Daffodils

By Christine Tailer
HCP columnist

She loved them, and yellow was her favorite color.

Every spring she would decorate her wide brimmed straw hat with newly cut daffodils. She'd carefully sew them on so the thread was hidden. Then she'd dress in her yellow pinafore, stored carefully in her closet for just this occasion. With hat on her head, and a straw basket filled to overflowing with fresh daffodils, she’d head out into her world. She gave a flower and a smile to everyone she met.

People learned to look for her, remembering her from years past, the daffodil lady, my mother. It is hard not to love a spring daffodil. It was impossible not to move my mother.

We all know the hardy spring flower, one of the first to bloom and bring color to our early spring landscapes. Their trumpet-shaped yellow, white, or orange petals return year after year, literally jumping from the earth like old friends, much like my mother in her yellow pinafore as she danced out her door to greet and give a daffodil to everyone she passed.

I know that smiles and flowers are good for the soul, but I wondered what else I might be able to learn about the daffodil.

Yes, indeed, daffodils are special for being one of the earliest and most hardy spring perennials. They might dip their heads with a spring frost, but they quickly regain their posture and once again stand upright in the sunshine. Daffodils will even flower through a blanket of late winter or early spring snow. They are tough.

Their bulbs also proliferate easily, and the flowers return year after year with minimal, if any care. I have dug up clumps of bulbs, once the flowers have died back, separated them, and then replanted them all along the creek valley road. I've lost count of their numbers as I pass by on my walks, but I smile to greet them in their familiar places; at the end of the driveway, by the old oak, along the pasture fence.

Daffodils are also known for being deer, rabbit, and squirrel resistant. This is a very good thing, for these creatures are plentiful here in our creek valley. I've often seen deer grazing by the side of the road, right next to a clump of daffodils.

I was also surprised to learn that not only are daffodils tough, surviving snow and frost, but they are hard on their neighbors. When brought inside and placed in a flower arrangement with other flowers, the daffodil sap will quickly cause the other flowers to wilt. I did learn, though, that if you want to create a varied flower arrangement, simply let the daffodils soak for 24 hours before placing them in a vase with the others. Or you might choose to be like me, and simply let the daffodils shine brightly by themselves.

It should also be no surprise to any of us, that the early blooming daffodil symbolizes springtime, rebirth, and hope for the coming season, and, as my mother would tell you, friendship, even with someone you've just met. This is that daffodil time of year, and as I greet them springing up here and there and all across our creek valley world, I think of my mother's bright smile and feel so very grateful.

Christine Tailer is an attorney and former city dweller who moved several years ago, with her husband, Greg, to an off-grid farm in south-central Ohio. Visit them on the web at straightcreekvalleyfarm.com.