Daffodils

      This has been a dark and gloomy April, with only a few bright spots. You had to move quickly to catch the magnolias between the moment of bloom and the decimation of heavy rains. I was away for the early part of the month in London and Jerusalem (more about that later) and when I returned there was nothing much to report on but daffodils.
 
That being said, there is hardly any plant more gratifying than the large family of daffodils; they are the true harbingers of spring. When the first yellow trumpets bloom, you know spring is really here. They are the same brilliant yellow as forsythia, but quite different from the earlier blooming jonquils. Their botanical name is narcissus, but they are often referred to as both daffodils and narcissi, but also sometime as jonquils (which you hear more often in the south), further complicating this large family of related plants.

The Season Begins

April is always slow to arrive, or so it seems. The few warm days we expect in March often bow low before temperatures more suitable to February. But we know there are better days in store.

April Calendar

At the beginning of each month during the growing season we will provide a calendar with a week by week timetable with a guide to the best time to approach garden tasks.

Getting Through March

By this time of year the gardener is usually able to report a noticeable change in the garden, but often the change is in the soul of the gardener and not the garden.  After a mild day or two we convince ourselves that it is the beginning of the New Year.  In Manhattan, daffodils are poking their noses through the soil of street-side apartment house planters, cozying up to the warmth coming from the buildings.  

A Reader's Question

“The hydrangeas on my terrace here in Northern Provence have started to bud, with some tiny pale green keaves already opening.  I am not pleased with the current shape of the bushes as each has lost many odd branches over the winter.  Is it still okay to prune them?  If so, do you have any tips?  Thank you!”
… Anonymous in Provence
   
           Oh to be anonymous in Provence… but that doesn’t answer your question.  First the conventional wisdom, and then the outliers.