STAR MAGNOLIAS IN BLOOM IN BAYFIELD:BUT DON'T EXPECT MYRACALS

STAR MAGNOLIA 'DR. MERRIL'...

...LARGE, WHITE FLOWERS...

...LARGE, FUZZY, GRAY-GREEN FLOWER BUDS

Friday,  8:00 AM.  37 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 34 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, very light,  The sky is cloudy but looks like it is starting to clear.  The humidity is 92% and the barometer is starting to fall, currently at 30.07",  predicting rain on Sunday.
   Several types of Magnolias will grow in the Bayfield climate, the Star Magnolia pictured is located in the alley behind the Post Office on south Broad Street.  There are a number of others around town.  They are pretty hardy vegetatively, but the flowers often freeze out since they bloom quite early in spring.  When they do so, the blooms hang on the tree, looking for all the world like wet paper bags.  I remember the look well from working at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio, where that routinely happened.  I doubt that fully equates the two climates; more likely it says that the star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, which is native to China and Japan, is not a very reliable bloomer in the upper Midwest.  The tree pictured is probably the cultivar 'Dr. Merril'.  Anyway, such erratic bloomers are O.K. to have around if one has the interest and the space.
   But don't expect miracles.

Pray for the World's Christians,
Persecuted for their Faith

TIME, TIDE AND SPRING WAIT FOR NO MAN

SPRING STILL ON HOLD

Thursday, 9:45 AM.  40 degrees, wind ENE, light with stronger gusts.  The sky is a cobalt blue with a few scattered powder puff clouds. The humidity is 79% and the barometer is somewhat steady, currently at 30.17".  The consistent northerly winds, which bring cold air off the big lake, are keeping spring on hold.
   Which is O.K., actually, as the daffodil display should now last at least until May 15, which is the Bayfield in Bloom kickoff at the pavilion, with the annual Garden Talk radio show.  The town will be all decked out for the event.
  Oil change and tune-up accomplished, we need to get back to springtime activities, including a Tree Board meeting tomorrow morning during which we will pull tree stakes from trees planted the last several springs. More on that tomorrow.
  Plus, we have a planting job to do tomorrow.  We brought the native grasses from the nursery last Friday, and will pick up perennials from Hauser's in Bayfield this morning.  I am on light duty for a while and have enlisted my usual help for all of this.
   Time, tide and spring wait for no man.

Pray for the World's Christians,
Persecuted for their Faith

THE FIRST BEAR OF SPRING

ANOTHER COOL, SUNNY MORNING

FIRST BEAR OF SPRING, HEADING TO THE TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC

Monday, 8:00 AM,  38 degrees at the Ferry Dock, 35 on the back porch.  It was 29 degrees when I first looked at the thermometer this morning.  Wind SSE, with occasional very light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 81%.  The barometer is beginning to decline, now standing at 30.26".  It looks like the weather will be a repeat of the last few cool, sunny days.
   I have been wondering where the bears are, as I have  seen no evidence of their usual perambulations around the neighborhood.  So we were pleased to sight our first bear of the spring, out on Hwy. K, just north of Hwy. 13.
   I had just remarked to Joan that we were seeing no wildlife on our early evening drive (about 6:15 PM) when a very rangy looking, long-legged young bear crossed the road about 150 feet in front of the truck.  He was probably about 150 to 175 pounds, perhaps a two year old, a lot bigger than a cub or a yearling but not a full adult.  He was not running, just ambling along, and took his time disappearing into the woods when we stopped to take his photo.
   I rather imagine we haven't seen bears because they are busy trying to nab deer fawns.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, the average adult bear kills and eats four fawns every spring, and the bears are probably as much a factor in controlling the size of the deer herd as are the wolves.  I haven't been a factor at all in the last few years.
   For more posts about bears, use the blog search engine; there's some pretty good commentary. including a lot of humorous incidents.  No posts for several days, as I have to go to Duluth for an oil change.  Maybe a tuneup.

THE TEDDY BEAR'S PICNIC
by Anne Murray

If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise!

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain,
Because today's the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic.

