Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Wednesday 12 March 2014

100 Flowers : #016 Daffodil

The sun is out and so are the daffs!

#016 Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Daffodil


Suddenly, there they were! The buds burst and the clump of Daffodils planted in our patio, were all in full flower. Two different varieties of petite Daffodils, I don't have records of the exact names, but I love these smaller varieties with long narrow trumpets and turned back petals.


Perfect, clean, bright sunshine yellow – the epitome of Spring. Narcissus is greek for . . . 'narcissus', and no-one knows if the mythical beautiful youth, Narcissus – who gazed at his beautiful reflection in a pool until he swooned and fell into the water and drowned – is named after the flower or gave his name to the flower that sprang up after he died.


The name 'Daffodil' was originally 'Affodell' (a confusion with the name of another bulbous plant, the Asphodel) and in Holland where the flowers were, and are, very popular, it is 'De Affodil' or in England that got changed to 'Daffodown Dilly'  . . .

Daffodowndilly by A A Milne

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet, She wore her greenest gown; She turned to the south wind And curtsied up and down. She turned to the sunlight And shook her yellow head, And whispered to her neighbour: "Winter is dead."


Except this one just talks to herself . . . or to the violets!


Last weekend we re-visted Myddleton House Gardens, the little valley leading to the rock garden was a carpet of nodding daffodils. We came home and looked at the handful of daffs in our garden and made a mental note to plant lots more later this year. In fact a 'mental note' won't do, I'll put a large post-it note in my desk diary 'PLANT LOTS OF DAFFODILS'.


Celia
xx


12 comments:

  1. I LOVE daffodils! Yellow is such a happy colour :)

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  2. Daffs really do say spring don't they. The one with the turned back petals is probably 'Jack Snipe'. I have loads of Tete a Tete flowering away but the full sized ones have yet to open.

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  3. I am going to make a post it note in my diary too - I always look around the garden at this time of year seeing spots that would look lovely with some more daffodils and then by September I have forgotten where I wanted to put them - lots of forward planning is needed. Thank you for your lovely pictures.

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  4. I adore daffs... they are the mark of the start of Spring for me. When we first moved to the cottage 10 years ago it was the end of the summer and everything was parched but the following Spring a huge bank of daffs appeared obviously planted by the previous owners and it was glorious. Walkers actually stop and take photo's... I love it x

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  5. Same here ... the sun kissed them and there they were!

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  6. My favourite. I am obsessed with their jolly, nodding heads signalling spring is here. I have a stratton compact with daffodils on I really love and look forward to displaying this time of year! :) Love this project of yours!! Katie

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  7. Nothing beats a pretty daff! xoxo

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  8. You can't beat them for colour and style especially en masse. Make that post it note prominent and buy a couple of sackfuls in Spetember!

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  9. I love happy smiley daffodils. I have them in my garden too, but of course they are not flowering yet, and won't be showing for probably a month yet. They don't last long here either because once we get the warmth it warms up fast and is soon too hot for them. However long they last I love them anyway!
    Carole

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  10. Daffodils - my all time favourite. :) Hugs to you Celia!

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