The Island Garden: Shimmering Sirens of Spring

I admit, I have yellow fever.

Why? Because daffodils come up every year and they are the flower of hope. I have heard it said, “When the daffodils swarm, spring and hope officially sprout anew.” And I find this an especially uplifting sentiment this 2022 season.

My daffodil journey began with a handful I had picked from my backyard. I was a new member of The Garden Club of Shelter Island and wanted to participate in their upcoming ADS Daffodil Show. I had no idea, not really, not even the names of the flowers/cultivars I had in my hands.

Yet before me were benches and benches of cut yellow daffodils. A smiling swath of color that took my breath away. That was the moment that cemented my romance with the daffodil.

I have been a National Judge for the for over 10 years, and it never grows old. There is so much to see and enjoy. One criterion for daffodil judges is they must personally grow a minimum of 100 different varieties. That might sound like a lot, but depending on which botanist you talk to, you will hear that there are between 40 and 200 different daffodil species, subspecies or varieties of species (growing in the wild) and over 32,000 registered cultivars (named hybrids).

Although the Netherlands is the best known producer of spring bulbs by the millions, the Dutch are not the primary breeders of daffodils. Britain, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the United States have all been hot spots for narcissus hybridation.

Mitsch Novelty Daffodils in Oregon had a relationship with Shelter Island through Alice Fiske of Sylvester Manor. She founded the Shelter Island Daffodil Show. Mitsch named two of their specialty hybrids in her honor, “Lady Alice” and “Sylvester Manor.”

When it comes to color, an ever-increasing range of daffodil hues are available, including white, yellow, orange, reddish, pink and green.

Some of the most beloved of the daffodils are the miniatures. Many are no bigger than 1/2 inch, and most bloom early, extending the season. Daffodil drama can span 12 weeks in a cool season, although nine weeks of glory is more the norm.

Through the years, the number one question I’ve been asked is: “What is the difference between daffodils and narcissus?” The answer — none. The two words are synonymous. Narcissus is the Latin or botanical name for all daffodils.

“Are daffodils difficult to grow?” is another question. No. They are probably the easiest and most dependable of all the families of flowers and ideal for a beginner in gardening in most regions of the United States. They are also deer-resistant. Daffodils are a dependable perennial bulb that should return year after year with additional blooms.

And they play well with other perennials. Daffodils and daylilies, for example, are an ideal combination, because the daylily foliage masks the daffodils as they bow out after blooming, slowly sending their oomph into next year’s blossoms.

Embracing the front of my home, I mix muscari, chionodoxa and hellebores with the daffodil bulbs along with shrubs like azaleas, forsythias and spring blooming ornamental fruit trees. I add tulips and pansies in my walled garden. Hyacinths and daffodils are a favorite combination in my pots and window boxes.

And because I am particularly keen on scent, I have added the divisions of jonquils, tazettas, poeticus and ultra-aromatic doubles to my beds through the years.

Although daffodil bulbs need to be planted in the fall, now is the perfect time for you to survey the lavish daffodil show on display and plan what you’d like to see bloom in your own garden next spring.

They will make you smile for years to come.

Dianne Bowditch is an American Daffodil Society National Judge and current ADS Membership Chair as well as former President, The Garden Club of Shelter Island. This is the first of a series of occasional columns on gardening by Island contributors.