(plus a number of other verses)

 

Pray for the Word's Christians,
Persecuted fro their Faith

THE CURTAIN IS RISING, AND THE SHOW BEGINS

COOL BUT GORGEOUS MORNING

                           AN EAST FACING HILLSIDE

THOUSANDS OF DAFFODILS ON A SOUTGH FACING HILLSIDE

Sunday, 7:30 AM.  35 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 32 on the back porch.  The wind is light and variable, the sky clear.  The humidity is 77% and the barometer has begun to rise, now at 30.18".  It is a cool and gorgeous morning, and it will warm up some today.
   Bayfield's daffodil display has started in earnest, with east and south-facing hillsides in full bloom, and other areas soon to follow.  It is worth a visit.
   The curtain is rising, and the show begins.

REMEMBER THE WORLD'S CHRISTIANS,
PERSECUTED FOR THEIR FAITH

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ADVENT OF SPRING IN BAYFIELD

ANOTHER CHILL, GRAY DAY

Saturday, 9:00 AM. 36 degrees F, wind NE, blustery.  The sky has a high overcast and clouds but looks like it might become partly cloudy or even clear.  The humidity is 77% and the barometer is more-or-less steady, now standing at 30.02".  The brisk wind out of the NE will render the day pretty chilly.
   Yesterday's trip to Northwoods Nursery in Rhinelander, Wisconsin was entirely uneventful.  Rhinelander is 150 miles diagonally southeast of Bayfield, on the upper Wisconsin River.  We got there about 1:00 PM, loaded up our pots of dormant native grasses, and got back to Bayfield with time to unload them at the job site.
   We looked in vain for real  signs of spring in northern Wisconsin and saw none overt enough to be seen from a moving vehicle, save for the fact that there is no longer ice on the lakes.  In fact, there are more obvious signs of spring, such as early blooming garden plants, in Bayfield than any of the small communities we drove through on the way there and back.  I think it is safe to say that Bayfield, on the shores of Lake Superior, is closer to real spring than any of the territory south and east that we traversed. This seems counterintuitive, but Bayfield, on the shores of the big lake, is a full climate zone warmer than many regions further south.  Given that day length is one of the major factors in plants breaking dormancy, the temperature and light factors may cancel each other out and spring may get to all of us more or less at the same time.  It is hard to come to any definite conclusions regarding this, as every season is somewhat different as far as spring temperatures are concerned.  The day length factor of course is a constant.
   At Northwoods, which is a large wholesale nursery, things are just starting to get busy with still-dormant plants just now being picked up by customers.  They will be very busy shipping in a week or two but as for now the business itself is still breaking out of dormancy, so to speak.  Everything in the nursery business is compressed into a few short periods of frenetic activity in the spring and again in the fall with digging, loading and delivering plants to customers.  Growing plants in pots has of course extended the seasons immensely for northern growers, but it is all still a huge challenge.
   So why bother to propagate and grow plants this far north? Mainly, to be able to sell tried and proven winter hardy plants and to be closer to regional northern markets.   I, for one, know these plants will grow where I plant them (plant hardiness is a complicated subject, but the basic advantages of being propagated and grown in the localities plants are to be planted in are still valid).
   To render the trip even more wintery, we saw no wildlife while driving; no deer, no turkeys, no eagles, etc.  Perhaps that was a result not only of still wintry weather with temperatures in the thirties or a bit higher, but also the fact that there was a lot of traffic on the road, the only reason I can think of, that being a Friday, a lot of winter-weary folks are coming north on the weekend to open their cottages for the coming season.
   Lots of luck.

Remember the World's Christians,
Persecuted for their Faith

AH, SPRING!

ANOTHER CHILL, GRAY DAY, AND SPRING'S ON HOLD AGAIN

TULIPS BLOOMING AT THE RITTENHOUSE INN, BAYFIELD

Friday, 9:00 AM,  37 degrees at the Ferry Dock, 32 on the back porch. Wind NE, calm to very light. The sky is gray with a very high overcast.  The humidity is 71% and the barometer remains steady, at 30.08".  Spring is stalled on this gray, chill day.  But,we are taking the opportunity to go to our wholesale nursery supplier, Northwoods Nursery, in Rhinelander, today to pick up plants for our first planting job of spring.

