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Oklahoma Gardening

First daffodils blooming today.

13 years ago

My granddaughter found the first open daffs outside. (I've already had a couple open in the house.) These are the small golden ones with the long trumpets that are often found around abandoned homesteads. My grandmother gave me these over 40 years ago. The show has begun. I have a couple dozen varieties that will bloom over the next two months, ending with the little pheasant eye jonquils.

The only two bulbs that don't get eaten by small mammals here are the daffs and the surprise lilies, which are poisonous to them. I love tulips and hyacinths, but they gradually disappear. Even crocus sometime fall prey.

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Comments (7)

p_mac
13 years ago
YEA, DOROTHY!!!! Heck, I thought I was doing good that mine are up about 3 inches, but you have some TRUE heirlooms there. And it warms my heart to know that they came from your Grandmother!! It's like getting a warm smile from her still, isn't it?

Two years ago I planted about 80 tulips around the front beds of our home, which is also rural and prey to deer. I didn't get maybe 15 that came up...(suspected it was just bad bulbs purchased at Sam's), but today I found almost 30 that are trying to come up! Go figure....

And I also found my Lenten Rose that I got at last years' Spring Swap is up 6"! Thank you to who-ever brought it!!! I also suspect some day-lily's are up a few inches too..at least, I THINK that's what I planted in that spot. ha!

Paula
soonergrandmom
13 years ago
Dorothy, I'm not that far north of you, but mine are just breaking through the ground. Guess that 3 feet of snow kept the sun off of them longer. LOL I threaten to move mine every year because I think they would be prettier like yours are. I think clumping gives a more natural look. Whoever planted mine just put them in a long straight row, but since they are under a walnut tree and not much else grows there, I just never moved them. I think we are fortunate to have anything come back after the temps we have had this winter.
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A couple of daffodil first blooms.
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Comments (8)
Flora- pseudonarcissus is EE here. Some of mine are already fading. A couple of quick descriptions from the web- "Lent Lily (N. pseudonarcissus) is early-blooming with long trumpets and forward-swept petals that give it an informal, wild look. The flower color varies from cream to deep yellow." (Clemson University, USA) "The plants at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst Place provide valuable information about our climate and so provide an early warning of the effects of climate change. For example, staff at Kew study the changes in plant life cycles over time (called phenology). Each year, scientists monitor and record the flowering dates of a hundred native and exotic plants at Kew Gardens. Recent signs of change include a shift in the average flowering date of daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). In the 1980s daffodils commonly flowered around the 12 February, but by 2008 this date had shifted to the 27 January, 16 days earlier." (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens) My first Tete a Tete's are opening now, also a few Erlicheer, Avalanche, some older doubles- Texas, Ice King, Queen Anne's double daffodil. Also, Fortune and Barret Browning. This really is my favorite time of year. There are buds on most of the jonquil hybrids, and I'll get to see ones that were planted last Fall bloom for the first time. Other bulbs blooming now- snowdrops, hyacinths, and grape hyacinths.
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First daffodil of spring
Q
Comments (15)
Thank you. You would not believe how muddy I got taking that picture. I happened to look out the window, saw the sunlight hitting that flower, grabbed the camera and the nearest morning robe, and got down on the ground to get that shot.
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First Daffodil bloom of the season, what kind do you think it is?
Q
Comments (5)
Yes, definitely not Rip Van Winkle. One possibility that it 'might' be is Double Campernelle Van Sion I see is actually a synonym of Telamonius Plenus. Check out the pics of Telamonius Plenus at Daffseek. It also says, "Doubling varies from partial to completely double;" along with a lot of other Daff-speak that I don't comprehend well. I also think that there are some pics of the Telamonius Plenus at Daffseek that are just plain incorrect, but who am I to say such a thing? A couple of those pics look exactly like Rip Van Winkle. If my Telamonius Plenus (aka Van Sion) are still decent, I'll try getting a pic here soon. A pretty reliable source told me that what I had was Telamonius Plenus (aka Van Sion) and I'm thinking mine are different than yours. Sorry to be of such little help and maybe just being confusing. I wish we had a historical daff expert here. Sue
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First bloom today…..
Q
Comments (10)
Nice to see a first bloom this time of year. The NOID is pretty and no idea what it could be. I like the bloom on your Rose Of Sharon bush. Do you remember the name of it? Mine have been blooming for a couple of weeks now. They are the typical purple ones. Julia
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biradarcm
13 years ago
Dorothy, you have always something "firsts" in your home/garden... tomatoes, radish, now flowers! Our fall planted bulbs are just popping out from the soil!
sammy zone 7 Tulsa
13 years ago
My daffodils are just now proving that they are alive. Congratulations on the blooms.

Sammy
mulberryknob
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks everyone, these ARE an early variety, but they are planted very shallowly in a sunny spot. I learned years ago by accident that it isn't necessary to plant daffs the recommended 5-6" depth by throwing some damaged bulbs into the woods and then a couple years later finding blooms out there. The bulbs had pulled themselves into the ground, but still shallow. I plant all mine shallow now, just burying the bulbs to the neck. The same works for Surprise Lilies and Iris. I've "planted" lots of each by throwing them on the ground and walking away. Occasionally some bulbs die in a dry fall and winter, but now that I have a few thousand of each, I don't worry about it.
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
13 years ago
Dorothy,

I've planted many kinds of bulbs, including cannas, the same way.

Congrats on the blooms. I bet they're a sight to see.

I lost the last of my daffodils after receiving 12.89" of rain in one day in April 2009. I had hoped they'd survive, but they were in terrible clay and it stayed wet there for a couple of months. I still have alliums and dutch hyacinths in that bed though, and their foliage is up but none of them are blooming yet.

We do have lovely blooms of all kinds courtesy of Mother Nature: dandelions, henbit, chickweed, bluets and spring beauties. It isn't much, but we'll take it. Looking at our yard, I'd say it is going to be a really good year for weeds.

Dawn
susanlynne48
13 years ago
No bulbs yet, but my Honeysuckle has about 2" of new growth sprouting from all the nodes right now.

Susan

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