LADYBUG SAYS...HAVE DAFFODILS EVER BEEN MORE BEAUTIFUL...AND MORE WELCOME?

Have daffodils every been more beautiful or more welcome than they are this spring?

And you oldsters recall when there was memory work at school to train the mind and give us homework?

Here is one of the favorites written by William Wordsworth in 1804 that was a regular spring memory assignment:

"I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vale and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils."

One can see a "host of golden daffodils" at various intersections in town, planted by the Vision 2000 committee, headed by Barbara Rust.

Our daffodils are about two weeks late, resulting in many of the hundreds of variety, early mid-season and some late blooming all at the same time. This is the result of the cool, wet weather and late spring, with the warm sunshine of last weekend.

Those of you who have been readers for these many, many years know that the daffies are my most favorite flower and each year new varieties have been planted in our yard. Each year new and more beautiful introductions are on the market and it is hard to resist trying some of the doubles, the butterfly series, the pinks and always the miniatures.

Few garden plants give as much pleasure with as little effort as the daffodils, the most vigorous and colorful flowers of spring. They are the most dependable of bulbs and even beginning gardeners can dig a hole and drop one in. If treated properly they will continue to bloom year after year and will also multiply.

There is always the question over the proper name of these plants. More questions come as to whether they are narcissus or daffodils.

Each year this is repeated, so here goes--

Narcissus is the generic botanical name, given these plants in the mid 1700's. Daffodils is the common name. Jonquil is the name of only one of the 12 divisions of narcissus, and is not correct for the group in general. True jonquils have reed-like foliage and sweet-smelling flowers and are rare. Those here came from my grandmother's garden via my mother's garden and may be 100 years old.

Just remember, narcissus is the botanical name for all of them and daffodil is the common name. This possibly came from England where all of this group of flowers were known as daffodils and the term was carried to other countries by English speaking people.

Like all plants, daffodils need the key ingredients of light, water and food. Next fall at planting time there will be more information and instructions on bulb planting, as some of the methods and fertilizing have changed.

Authorities at North Carolina State University, where much research on spring flowering bulbs has been going on for several years, say not to fertilize after the flowering as once was the custom. This may cause the rotting of the bulbs, they have found.

The latest research indicates that the foliage should be left standing (and even flopping) for a minimum of eight weeks after flowering for proper bulb growth and development. This means that the old practice of bending, tying and braiding, is also detrimental. For years I taught the Teen Challenge boys working in our yard to braid that foliage like a girl's pigtail. (Against their wishes)

It is also important to cut off flower heads after the blooms are spent, so seeds do not form.

Dwarf daffodils are a favorite of ours, especially the little Tete-a-Tete, which grows only about eight inches tall, and bears single, double or triple blossoms on a single stem. Another of their pluses is their foliage is so short it does not "lop over" and become as unsightly as tall ones such as Ice Follies, King Alfred, Spellbinder, Unsurpassable and some of the others that have 20 plus stems.

These little Tete-a-Tetes and their colorful companions, the pansies, were abundant with nival flora during the last snow. Don't let that word nival floor you if it isn't in your vocabulary. It was added to ours last week by our cross-word puzzle addict, friend Clyde Clark of Bradenton, Fla. He didn't know it either until letters and the dictionary disclosed its meaning during breaks in the NCAA tournament. The word "nival", we learned, was commonly used during the 19th century, but fell out of fashion. It referred to "mountains which were abundant with nival flora," meaning flowers that grew beneath the snow.

Another factor that has changed in the culture of bulbs is the moving of them. Although it is recommended to move daffodils when they are dormant, this is not always practical, particularly at our place, for some of them have been planted 40 years. It is difficult to remember when clumps bloom and what color. This past year we tried marking them with golf tees, which was somewhat successful.

If the bulbs are lifted when they are blooming, they can be transplanted without disturbing their growing cycle. It is not easy, but is the only way to remove the tall ones that have been planted in the front of shorter varieties.

Although the subject has been daffodils, we would be amiss not to mention the colorful Easter display, welcoming spring and the Easter Bunny, at JCPenney Court in West Park Mall.

In spite of the absence of spring flowering bulbs in the display the bright colors of the flowers are spectacular. These include begonias, chrysanthemums, angelwing begonias, cyclamen, kalanchoes, bromelaides, ferns, gardenias, Gerbera daisies, Easter lillies, hydrangeas and hybrid lilies.

All of the fresh flowers are saying to Mall visitors "Happy Easter."