   The Rittenhouse Inn on Rittenhouse Avenue in Bayfield has a front yard garden on a steep south hill, and there we spotted our first Bayfield tulips in bloom yesterday afternoon.  Other tulips around town will also bloom soon, despite the very cool weather.  I planted a number of additional tulips in our perennial garden last fall and can hardly wait to seem them in bloom.

   We drove to Cornucopia for dinner last night but found the Village Inn closed, so we headed to the Steak Pit in Washburn.  Our roundabout trip was enlivened by sights of turkey and deer, and yesterday afternoon I heard a grouse drumming on Old San Road. 

    Ah, spring!

Remember the World's Christians,
Persecuted for Their Faith

WAITING IN THE WINGS

A BRIGHT, CHILL MORNING

FLOWERS OF RED ELDERBERRY WAITING FOR A WARM DAY TO BLOOM

LILAC BUDS READY TO BLOOM

Thursday,  9:30 AM.  33 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 28 on the back porch.  Wind northwest with occasional moderate gusts.  The morning is bright and chill, the humidity 57%, and the barometer is wavering up and down, currently standing at 30.07".  It looks like our spate of unpleasant weather is pretty much behind us.
   The next woody plants to bloom are virtually "waiting in the wings" for the next warm day.  Common lilac, Syringia vulgaris,  in the olive family, and red elderberry, Sambucus pubens (AKA racemosa) in the honeysuckle family, can hardly contain themselves.
   The lilac is native to rocky hills of the Balkans, from whence it was introduced to European gardens  in the 16th Century.  It has been hybridized for its lilac, pink and white blooms, first in France, and then in England and Germany, for hundreds of years, and there are innumerable varieties.  Lilacs grow quite large and will become almost treelike unless controlled, forming large clones. They will tolerate heavy pruning, including cuting back to ground level, but if pruned that drastically they will not bloom for a year or two.  Lilacs flower on new growth, and should be pruned right after they bloom.  The dead flowers and seed heads should be cut off to improve the appearance of the plant. To keep the large woody plants healthy and in check, three to five of the largest stems of this multi-stemmed plant should be pruned back to their base every year of two.  Varieties of lilacs are also chosen for their perfumed scent, and for their ability to hold up as cut flowers in a vase.
   The circumpolar, native red elderberry is very similar to the common elderberry, S. canadensis, and replaces it in more northern regions.  I was not familiar with it until we moved to Northern Wisconsin.  The blooms differ from the common elderberry and the European elderberry in that they are smaller, and  are conical rather that flat. Flower color is white to creamy. The seeds are red rather than blue-black, making the large shrubs rather easy to spot in the woods once one is used to looking for them.  The shrubs are rather common in wet areas and on adjacent drier sites.  The red berries are crisp, crunchy and tart, and probably somewhat toxic if one ate handfuls of them.  Cooked in jams and jellies they loose their toxicity are are quite flavorful.  The leaves are pinnately compound, the leaflets lance-shaped and toothed. I  have a red elderberry growing in the rock wall of the herb garden.  I tried to eliminate it for some years, but it was so persistent that I finally gave up, and now enjoy it as a somewhat unusual addition to the landscape, and look forward to its early blossoms and red berries

Remember the World's Christians,
Persecuted for Their Faith

TAG ALDER ARE THROUGH BLOOMING

DISTINCTIVE TAG ALDER MALE CATKIN, ABOUT 3 INCHESLONG

LAST YEAR'S DRY, EMPTY FEMALE" CONES"

MALE CATKIN, NEW FEMALE "CONES, " STILL-DORMANT LEAF BUD

Wednesday, 26 degrees F, wind SW, gusty at times.  The sky is filled with haze, fog, a low overcast and low clouds.  It continues to snow lightly, after dropping about 2" on Bayfield last night.  The humidity is 84% and the barometer is rising, now at 29.78".  Things look wintry, but it will all melt tomorrow.
   Tag alder, Alnus incana subspecies rugosa, in the birch family, are nearly omnipresent shrubs or small trees in the northern landscape.  With speckled, shiny dark brown bark on young stems and trunks tag alder is easily confused with young birch saplings (see post of 4/06/15) when both are dormant, except for the persistent dried female "cones"(technically called a strobile)  that hang on the alders after seeds are shed.  The long, worms-like male catkins of the alder are also very distinctive, both catkins and cones occurring on the same plant. Leaves are simple and toothed.
   The tag alder, or speckled alder, is native in the far northeast of the North American Continent, and inhabits wet locations, roadside ditches and disturbed areas almost to the point of ubiquity. It is replaced in the northwest  of the continent and western mountains by the thinleaf alder, and it hybridizes with the gray alder in the east.  The more complicated hybridizations of these species are beyond my expertise.
   The tag alder is one of the very first plants to bloom in the north, often as early as March, and these male catkins have already shed their pollen, and the female cones are fertilized.  The leaves have as yet not unfurled.

