We’ve had an abnormally dry spring thus far, leading to problematic brush fires, and a deficit in the water that has usually saturated the ground by now. Not that I’m wishing for rainy days, but I know their importance, and the way they quickly coax reluctant bloomers into unfurling their petals and releasing their delicate perfume, like the jonquils seen here.
This patch of Narcissus has performed reliably for a number of years – not always the case in our yard, where several patches have failed to take well after a first season of bloom, petering out to nothing but a few weak stalks of foliage, even when I’ve allowed them to ripen to shriveled form. That’s not the usual way of the otherwise-powerhouse performance of these bulbs, so I’ll enjoy the ones that do work, and keep trying every fall.
