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Category: Bulbs

Double Flowering Daffodil – Narcissus Van Sion
I’ve admired a daffodil growing along the road for years.

It’s a double, or more, flower with tattered-looking petals that resemble the feathers on a Polish Chicken’s head.

Van Sion Daffodil is Very Hardy

These photos were taken near a cemetery dating back to 1757.

The Van Sion daffodils grow in grass, weeds and sumac.

By mid-summer, the foliage will be mowed for road maintenance.

Van Sion Daffodil Flowers

Van Sion Daffodil flowers can vary significantly depending on the weather or other conditions.

First-year Van Sion Daffodil blooms can look like more traditional double-flowering daffodils.

Yet, the daffodil’s authentic ‘wildness’ emerges after the first year, forming a loose flower with many petals.

This is what I’m used to seeing in my neighborhood.

Van Sion Daffodil is a Slow Grower

Van Sion Daffodil is an extremely slow grower.

I discovered this volunteer growing in a patch of pachysandra and transplanted it to a more hospitable spot.

When I transplanted the volunteer, it had a flower, but three years later, it has only two flowers.

Van Sion Daffodil History and Nomenclature

Van Sion Daffodil has been in literature since the 1600s.

Van Sion Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Van Sion’)is also called Telamonius Plenus Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Telamonius Plenus’).

For More Information about Van Sion Daffodil

To learn more about Van Sion Daffodil, also known as Narcissus ‘Telamonius Plenus’, select a link below:
- Telamonius Plenus – DaffSeek – Daffodil Database with Photos
- A Confusing, 400-Year-Old Classic – Old House Gardens
- Narcissus ‘Telamonius Plenus’ – Phoenix Perennials and Specialty Plants
- Narcissus ‘Telamonius Plenus’ – the resilient daffodil – The Royal Horticultural Society
- Golden Oldies! – Paddy Tobin, An Irish Gardener
April 14, 2025
Exploring Daffodils: Nature’s Resilient Spring Bloomer

I visited the Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Connecticut, yesterday.

There’s a saying that goes, “The more we know, the more we realize we don’t know.”

Yesterday, I learned a bunch from the Master Gardeners at the Bartlett.

Daffodils are Tough-As-Nails

While waiting for the seminar to start, I noticed a planting of yellow Daffodils.

The temperature was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, with a 15 to 20-mile-an-hour wind.

The Daffodils didn’t blink at the cold, windy weather.

In fact, their glow made me feel a little warmer.

Daffodils take tough-as-nails to new levels.

“Daffodils” by William Wordsworth

A memorial plaque in the garden has a snippet from “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth, written in 1804.

The verse the snippet is from reads:

For oft when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.
William Wordsworth

April 10, 2025
Top Early Spring Flowers for Your Garden

It’s been crazy weather here in Connecticut.

Yesterday, I woke to drizzle and temperatures around thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit. By the afternoon, it was sunny and around sixty degrees Fahrenheit.

We had a long, cold and blustery winter; overall, there was little snow.

Despite the cold and varying weather, plants are starting to grow.

I don’t know how.

Lenten Rose – Helleboris sp.

One of my favorite early spring bloomers is Lenten Rose (Helleboris sp.).

I cut back the foliage last fall, and the plant is performing wonderfully.

Some years, I don’t cut the foliage back until spring.

There’s no correct answer.

Oriental Poppies – Papaver orientale

While poppy flowers are delicate, poppy plants are tough as nails.

These poppies are emerging with some nights below freezing and cold, damp, windy weather.

Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale) thrive in inhospitable environments and love hot, dry soils in cold climates.

Oriental Poppies prefer full sun to partial shade and won’t tolerate damp soils (over-irrigated) or organic soils (over-mulched).

Catmint – Nepeta sp.

Over five years ago, I planted one of the catmint cultivars, most likely Walkers Low (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’).

Ever since, I’ve watched catmint spring up everywhere in my yard. When I say everywhere, I mean all over the place.

The catmint has reverted to the species, and if I don’t cut it back, it will grow about three feet wide and two feet tall.

It’s a stout grower.

I like the look of catmint spread through the gardens.

Catmint prefers dry, inorganic soil and full sun to partial shade. It will also do well in average garden soil.

Damp soils (over-irrigated) and organic soils (over-mulched) discourage Catmint.

I never see catmint thriving where its boggy or damp.

Cornell Pink Rhododendron – Rhododendron mucronulatum ‘Cornell Pink’

The buds are swelling on my Cornell Pink Rhododendrons.

This grouping was planted about five years ago.

Cornell Pink Rhododendron should be placed where it can shine for two to three weeks in the spring and blend in the rest of the year.

Cornell Pink Rhododendron is covered with pink blooms from early to mid-April.

Even though Cornell Pink Rhododendron will never be as compact as a PJM or Olga Rhododendron, you can prune it immediately after bloom to keep it more compact.

This Cornell Pink Rhododendron hasn’t been pruned in years.

Daffodils – Narcissus sp.

My daffodils are about three inches tall.

Daffodils bloom earlier if planted near asphalt, beside a house, or amongst boulders.

The Daffodils in my yard are older cultivars that aren’t as showy as the newer cultivars.

Daffodils are tough as nails and grow almost anywhere except in wet soils and deep shade.

Darwin Hydrid Tulip – Tulipa ‘Apeldoorn’

Last year, I planted Darwin Hybrid Tulips in a raised bed, hoping to use them as cut flowers.

You’ll notice Catmint growing among the tulips.