Remember the World's Christians
Persecuted for their Faith

SPRING POTPOURI

A BUMP IN THE ROAD TO SPRING

HYACINTH ARE BEGINNING TO BLOOM ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE

SCILLA ARE BLOOMING IN LAWNS

FORSYTHIA AND HEATHER ARE A STUNNING SPRINGTIME DUO

Tuesday, 8:30 AM.  33 degrees F, wind W, light.  The sky is covered with clouds, overcast and fog, and it is snowing lightly.  The barometer is beginning to trend upward, now standing at 29.41".  It looks like it will be a chill, gray day, a bump in the road to spring. But, we saw four white trumpeter swans landing, their great wings cupped to ease their descent, in the marsh along Hwy. 2 just west of Ashland yesterday.
   Hyacinths began blooming in the garden on the south side of the house several days ago, but the white flower spikes have just sat there, not growing much in the present cold and snowy weather.  They will be robust and fragrant with a day of warmth and sunshine.
   Minor bulbs, such as Scilla, which are native to southeastern Russia, the Caucasus and Turkey, have been blooming in lawns for days.  They follow the Crocus in the cycle of early spring bloom.  Both Hyacinthus orientalis and Scilla sibirica are in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scillioides.  The blue pollen of the Scilla is the only deviation from the pollen of virtually all plants being yellow that I can think of.  Scilla spreads by seed in lawns, so it can really make a statement over time.  The plants and flowers usually disappear into dormancy before the lawn needs to be mown.
   I have featured both Forsythia and heather in recent posts.  The plants, grown together, are a truly stunning early spring combination.

Remember the World's Christians,
Persecuted for Their Faith

NOT WELCOME IN MY GARDEN!

FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND LIGHT SNOW THIS MORNING

GREENING GRASS TEMPTS DEER TO VISIT CITY YARDS

Monday, 9:00 AM.  34 degrees F, wind W, gusty.  It is snowing moderately hard, the sky has a low overcast and it looks like we will have a bad weather day, although the snow is not sticking.  The humidity is 91% and the barometer continues to fall, currently standing at 29.37"
   Hungry deer are showing up in yards on the periphery of Bayfield.  The above photo is of one of three deer we spotted in a yard on Hw. 13, just outside of Bayfield, yesterday.  It was was late afternoon, an unusual time to see deer.  The deer are eager to nibble on tulips, greening lawn grass and anything else fresh, green and palatable.
   But, they are not welcome in my garden!

ORANGE RIBBONS ARE BEING WORN BY AMERICANS TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE WORLDWIDE PERSECUTIONS OF CHRISTIANS, SIMPLY  BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH

TAMARACK TREES ARE SHEDDING POLLEN

A LIGHT, WELCOME RAIN HAS FALLEN

TAMARACK CONES: THE MALE CONES SHEDDING CLOUDS OF POLLEN...

...WHILE THE NEEDLE CLUSTERS ARE STILL TIGHTLY FOLDED

Sunday, 9:30 AM.  The temperature is 40 degrees F,  the wind variable, calm to light.  The sky is overcast and it is still drizzling lightly, after raining about a quarter of an inch last night; not enough to make much of a difference, but welcome none-the-less.  The humidity is 93%.  The barometer stands at 29.78" but is still falling. The sun has just emerged from the murk, and it may clear up by noon.
   The native tamaracks (Larix laricina) are shedding pollen in copious amounts from innumerable tiny male cones, each smaller than a pencil eraser.  The pollen will be received by diminutive female cones.  Both male and female cones occur on the same tree.  The pollination process is complicated, but in a short while the pollinated female cones will begin to develop, which will look exactly like little red roses, and will eventually carry ripened seeds (which are, like all conifer seeds, "naked," having no fruit tissue covering them).  Meanwhile, the needle clusters are still tightly folded, the tree still appearing dormant.
   Nami and Steven have planted (peas?) under plastic shelters, getting their relatively high tech garden on the corner of Tenth and Wilson off to an early start.  Last year it was still under several feet of snow on this date.

