Garden Reports and Rejoicing – March 21
One of the talks I give is titled If Plants Could Talk. To be truthful, I’m glad that every plant in my landscape isn’t giving me a piece of its mind when I walk out the door. But there are many who would be well served to think about their garden from the plant’s point of view.
I’m sure that Daffodils would have a lot to dish about. As I walk around the yard on this unusually warm March day, I imagine that these bulbs would ask to be watered in such an early, dry spring. They might complain about being planted in the Cape’s sandy soils where there is little to sustain them from year to year. And I’m sure that they’d have a great deal to say about how people treat their foliage post-flowering.
I’ve seen daffodil leaves that were cut off, braided, and tied with twist-ems or cord. Just how do you think these plants can photosynthesize when the leaves are removed or placed in bondage? How can they possibly build up strength in their bulbs when people prevent this natural process through their misguided desire to “neaten up.”
Next time you’re tempted to chop down or macramé your daffodil foliage, ask yourself this: What would I hear if these plants could talk?
Can you really tell me that this looks better than flopping foliage? I can practically hear these daffodils calling "Help! Call 911! We're all tied up and can't store energy."
