Spring is here and it is beginning to feel like it. Although March has decided to use her last week to remind us not to be too eager, April is set to show us it is safe to relax into spring. Temperatures next week look positively lovely with highs around 60 and night temperatures hovering around the mid-40s. I used to think of April as still too cold, but the longer I work in horticulture the more I savor the mild temperatures April brings.

The daffodils are savoring it, as well! They teased us with budding flowers these last few weeks, and are now set to bloom as we turn the corner into warmer weather. Some are already gracing us with their golden visages. It’s hard to look away from them. They are so incredibly cheerful.

Two of my favorite early bloomers are currently on display. Both ‘Rapture’ and the as yet unknown historic double cultivar have burst on the scene. Rapture belongs to division 6 and is therefore a cyclamineus daffodil. The cultivars belonging to this division have a swept back perianth (as seen above with the reflexive outer petals) and are known to be relatively early bloomers.

The historic double cultivar belongs to division 4, the double daffodils. This particular variety has a double corona. I love the green tips that peak out in the midst of the ruffled interior. It is small details like these that call out to me when I have the opportunity to take pictures for this blog. I love the elements that are slightly unusual and out of the ordinary. A perfect daffodil surely is a thing of beauty, but one with character has soul. 

If you would like to know more about daffodil divisions and other curious daffodil facts, check out former Gardens Manager Gail Read’s blog from 2016 here.

One of my favorite things about daffodil season is the developing show of flowers throughout April into May. As seen above, some daffodils are up and fully open, while others are patiently waiting for their moment to shine. Some are planted close together and others are dotted about the landscape. The Bosquet will forever be the big show for the daffodils. It is stop number one for all those who have not experienced the daffodils here. But, once you have left the Bosquet, the show continues on throughout the property. It is ever unfolding throughout the month of April until the incredible blooms of spring envelope the landscape in May and we almost forget the daffodils were ever here.  

Lest we think the daffodils are the only flowers on the property, I wanted to round out this blog with the trees currently in bloom. The Cornelian Cherry is one of my favorite trees to watch in March. When those yellow buds first break and show their color, I know spring is not far behind. The effect from a distance is a soft yellow glow along the branches. 

Not to be outdone, the Red Maple nearby is showing off flowers of its own. This particular image is of male flowers, whose pollen is transferred to female flowers on neighboring trees via wind and insects. 

Spring is full of so many delights. Some tall in the trees like the flowering Red Maple and Cornelian Cherry, and some close to the ground like the daffodils. Even lower to the ground are flowers such as Siberian squill and glory of the snow (the latter is pictured below). 

Can’t wait to see you on the grounds here! The daffodils and trees and flowers are waiting for you.

Happy Spring!