BEAKED HAZELNUTS ARE BLOOMING

BEKED HAZELNUT MALE CATKINS SHEDDING POLLEN...

...MALE CATKIN AND MINUSCULE FEMALE FLOWER

STILL-DORMANT LEAF BUD

LARGE BEAKED HAZELNUT SHRUB

Saturday, 8:30 AM. 38 degrees F, colder temperatures the result of a light to moderate ENE wind.
The skies are blue and cloudless, the humidity is 84% and the barometer is trending down some, now standing at 30.12"It looks like a nice day, if a bit cool.
   Many trees and shrubs are blooming now.  Two days ago the male catkins of the native beaked hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) shrub across Tenth St. from the house were still dormant, and yesterday they were shedding pollen and the minuscule female flowers were blooming.  The leaves have not as yet emerged from their buds.
  The hazelnut is blooming much earlier than the last two years.  It shed pollen on May 7, 2013, and on May 11, 2014, two late springs (after long, cold, snowy winters).
   For more information on our two species of native hazelnuts, please use the blog search engine.

RED MAPLES ARE VOICING THEIR OPINION

A BLUE SKY MORNING

RED MAPLE FLOWERS IN FULL BLOOM...

EACH FLOWER ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME...

...THE FLOWERS BLOOM BEFORE THE LEAVES UNFURL

Friday, 9:00 AM.  44 Degrees at the Ferry Dock, 47 on the back porch.  Wind NW, very light  The sky is blue and clear, except for some haze on the eastern horizon.  The humidity is 76%, the barometer trending down somewhat, now standing at 30.16".
   It is truly spring when the red maples (Acer rubrum) bloom.  The tree I watch closely on Manypenny Ave. burst into bloom yesterday.  Red maple is no effete transplant from warmer and more tender climes.  Rather, it is the real thing, tough and hardy, and not likely to be fooled into blooming by a few early-spring warm days.  Native to most of the continental US east, or in some latitudes a little west, of the Mississippi River, and north into southern Quebec and Ontario, it has a lot of genetic variability.  Red maple prefers locations with plenty of moisture, but also grows on drier sites, and when planted exhibits survivability in locations well beyond, and different from, its native range.
   Both male and female flowers grow on the same tree.  When in full bloom the flowers are purple-red, about the size of a dime, and clustered together on the branches are quite beautiful, even if the tree as a whole is less than outstanding visually.  That said, hillsides can turn reddish with red maple blooms, and some individual trees can be quite noticeable when in flower.
   Even if we get a late snow, we should now be well into real spring, now that the red maples have voiced their opinion.
 

FORSYTHIAS SAY "SPRING"

PARTLY CLOUDY AND UNSETTLED SKY

FORSYTHIA ARE BLOOMING

Thursday,  9:00 AM.  45 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 50 on the back porch, the discrepancy reflecting the light SW wind and its warmer air.  The sky is partly cloudy and somewhat unsettled.  The humidity has increased to 57% and the barometer is trending downward somewhat, currently at 30.10".  It should again be a nice day, if not as self-confidant as the past few days.
   Another first yesterday; Forsythia is blooming.  The genus Forsythia has eleven species, ten native to eastern Asia, and one to southeastern Europe. The genus has bright yellow, bell shaped flowers that bloom prodigiously in early spring. It is in the olive family (Oleaceae), and has opposite leaves and branches. The common name and scientific genus name are the same, but the common name "forsythia" is not capitalized.
   Brought to Europe from Chinese and Japanese gardens in the Eighteenth Century, the shrubs we are  familiar with today are mostly derived from Forsythia x intermedia, a hybrid cross between the species suspensa and viridissima.  There are many selections and back crosses of the is original hybrid, and it is often identified only dubiously at most garden outlets, which is usually O.K. for general purposes.
   The genus is named for John Forsyth, an Eighteenth Century British Royal Gardener and founder of the Royal Horticulture Society.  It has become the commonest of landscape and garden shrubs, and though often overused and perhaps considered trite by some, its colorful early blooms and hardiness render it useful and probably necessary to most common landscapes.
  Forsythia is of the easiest culture, but needs full sun to bloom well.  The flowers bloom on older branches, including that  of the prior year, so forsythias are best pruned right after they bloom.  If pruned in the fall a lot of the next spring's flowers will be lost. If they get too large they may be drastically cut back, but then they will have few blooms the next spring and possibly for another year thereafter.
   Blooming along with daffodils, forsythias say "spring."

