Narcissus

If we consider spring a symphony, then daffodil time is one of the crescendos, with their bright sweeps of flowers stealing the show, trumpeting the definitive arrival of the season. Easy to grow, long-lived, and deerproof, there are many reasons to love these bulbs of the genus Narcissus. As a child I remember picking daffodil bouquets for my mother, and to this day I pick armloads of flowers for insidewhich means I always have to buy double quantities for planting, assuring that I will have one bloom for the garden for every one I cut for the house. Daffodils, which overlap with my later blooming hellebores, were among the first plants I used in the garden for mass planting, and they cheered me on for years while the rest of the garden took shape around them. I planted several hundred each year for the first few years, primarily on the hillsidemostly Ice Follies, with a few accents of the large-flowered King Alfred toward the top to draw my eye up the hill. Interspersed among these large drifts, I used smaller numbers of special colors and forms, placed along the pathways to facilitate close-up viewing. Twenty years later, I am still planting daffodils, and if I had to guess how many species and varieties reside in the garden, it would be well over a hundred. While I began with early bloomers, mostly of the cyclamineus group, I am now planting late bloomers to extend the season. I particularly like the antique forms and jonquils, which seem more graceful and more fitting to the age of the house. One favorite is W. P. Milner, a nineteenth-century miniature that is smaller than many but, to my eye, far more beautiful than most. Narcissus are truly easy to grow and about the most reliable plant there is, if certain basic rules are followed. Plant them right side up (large side down), about two times as deep as the height of the bulb, in soil that is not overly moist, in part shade to full sun. The bulbs should feel firm and full; any that are soft and mushy or moldy should be discarded. I remove the spent flowers before they go to seed, a tedious job with my thousands of bulbs but one that provides a variety of rewards. Removing the flowers contributes to strengthening the bulb for the next year rather than letting that energy go to into seed production. It also means that I do not have unsightly sweeps of spent flowers detracting from the later

This bouquet of early miniature narcissus flowers was picked in late March from the garden. For perspective, the vase is only 6 inches tall.

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THE LAYERED GARDEN

DYING BULB FOLIAGE

The foliage of bulbs needs to die back naturally to direct the energy of the plant into recharging the bulbs for the following years bloom. But dealing with this often unsightly mess of brown leaves is a challenge for any gardener. I have found hakone grass and hostas useful for hiding the old foliage of galanthus; hellebore foliage does the same, but this is trickier since both can be in bloom at the same time. When I use bulbs such as tulips in a border, I plant them in the middle or back, so when they finish flowering, their foliage is hidden by the next layer of plants. On the hillside, daffodil foliage is allowed to go down naturally, rather than trimming it off or tying it up in bundles, and since this area is quiet while the foliage fades, I count on any visitor being attracted to the prettier parts of the garden. Daylilies can be used to hide the foliage of daffodils, but the daylily foliage itself has to be hand-groomed as it dies back. In the halesia bed behind the barn, Matteuccia struthiopteris effectively hides the daffodil foliage, but care has to be taken to ensure that this vigorous fern does not bury the daffodils alive.

Opposite, clockwise:

Narcissus Double Campernelle is an oldfashioned plant so radically different from my other daffodils that I had to love it. It was passed along to me by a gardening friend, and therefore doubly treasured. Narcissus Gipsy Queen is a miniature with a high cute

quotient. The flowers of Narcissus W. P. Milner start out with a yellow tint but fade to a papery white. Its detractors say it has too long a neck, but I call that graceful, like a swan. The heirloom Narcissus Single Campernelle has a jonquillike flower, which reminds me of my years in the South,

where this form of daffodil is much more commonly grown than it is in the north.
This page, top: Narcissus

Bottom: Narcissus Mite is a

Actaea has captivated gardeners and poets for centuries. I like its simple flowers, and the fact that it blooms in late spring.

cyclamineus hybrid, which means it is early flowering. Its long trumpet and sweptback donkeylike ears always make me smile.

spring flowers that are layered among the daffodils and hide the dying daffodil foliage as they grow up. Daffodils are such a favorite of mine that for a few years I belonged to the Delaware Valley Daffodil Society. I was recruited one time to serve as the scribe for a panel of judges at the societys annual show, and a day spent listening to these experts dissect each entry taught me volumes about what to look for in a flower. Afterward, surveying the entries on my own, I made a long list of bulbs I absolutely had to have. There are thousands of different narcissus in thirteen different divisions. So many daffodils, so little time (and money, and space).

Epimediums
I began planting species and varieties of Epimedium because they are among the few perennials that do well in dry shade, which I have more than my share of in the garden. Their tolerance for places where few other plants thrive is made clear in the common name for the genus, barrenwort. As I became more familiar with these little gems, I came to see that hardiness was not all they had to offer. The gentle colors and delicacy of the flowers speak of the freshening of spring like few other plants. In my garden, the epimediums bloom in April and May, after the rush of galanthus and narcissus and coinciding with the bloom of my trilliums, another shadeloving genus with which they often share bed space. The flowers, borne on wiry stems before the leaves fully open, can resemble miniature columbines, or stars, or bishops hatsthe latter another common name. Epimediums are rhizomatous perennials, more spreading than they are tall, with most growing no more than 12 to 18 inches. They will thrive in a range of shady conditions, though they do not tolerate poor drainage. Some varieties can form sizable colonies, but the shallow-rooted rhizomes can be kept in bounds and the plants are easily divided and transplanted. The best time to do this work is in autumn or anytime after they flower. In recent years, I have been captivated by the array of leaf shapes and colors of emerging and mature leaves, which provide as much intrigue as the flowers and over a much longer period, and give me other color and shape notes to play with in my designs. Some species have leaves mottled with red; others have long, pointed leaves, with serrated or spiny edges. Many of the leaves are evergreen or semievergreen, which partly depends on the severity of the winter. I usually cut off the foliage in winter for plants that are not evergreen, and in later winter or early spring for those that are. We do this for the same reason we remove the old foliage of our hellebores, to avoid having the tattered old leaves detract from the beauty of the new foliage and flowers. Tackle this chore before the flowers and leaves begin to emerge, and it can be quickly accomplished with hedge clippers. If you wait a few weeks, it can become a hand-pruning job that is far more tedious and time-consuming.
THE LAYERED GARDEN

Epimedium warleyense Orangeknigin provides a flower color that is unusual for early spring and is useful in making interesting combinations.

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Oppsoite, top left and right

Bottom, left: Epimedium

Bottom, right: Epimedium

This page: Epimedium

Epimedium Limelight has a pleasing yellow flower and interesting colorful foliage. When choosing epimediums, I try to get the best of both.

Enchantress is one of many plants I have received over the years from Elizabeth Strangman, English plantswoman, who selected and named it.

fargesii Pink Constellation has narrow mottled foliage and tiny flowers that look like shooting stars.

grandiflorum Nanum, a diminutive plant with large flowers and striking leaves edged in bronze, won a 1993 Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England.