Catmint plants sometimes attract cats who enjoy sleeping in and rubbing against them.

Please let me know your favorite early spring plants in the comments below.

April 3, 2025
Grape Hyacinth in Lawn

Yesterday, I spotted a grape hyacinth, Muscari armeniacum, growing on the lawn. I have no grape hyacinths growing in my yard. To the best of my knowledge, none of my neighbors do either.

The plant is seven feet from a grouping of snow crocus that also self-sewed on my lawn.

I made a couple of observations based on the plants growing on my lawn.

First, mother nature is a better gardener than I am.

Second, if we seek something, it will manifest. For the last week, I’ve been seeking a grouping of grape hyacinths to display.

Plant grape hyacinths in tight groupings spotted around the landscape. Muscari will tolerate shady spots in the landscape.

Grape hyacinths are an excellent choice for early spring bloom in your garden.

April 21, 2023
Snowdrops | Early Bloom

While walking the other day, I saw a grouping of snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, that lit up the landscape on a blustery, bleak winter’s day.

Snowdrops bloom incredibly early, before daffodils. This picture was taken in mid-March in USDA Hardiness Zone 6.

The grouping is on the edge of a New England Forest in humusy soil. Partial shade and organic soil are their preferred location.

Snowdrops grow about six inches tall in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 7. They bloom early in the season, long before daffodils and forsythia bloom.

I wonder how they would look as an underplanting for daffodils There might be a slight overlap in flowering times.

If you will plant snowdrops, purchase and plant many bulbs in groupings. They will not look natural if you stagger bulbs around the landscape.

You can’t mistake snowdrop flowers once you know them!

March 26, 2023
Snow Crocus: Unstoppable Early Spring Bloom

It’s mid-March, and my snow crocus has bloomed for a few weeks. What’s the secret to such early spring flowers? How do I pull off such a fantastic feat every year?

Simple. I do nothing!

Snow crocus is one of the first bulbs, technically, it’s a corm, to bloom in the landscape.

Crocus is extremely easy to care for. They showed up in the lawn about ten years ago and return a little thicker yearly. I neither planted the crocus nor did a thing to care for them.

In particular, the crocus I have are Crocus tommasinianus, commonly called the snow crocus or early crocus. Snow crocus has lavender flowers and is the first bloom in the spring.

In fact, Snow crocus often blooms while snow is on the ground. Another identifying factor of snow crocus, Crocus tommasinianus, is white stems.

Snow crocus or early crocus grow as far north as USDA Hardiness Zone 3 and south to USDA Hardiness Zone 8. Snow crocus is not a native plant.

Moreover, the snow crocus was covered in snow last week. They were in bloom before the snow fell and are still in color after the snow has melted.

It should be noted that Snow crocus grow three to four inches tall. I mow at a minimum of three inches, so there is plenty of foliage left to feed the corms after bloom.

Consider planting snow crocus in your lawn or garden if you want early spring bloom. You won’t regret it.

March 22, 2023
First Daffodil of The Season

Today, March 19, 2023, I just returned from a walk. It’s been in the high 30’s F with winds gusting to a little over 10 mph. The sun makes it look warm, but you better be bundled up if you head outside.

While walking, I noticed several Daffodils groupings and anticipated they would be in bloom in another week or two. The Daffodils closest to bloom grew in front of or along stone walls.

When a little over halfway through my walk, what did I see? A daffodil flower smiling at me on a blustery New England day.

The daffodil asked me if I would share its smile with you!

I am in USDA Hardiness Zone 6, right between 6a and 6b.

March 19, 2023
Spring Flowers for Early Bloom in the Landscape

We all want to see color after a long dreary winter. However, what can we plant to get spring flowers sooner?

Yesterday, I looked out the kitchen window and the Arnold Promise Witch Hazel was on fire. It’s mid-march and I’ve already got a flowering tree in full bloom.

Arnold Promise Witch Hazel doesn’t have the showiest flowers but it does one thing very well. It is in full bloom when nothing else is, except for perhaps Crocus and Lenten Rose.

I enjoy the pre-spring flowers or Arnold Promise Witch Hazel. How could you not?

My nature-planted crocus are in full bloom. Crocus and Arnold Promise Witch Hazel are in the same time frame for succession of bloom. I’m in awe of Crocus every time I see them. The flowers may be covered by six inches of snow tomorrow.

The daffodils won’t be in bloom for another couple of weeks, give or take. I need to remove some of the shredded leaves I put on the plants last fall.

I have poppies emerging or simply growing. I don’t think poppies die back in the winter. They simply turn a little brown but maintain their vigor in the center of the foliage.

As dainty as poppy flowers appear they’re tough-as-nails plant that thrives in hot and dry locations. The photo below was taken in May or June.

My tulips are just beginning to emerge.

Here we are two days later and the temperature is in the low 30s F with two to five inches of heavy, wet snow forecast for today. Have I mentioned what a wonderful addition to the garden Arnold Promise Witch Hazel is?

March 14, 2023
Daffodil Flowers 2021

It’s been an early spring. Weatherwise, we’re at least two weeks ahead of where we usually are this time of year.

I have posted a picture of this group of daffodil flowers previously after a spring freeze. However, I won’t get the opportunity this year. I’m more than ok with that.

Notice the deep edges on the beds, I edged the bed a couple of days ago. The lawn is greener than usual because of the warm weather.

This picture of daffodil flowers was taken on April 12, 2021.

Compare how unfrozen these daffodil flowers are to the recommended post below.

April 12, 2021