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| HWY 13 NORTH END OF TOWN |
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| ENTERING TOWN FROM THE SOUTH ON HWY. 13 |
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| FOUNTAIN GARDEN PARK |
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| TRIANGLE PARK |
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| LUTHERAN CHURCH |
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| ...DITTO |
Saturday, 7:00 AM. 38 degrees, wind N, calm. The sky is blue with some haze, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy weather. It will be another very nice day.
It’s daffodil time again in Bayfield, somewhat later than usual due to our spate of cold weather. The blooms do not as yet seem as vibrant as they should, probably not developing as quickly and as consistently as would be normal. Perhaps sixty percent of the buds are open on most of the planting areas, and at present I am a bit disappointed, but a few more warm days and everything will meet our expectations. The upside is that we should still have a good daffodil display for Bayfield in Bloom opening events, less than a week away. Usually they are long done blooming by then.
We have planted over fifty-thousand daffodil bulbs in the past seven or eight years and not all have survived. We have learned not to plant where snow is likely to be piled all winter, and most roadsides with high salt use are not suitable either. Very poor soils are not productive, and heavy root competition from trees and shrubs is to be avoided. But on the whole, daffodils and other bulbs like the Bayfield climate, and are well worth the trouble. Annual fertilization with organic fertilizers such as bone meal and composted sewage sludge is a necessity or the bulbs loose their vigor over time. We plant bulbs about six inches on center and as deep. The deeper the bulb is planted the later it will bloom, and some normal variation in planting depth affords a longer bloom season. It is crucial not to mow the daffodil foliage until it is drying up, and that is the hardest factor to control. Mass plantings in lawn areas cost perhaps sixty or seventy cents per bulb, a “pretty good bang for the buck.” This effort has been all about community beautification, community spirit, and breaking the bonds of winter in a small northern town.
I am tired of the non-stop, over and over telling of the bin Laden story. One would think there was no other news in the world. But of course something will soon happen to eclipse it, and then we will seldom hear much about it again. So I am content to focus on spring and daffodils for a bit.
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