Flowers 101: Daffodils

What with the arrival of spring and the wedding season, I thought it was the perfect time to start my new weekly recurring feature, Flowers 101. Many brides and hostesses even have the perfect flower in mind for a wedding or centerpiece, but are heartbroken to find out that it is not in season. Imported flowers can be super expensive and I hope to help you avoid this mistake by educating you on various flower types. Let's start with a flower that just bloomed in my backyard: the daffodil. An early bloomer, daffodils herald the arrival of Spring in late February and early March. Also known as narcissus, there are over 25 various daffodil species. In your garden monitor the soil moisture and feed with all purpose bulb fertilizer. In an arrangement, place the stems in tepid water for a few hours to ensure they will live a long life. Daffodils pair nicely with tulips, grape hyacinths, and foliage plants. Quite tolerant of cold, daffodils grow in the full sun/part shade throughout most of the US with the exception of Florida. Their bulbs are quite durable and contain poisonous crystals that protect the flowers from being eaten by squirrels or rodents. They come in every hue of yellow (from lemon to goldenrod), snowy whites, rich creams, mandarin oranges, spring greens, apricots, and pinks - all of which would be beautiful in any bouquet.