The Magic of Daffodils

Earlier this year, on a rainy January night (it was 2 in the morning), it seemed like a brilliant idea to order daffodil bulbs (I was binging on online seed catalogs). And before I knew it, I had ordered five thousand daffodil bulbs. In the morning, I thought, What have I done? But November felt a million years away, and surely I’d have all the flower beds ready by then.

The bulbs arrived a few weeks ago… and not one dang flower bed was ready

So it’s been a planting marathon ever since.

With the low-hanging tule fog, the days feel quiet, slow, and bone-deep cold. I’m planting bulbs in raised beds and field rows, under trees, and in pots. It’s a kind of madness. And yet, no matter how many bulbs I plant, there seems to be absolutely no dent in the remaining crates.

As of this morning, I have at least 2000 in the ground. Rain is forecast to pour for the next week, but that fits perfectly into my plans, with a second wave of bulb planting scheduled for January and February. The idea is to stagger planting, creating waves of blooms rather than all at once. Fingers crossed!

Out in the field, my hands stiffen from the cold, and the hours tick by, but all I can see is the farm awash in blooms next spring when we reopen the farm.

Daffodils are the most nostalgic of flowers. Their scent brings back memories of springtime when I was a child, which is pure fantasy, because I don’t really remember daffodils in my parents’ garden. They could have been there, I suppose, but it’s more that somewhere in the past I smelled spring in those flowers, and it has never left me.

Next spring, you’ll see the varieties being planted at the farm, with marvelous names like Sir Winston Churchill, White Lion, Pink Charm, and Yellow Cheerfulness, rows of flowers for you to admire or take home en masse in bouquets.

And when they bloom, they will have good company with ranunculus, larkspur, honeywort, calendula, poppies, and roses, which all share the spring garden at the farm.

If you're planning to try bulbs this year in your garden, here are a few daffodil planting tips.

• Plant bulbs close together for that abundant, lush look

• Place roots down with the pointy tip facing up

• Dig at least 4/5 inches down and cover or plant on top of the soil, and cover with dirt, leaves, and mulch to a depth of 4 - 6 inches, depending on the size of the bulb.

• Rule of thumb: if you're unsure of how deep to bury bulbs, since some varieties are different in size, dig down into the soil about 3× the height of the bulb

• For a natural look, toss or scatter the bulbs first, then dig where they land

• Don’t forget to plant some in pots to enjoy indoors