Daffodils

Nothing announces the start of spring like daffodils. As a kid I don't remember seeing daffodils and didn't plant any when I first began gardening. My most vivid memory of daffodils was at an Easter Sunday services in my wife's church in upstate New York probably 30+ years ago. The altar area was a mass of daffodils in shallow terra cotta pots with none of the normal white Easter Lilies. Some visuals just get fixed in your mind and I remember it as though it was yesterday. So I started to plant a few bulbs and would usually buy whatever was discounted at the end of the season. I've now got large mature clumps and try to mark the biggest clumps for dividing. Every year around the first day of spring I count the blooms in the garden--this year the count is 1271. These are blooming now.

The yellow magnolia peaked earlier this week on a warm day and a brisk wind scattered many of the petals. This tree is in its fourth season.

The pansies, daffodils, and phlox brighten the front walk.

The early tulips are starting to put on a show in the curb bed.