortune and prosperity.  

A pumpkin placed by the front door in the autumn is a symbol of hospitality and welcome.

Happy Halloween
 Drive Extra Safe,                                                                                                           James

Although not as spooky as it used to be, millions of people still go to sleep
on Halloween with one eye open.