daffodils and epimediums

7/30/2019 Daffodils and Epimediums

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216 THE LAYERED GARDEN

Narcissus

If we consider spring a symphony, then daffodil time is one of the cre-scendos, with their bright sweeps of owers stealing the show, trumpet-ing the denitive arrival of the season. Easy to grow, long-lived, and deer-proof, there are many reasons to love these bulbs of the genus Narcissus.As a child I remember picking daffodil bouquets for my mother, and tothis day I pick armloads of owers for insidewhich means I always have

to buy double quantities for planting, assuring that I will have one bloomfor the garden for every one I cut for the house.

Daffodils, which overlap with my later blooming hellebores, wereamong the rst plants I used in the garden for mass planting, and theycheered me on for years while the rest of the garden took shape aroundthem. I planted several hundred each year for the rst few years, pri-marily on the hillsidemostly Ice Follies, with a few accents of thelarge-owered King Alfred toward the top to draw my eye up the hill.Interspersed among these large drifts, I used smaller numbers of special

colors and forms, placed along the pathways to facilitate close-up view-ing. Twenty years later, I am still planting daffodils, and if I had to guesshow many species and varieties reside in the garden, it would be well overa hundred. While I began with early bloomers, mostly of the cyclamineusgroup, I am now planting late bloomers to extend the season. I particu-larly like the antique forms and jonquils, which seem more graceful andmore tting to the age of the house. One favorite is W. P. Milner, anineteenth-century miniature that is smaller than many but, to my eye,far more beautiful than most.

Narcissus are truly easy to grow and about the most reliable plantthere is, if certain basic rules are followed. Plant them right side up (largeside down), about two times as deep as the height of the bulb, in soil thatis not overly moist, in part shade to full sun. The bulbs should feel rmand full; any that are soft and mushy or moldy should be discarded. Iremove the spent owers before they go to seed, a tedious job with mythousands of bulbs but one that provides a variety of rewards. Removingthe owers contributes to strengthening the bulb for the next year ratherthan letting that energy go to into seed production. It also means that Ido not have unsightly sweeps of spent owers detracting from the later

This bouquet o early

miniature narcissus fowers

was picked in late March

rom the garden. For

perspective, the vase is only

6 inches tall.


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DYING BULBFOLIAGEThe oliage o bulbs needs to die back

naturally to direct the energy o the

plant into recharging the bulbs or theollowing years bloom. But dealing with

this oten unsightly mess o brown

leaves is a challenge or any gardener.

I have ound hakone grass and hostas

useul or hiding the old oliage o

galanthus; hellebore oliage does the

same, but this is trickier since both can

be in bloom at the same time. When

I use bulbs such as tulips in a border,

I plant them in the middle or back,

so when they nish fowering, their

oliage is hidden by the next layer o

plants. On the hillside, daodil oliage

is allowed to go down naturally, rather

than trimming it o or tying it up in

bundles, and since this area is quiet

while the oliage ades, I count on any

visitor being attracted to the prettier

parts o the garden. Daylilies can beused to hide the oliage o daodils,

but the daylily oliage itsel has to be

hand-groomed as it dies back. In the

halesia bed behind the barn,Matteuccia

struthiopteris eectively hides the da-

odil oliage, but care has to be taken to

ensure that this vigorous ern does not

bury the daodils alive.

Opposite, clockwise:

Narcissus DoubleCampernelle is an old-

ashioned plant so radically

dierent rom my other

daodils that I had to love it.

It was passed along to me

by a gardening riend, and

thereore doubly treasured.

Narcissus Gipsy Queen is a

miniature with a high cute

quotient. The fowers o

Narcissus W. P. Milner startout with a yellow tint but

ade to a papery white. Its

detractors say it has too

long a neck, but I call that

graceul, like a swan. The

heirloom Narcissus Single

Campernelle has a jonquil-

like fower, which reminds

me o my years in the South,

where this orm o daodil

is much more commonlygrown than it is in the north.

This page, top: Narcissus

Actaea has captivated

gardeners and poets or

centuries. I like its simple

fowers, and the act that it

blooms in late spring.

Bottom: Narcissus Mite is a

cyclamineus hybrid, whichmeans it is early fowering.

Its long trumpet and swept-

back donkeylike ears always

make me smile.


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220 THE LAYERED GARDEN

spring owers that are layered among the daffodils and hide the dyingdaffodil foliage as they grow up.

Daffodils are such a favorite of mine that for a few years I belonged tothe Delaware Valley Daffodil Society. I was recruited one time to serveas the scribe for a panel of judges at the societys annual show, and a dayspent listening to these experts dissect each entry taught me volumesabout what to look for in a ower. Afterward, surveying the entries onmy own, I made a long list of bulbs I absolutely had to have. There arethousands of different narcissus in thirteen different divisions. So manydaffodils, so little time (and money, and space).

Epimediums

I began planting species and varieties ofEpimediumbecause they are among

the few perennials that do well in dry shade, which I have more than myshare of in the garden. Their tolerance for places where few other plantsthrive is made clear in the common name for the genus, barrenwort. As Ibecame more familiar with these little gems, I came to see that hardinesswas not all they had to offer. The gentle colors and delicacy of the ow-ers speak of the freshening of spring like few other plants. In my garden,the epimediums bloom in April and May, after the rush of galanthus andnarcissus and coinciding with the bloom of my trilliums, another shade-loving genus with which they often share bed space. The owers, borne

on wiry stems before the leaves fully open, can resemble miniature col-umbines, or stars, or bishops hatsthe latter another common name.Epimediums are rhizomatous perennials, more spreading than they

are tall, with most growing no more than 12 to 18 inches. They will thrivein a range of shady conditions, though they do not tolerate poor drain-age. Some varieties can form sizable colonies, but the shallow-rootedrhizomes can be kept in bounds and the plants are easily divided andtransplanted. The best time to do this work is in autumn or anytime afterthey ower.

In recent years, I have been captivated by the array of leaf shapes and

colors of emerging and mature leaves, which provide as much intrigue asthe owers and over a much longer period, and give me other color andshape notes to play with in my designs. Some species have leaves mottledwith red; others have long, pointed leaves, with serrated or spiny edges.Many of the leaves are evergreen or semievergreen, which partly dependson the severity of the winter. I usually cut off the foliage in winter forplants that are not evergreen, and in later winter or early spring for thosethat are. We do this for the same reason we remove the old foliage of ourhellebores, to avoid having the tattered old leaves detract from the beauty

of the new foliage and owers. Tackle this chore before the owers andleaves begin to emerge, and it can be quickly accomplished with hedgeclippers. If you wait a few weeks, it can become a hand-pruning job thatis far more tedious and time-consuming.

Epimediumwarleyense

Orangeknigin provides afower color that is unusual

or early spring and is

useul in making interesting

combinations.


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Oppsoite, top left and rightEpimedium Limelight has

a pleasing yellow fower

and interesting colorul

oliage. When choosing

epimediums, I try to get the

best o both.

Bottom, left: Epimedium

Enchantress is one o

many plants I have received

over the years rom

Elizabeth Strangman, English

plantswoman, who selected

and named it.

Bottom, right: Epimedium

argesii Pink Constellation

has narrow mottled oliage

and tiny fowers that look

like shooting stars.

This page: Epimedium

grandiforum Nanum, a

diminutive plant with large

fowers and striking leaves

edged in bronze, won a

1993 Award o Garden

Merit rom the Royal

Horticultural Society in

England.

daffodils and epimediums

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