LADY BUG: DAFFODILS PROVIDE SIGN SPRING IS NOT FAR AWAY

No other flower in the world is quite so universally associated with one season as the daffodil is with spring. Nature has made the daffodil a perfect symbol of that time of the year when all hearts feel the upsurge of new hope, new life and ambition.

Few flowers give as much pleasure as daffodils. When the green foliage pushes through the warming soil, bend their necks and then open wide in that buttercup yellow splash, this is the formal announcement, "Spring is here."

One of the best things about spring is that regardless of the unpredictable weather -- drought, storms, freezes and unseasonal warmth, most flowering bulbs and spring blooming plants will leaf out and bloom when spring really comes.

Everyone is happy about warm weather, especially when it comes in later February or early March.

Watch out for March!

There have been some large snows in March. We recall a 12-inch one not too many years ago. Many times the early daffodils have had to nod their heads because of snow, but they revive soon.

Is it a daffodil? Narcissus? or Jonquil?

Actually, the daffodil belongs to the amaryllis family, but scientifically it is a narcissus. Over the years it has come to be known as a daffodil. Every year we have Daffodil Day and Daffodil Shows, not Narcissus Day or a Narcissus Show.

Do you recall the fragrant jonquils that grandmother grew? The ones with the dark, rush-like foliage and a sweet, sweet odor, sometimes with a multiple head and grows only 10 inches in height? This is the Jonquilla. It's one of the 11 divisions of the narcissus family.

The modern daffodil began its development in England about 1870. Hybridizers have shortened the cup and developed some flowers that range in heights from 2 inches to 18 inches. Today's colors range from the original yellow down to white and up to orange. There are also red, pink and green variations and many combinations.

Each year there are hundreds of new ones introduced on the market. Last year our own Dave Niswonger introduced three new varieties on the market, all with white perinths and pink cups. This year he has another to introduce.

His introductions last year were Hot Pink, with a cup so pink it is almost red, Cloud with Pink, with a medium wide cup, and Pink TuTu, with a cup that is ruffled instead of being flat. His catalogue carries these listings. He also said that it takes five years to grow them from seed and almost another for them to produce enough bulbs to market.

For many years, daffodils have been my favorite flowers. Here are some of their pluses -- they are easy to grow, bloom early, can be left undisturbed for years, will grow in sun or shade and in almost any well-drained soil. Moles and mice will not each them, they multiply readily, by proper selections they will bloom over a two-month period, and they make excellent cut flowers.

Last April we attended a Garden Symposium at Williamsburg, Va., where Becky and Brent Heath, owners of The Daffodil Mart of Gloucester, Va., spoke. They displayed hundreds of daffodils from their company, a third generation of bulb growers.

They told us all daffodils grow better in full sunlight, but their color tends to be better in partial shade. They also cautioned about planting directly under shallow rooted trees that could compete with the bulbs for water and food.

Their recipe for success with daffodils includes the key ingredients of light, water and food. Fertilize when you plant, Brent said, but DO NOT USE BONEMEAL. Primarily they need phosphorous, but they need nitrogen as well. A good example is Bulb Booster (9-6-9) worked into the soil. Do not put fertilizer in the planting holes and plop the bulbs on top as this will burn the roots. Also, he warned not to fertilize after flowering as once was the custom. They can be fertilized in the fall.

The latest research indicates that the foliage should be left standing (and eventually flopping over) for 12 weeks after flowering. This means that the foliage should not be tied or weighted down by rocks or braided, as all will be detrimental.

Because seed heads drain energy, they should be cut off after the flowers fade.

When gathering the flower, beware because cutting can damage the foliage. Instead just pick them with your fingers by reaching down to the white portion of the stem and snapping it off, leaving the upper part of the stem intact.

It is still the Ladybug's theory that an investment in daffodils is the best investment to be made in the garden.

~Mary Blue is a resident of Cape Girardeau and an avid gardener.