Monday, January 29, 2007

6 degrees of Narcissim...


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."

~Wordsworth



For those of you who are tired of Winter, Spring will soon be on its way. Although the robins never leave the Mid-South, I am seeing them in abundance, and they are fat with worms. My purple phlox have been blooming since December, despite the cold weather and frost. (note to self, plant more of these, the purple flowers offerred cheer on days that that needed it) My jonquils are trying they're best to bloom, and I can see yellow buds growing outside of the stems.

Jonquils?

Are jonquils daffodils? Or are daffodils a different flower? Well, both jonquils and daffodils are members of the Narcissus family. But the true jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla) have round, rush-like leaves and small, fragrant early blooming clusters of yellow blossoms. Daffodils, on the other hand, have large, normally yellow, single trumpet flowers. All jonquils are daffodils, but not all daffodils are jonquils!

Jonquils are the most fragrant of the Narcissus species. The cultivation of jonquils goes far back. Roman soldiers introduced the plant into England during the early years of the Christian era. They say Queen Anne loved jonquils so much that she wove patterns of jonquil blossoms into much of her delicate needlework. And her love of jonquils inspired her to establish Kensington Palace Gardens, the first public gardens in England.



This year I am taking The Collective to Wye Mountain to see the 7 acres of daffodils. The festival is slated for March. I do not think the daffodils will wait. It is sure to be a beautiful sight.

No comments: