Daffodils on Lake Muskoka

I grew up on the mild west coast of Canada, where huge drifts of daffodils perfumed the air in springtime.  That sweet scent on the wind always seemed to me to be the height of something exotic.  And being able to pick a bunch of “daffs” to bring indoors seemed like the most luxurious of notions. But for one reason or other, I never had daffodils in my various eastern city gardens – at least for long.  I planted them all right, but they never thrived, perhaps because they disliked the clay in Toronto.  Whatever the reason, I didn’t worry much because there were lots of other bulbs and spring blossoms to enjoy.  And I could simply buy a bunch of daffodils at the greengrocer, right?

But when we built our cottage north of Toronto on Lake Muskoka a dozen years ago, I planned to have meadows with long grasses and wildflowers.  And I kept thinking about those mouthwatering photos of daffodils splashed across the English countryside.  As I was considering my options, I walked past my neighbour’s cottage down the shore and noticed lovely clumps of orange-trumpeted, white daffodils in her terraced beds.

“They’re so lovely,” I said to her. “Were they difficult to get established?” Laughing, she replied: “I didn’t plant them.  Charlie Peck did.” Charlie Peck, I knew from family stories, had owned her cottage in the 1950s.  If daffodils had been growing down there without any gardener’s help for more than half-a-century, I figured they’d do just fine for me.  So began my Lake Muskoka daffodil quest. Daffodils edging the path

At first I bought them in cheap mixes, balancing like a mountain goat to plant them in the sandy, acidic soil on the hillsides. Daffodils on the hillside

Then I ordered them by name, looking for “good naturalizers”, like ‘Ice Follies’, and cute ones like yellow-and-white ‘Pipit’.  Then I got very specific and bought sweetly-perfumed ones like gorgeous ‘Fragrant Rose’ and ‘Geranium’ and the poet’s daffodil (N. poeticus ‘Actaea’).  (To see my favourites, have a look at this post.)  Narcissus poeticus-the poet's daffodil
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And slowly but surely, they’ve been multiplying, finding their place among the emerging penstemons and lupines and beebalms.Daffodils suit naturalistic plantings

And in late May, when the woods are adorned with trilliums, trout lilies and mayflowers; when my cottage path is overrun with violets and wild strawberries; when blackberries clamber up the hillside and wild columbines, blueberries, black huckleberries and black chokeberries open by the lake, I have the most exquisite springtime luxury of all – I have daffodils on my table. Daffodils in vintage bottles

And sometimes, I even pack ‘em up to take back to the city.Daffodils heading home in the L.L.Bean bag

 

Plant a Fumewort Party!

My most exciting spring bulb doesn’t look much like a “traditional” bulb flower; it looks more like a tiny orchid. It comes in gorgeous colors, is very hardy, spreads reliably and should be much more popular than it is.

Corydalis solida - Fumewort But shhhh…If everyone finds out how wonderful “fumewort” is, they’ll all be looking for it.  Even with that unfortunate common name, Corydalis solida has been the most pleasant find for me. And while the common mauve species is easy to find and spreads like crazy in a partly-shaded spot (mine are under a black walnut tree)…

Corydalis solida on my path

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….the colorful cultivars like raspberry-pink C. solida ‘George Baker’ and light-pink ‘Beth Evans’ are more rare.  And they do cost a pretty penny, but if you begin with just a few bulbs they’ll slowly spread. Corydalis solida and its colorful forms are spring ephemerals, meaning they pop up quickly then die back for summer.  They prefer part shade and humus-rich soil, but my ‘George Baker’ is in full sun next right to a winter-salted boulevard and thrives there. Corydalis solida 'George Baker'

Here’s a little tip.  When you’re planting them in autumn, mix them up in a basket with some bright blue glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa forbesii), striped squill (Puschkinia scilloides), Siberian squill (Scilla siberica) and maybe some violet crocuses, or lavender-blue windflowers (Anemone blanda). That’s right, plant a fumewort party! Corydalis companions

Sleeping Crocuses

I ran out the door, glancing briefly at the little crocuses peeking out from under the mess of stems left over from last summer’s garden. Their silken purple tepals were open to the April sun like tiny fairy chalices, the miracle of spring spangled across the wet, brown leaf litter.  “Pick a few,” I said to myself, but I was late for an appointment.

Why does the warm weather always arrive before I’ve raked? Why don’t I cut the garden down in autumn?  Why bother asking those questions when it’s the same old thing, year after year. Such ingredients help in effective communication through the nervous system free viagra in canada from reacting appropriately to sexual provocation. http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482467798_add_file_2.pdf cialis 5mg uk GinsengIt is a very highly respected herb in Chinese medicine. According to Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, an associate professor of pharmacology at Georgetown University “Before trying an herb or supplement?” Not every man needs the magic touch of sildenafil online india ; occasionally all one needs is a healthy diet, exercise along with a little of Mother Nature’s touch. The alcohol content increases in the viagra from canada pharmacy blood and it decreases the stress on the right ventricle of the heart and improves functioning of your reproductive system.  When I returned home, the clouds had emerged and the crocuses had closed against the dropping temperature and impending rain.  But shy crocuses in little vases today are better than mud-splattered crocuses in the garden tomorrow.  So spring came indoors for the night.

'Purple Remembrance' and 'Pickwick' Dutch crocuses in bud vases.

‘Purple Remembrance’ and ‘Pickwick’ Dutch crocuses in bud vases.