OLD DOG

OLD DOG, SETTIN' IN THE SUN...

HERB GARDEN, WORK ALL DONE FOR NOW

Wednesday, 8:00 AM.  51 degrees F at the Ferry Dock, 46 on the back porch.  Wind N, light with slightly stronger gusts.  The sky is clear, with some haze.  The humidity is still uncharacteristically low, at 36%. The barometer is falling gradually, currently at 30.29".
   I finished spring cleanup and garden prep yesterday on the east and south sides of the house.  Last spring I posted that there was no way to get in shape for gardening except to garden.  Ditto this spring.
But, I only have the front yard left to rake and clean up, and that's not so bad.  Of late I have been cautioning clients about the design of their landscapes, thus: "Are you sure you want that big a perennial garden?" " Do you have any help?" "Let's eliminate those steps."
   Maybe I'm older now, and wiser.
   Maybe just older.


OLD DOG
by Art Ode

Ol' dog, settin' in the sun,
Lookin' around, at the work he's done
Diggin' in the Garden,
Lookin' for a bone
Y'all jest have to pardon
Him, for settin' all alone

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

QUAKING ASPEN AND BLUE SKY

DAFFODILS BLOOMING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF OUR BAYFIELD RESIDENCE...

...ALSO DWARF DAFFODILS

Tuesday, 8:00 AM. 48 degrees F on the Ferry Dock, 43 on the back porch.  Wind NW, light with stronger gusts. The sky is clear with some haze on the eastern horizon. The humidity is very low, at 29%, which is not good from a forest fire standpoint.  The barometer stands at 30.19" and is more or less steady, presaging pleasant weather.  All is beautiful, but we need rain.
  Surprise, surprise!  The first daffodils of spring have burst into bloom on the south side of our Bayfield  residence.  A succession of warm days and a spring shower pushed flower scapes above the leaves, and suddenly yesterday afternoon I noticed there were about a half-dozen blooms, with many more buds about to open.
   Nothing says "spring" like the yellow trumpets of daffodils.  I am not particular as to species or variety, as long as they are yellow daffodils.  I think those pictured are "King Alfred," an old and usually inexpensive favorite.  Some miniature daffodils are also blooming.
   Daffodils were grown in ancient Greece and Rome and have been a commercial plant for centuries and longer.  There are many species, mostly native to southern Europe and North Africa, their epicenter being the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal).  They grow in meadows and woods and along streams in their native habitats, and prefer a slightly acid soil, adequate moisture and good drainage. Primary colors are yellow and white, with some species and varieties also having orange or pink floral parts.  The species of the genus Narcisus, in the Amaryllis family, hybridize readily, and I cannot go into much description of varieties as I am not a real fancier.  I just like the typical form, and if they happen to be fragrant, so much the better.  Having been grown commercially for hundreds of years, there are endless varieties available.
   Bayfield has planted thirty or more thousand yellow daffodils throughout the community through the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce.  It is worth a trip to see them in full bloom.  Daffodils naturalize in lawn grass pretty well, but a few rules have to be followed to enjoy then over the years: don't mow the lawns they grow in until the daffodil leaves die back; and, fertilize the lawn they grow in with a complete low nitrogen fertilizer, or bonemeal if you can get it, in the fall.  Daffodils probably grow best in a garden area where they can be dug up and divided every four or five years, but there is nothing to compare with the massed blooms of naturalized daffodils.

DAFFODILS
 by William Wordsworth, 1815

I wandered, lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden daffodils
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.