Daffodils – March’s signature flower - announce spring’s arrival as their trumpet blossoms dance in the wind. Along country roads and highways that cut through the flat prairie land in Oklahoma where I live, splashes of sunshine-yellow blossoms brighten the last brown tones of winter. Sprinkled randomly in the landscape, these exclamation points of color often mark an abandoned homestead with its lingering memories.
This spring on my morning walks, I discovered two daffodil bouquets tucked in the woods near my house. These patches of color triggered questions and imaginings in my mind: Who planted them? When? Was there once a house here? Were the flowers part of a cherished garden? For me, the flowers were a message from the past that someone long ago cared about the future.
Why not give a surprise gift to the future – or your neighborhood! Daffodils are a success-guaranteed flower. Follow the planting directions on the package, water and walk away. The bulbs hibernate peacefully under the snow until late February or early March.
You can buy enough for mass plantings in the fall at bargain prices. The return on your investment multiplies through the years. These buried treasures pop up every spring and increase through the years to cheer our winter spirits and celebrate the arrival of spring.
Plant a bed of daffodils or if you want to have more fun, do as my sons and I did several years ago: Stand in the center of the yard and toss the bulbs high into the air. Then plant the bulbs where they land. My neighbors and I still enjoy the flowers my sons and I planted on that whimsical and fun day years ago.
I wonder who will find the daffodils I’ve planted in the future. I hope they will be as happy to see them as I am when I discover patches of happiness planted long-ago by an anonymous gardener.
I love daffodils. They are in every room.
Cynthia