First Daffodils 2008

The first flowers have bloomed in my yard* - some daffodils planted in the ditch by the road. I wish I had a better picture, but I took it yesterday before leaving for work and I was trying not to get my nice clothes dirty.

My daffs bloom a little later than the neighbors' do. Our front yard is across a narrow road that's at the bottom of a north-facing hill, and these daffodils are planted in the ditch next to the road. The cool air sinks and anything planted here blooms a little later than other full-sun areas.

I also see an elm tree seedling in the picture (it has serrated leaves and is below the flower). Contrary to popular belief, the American Elm was not completely wiped out by Dutch Elm disease. We have lots of elms in our woods, and I'm constantly weeding them out of my vegetable garden. In doing research about the pre-colonial ecosystem in my neighborhood, it seems as if elms probably made up a large portion of the woods. So our elms are not street trees, but probably descendants of the elms that were here before the first white farmer. But as much as I like them, their seeds never seem to plant themselves where I'd actually want them to grow, so out they come.

*Okay, they're actually not the first. The first were the flowers of the creeping charlie, but since that's technically a weed, I'm not going to count those.

Comments

[Carol, May Dreams Gardens]

My, spring comes late to your neck of the woods, doesn't it?

[Joyce LaGow]

Can you transplant those elm seedlings?

[Tracy]

Carol: Yes, it sure does. I always envy you "southerners" (anything in zone 5 or above!)

Joyce: I could, but there are literally hundreds of them. We leave the woods alone, so there are elms of all ages there. In the garden areas, though, they've been banished!