
A tear-drop glistening on the lash,
As though 'twere gazing piteously
Upon the tulip's bleeding gash."
(Hafiz. The Lesson Of The Flowers. Translated by E.H. Palmer)
Late August and September are months we need to remember about bulbous plants, among them daffodils. Garden centres and numerous on-line shops offer umpteen numbers of cultivars. They differ in colour, size, shape and flowering time. It is a good idea to carefully read the labels, the information there can help us choose the daffodils we like or try new unknown novelties. Once planted in the garden they can remain in the same spot for many years producing more and more flowers with every season. We should set the bulbs three times as deep as their diameter choosing well sun-lit locations or the light shade of tall deciduous trees. Try to be spontaneous while planting, which means: forget about straight lines and geometrical figures. Narcissi look great planted in that informal way. That is why they can be planted amidst grass, too.
The low-growing types do well in alpine sites of the garden as well as in pots or other containers, which we leave outside for the winter time. The containers with daffodils can be taken indoors before the spring comes to force early blooming . Taller cultivars make perfect cut-flowers.
Before the cutting season comes, let us start and finish all the necessary planting following the last lesson of the flowers that reads: "This moral it is mine to sing: Go learn the lesson of the flowers; Joy's season is in life's young spring, Then seize, like them, the fleeting hours." And seizing here translates into grabbing a trowel and bag of daffodil bulbs. In order to transform that hard labour into a pleasurable activity we might decide to listen (while continuous working) to a piece of good jazz. Today, I suggest a masterpiece: Jarek Śmietana!