It was fairly late in the day yesterday when I prepared my vase, having attended a long lunch with other National Garden Scheme garden owners in Staffordshire, Birmingham & part of the West Midlands and picked up our posters and other garden opening sundries. Now in our sixth year of opening, we feel very much part of the community and valued as such, although our contribution to the amount raised by the organisation is relatively small compared to some.
It is now light till after 5 o’clock, however, so time and daylight were less of an issue than of late and I had already planned to pick a clutch of ‘Tete-a-Tete’ narcissi, so my first quest was choosing a vase – a simple Caithness Glass example with subtle cream, yellow and orange swirls, subtly complementing the cheerfulness of the narcissi. I tried several times to rearrange the blooms and spread them out but they were having none of it, continuing instead with their head-to-head conversations.
Whatever we feel about yellow blooms in the garden generally (and the jury is very much out on this topic), the appearance of the first daffodils in our gardens and elsewhere is a very special moment, bringing sunshine to the cloudiest day and a cheeriness to our hearts, heralding as they do the advent of spring. I am sure even the frightened little clockwork knick-knack that acts as a prop would find himself smiling again after a few minutes in their presence; after all, he himself seems to amuse any adult or child that picks him up and sets his little feet in motion, scuttling at will (where did he come from? who knows!) until he jumps off the surface he is placed on, like one of a crowd of lemmings.
For those of us in temperate northern hemisphere countries, early spring blooms are increasingly available in our gardens, but twigs like the twisted hazel are around all year and also look effective in a vase – so if you have pickings of any sort to share with us today then please do so by leaving the usual links to and from this post.
Rambling in the Garden 
You can’t beat daffodils for pure joy this time of year. Your flowers and prop brought a smile to my face. How nice you get to meet up with other National Garden Scheme gardeners. Thanks for hosting our Monday vases, Cathy!
Cathy, could you please remove the erroneous link above? My flowers this week: https://pbmgarden.blog/2022/03/07/in-a-vase-on-monday-pastels-and-cream/
Sorted – how bizarre was that?!! 😁
My fault. My architect daughter was interested in this furniture designer, so I’d looked him up and still had the link in my clipboard. Thank you.
😁
They certainly make every day look sunnier, whatever the weather, although personally I only have the short varieties
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I am one of those gardeners who avoids yellow in the garden except for daffs and forsythia – they bring sunshine when there is little of it about.
I am still spuddling about with moss! https://daffodilwild.wordpress.com/2022/03/07/in-a-vase-on-monday-rust-moss-and-hellebores/
Yes, although learning to appreciate the yellow of forsythia has been harder than that of daffodils!! Spuddling sounds a good word… 😁
When my kids were younger and I was trying to introduce them to different plants they used to make fun of me and the names of plants and Forsythia became ‘Brucey’ and has been ever since. 🙂
Haha, love it! 🤣
Spring simplicity – I love the twigs and miss daffodils. Such an exuberant triumph over winter. I agree about yellow, what is it? Just too bright? I have enjoyed the Yellow Bells/Tecoma stans in my vase today. Happy Spring! https://theshrubqueen.com/2022/03/07/in-a-vase-on-monday-solidarity-and-vodka/
Thanks Amy. I think the shade of yellow makes a difference to its acceptability, but these narcissi will always be an exception in my mind!
Maybe that is key, there is a similar shade in the famous harbinger of spring tree here..
Sorry, which tree is that?
Yellow Tabebuia, they are just starting to flower here. I will try to take a picture.
I avoid yellow in the garden as so many weeds have yellow flowers.
Yes, now that’s an intriguing thought, isn’t it?
Surprise!!!Spring is here.
LOL– your comment about yellow in the garden made me giggle because I was one of those people, until I grew a yellow rose and now I cannot imagine my garden with a little yellow in it. And I need to add twisted hazel to my ‘to grow’ list because I love the look of it, and looks like it is pliable, which probably makes it a good medium for other garden applications.
My garden is still covered in snow, but I am sharing roses from this past summer, mostly to lift up my spirit and remember that warmth will come at some point here in Minnesota! 🙂 Thanks for hosting, Cathy! https://darlingclementine-mn.com/blog/for-the-love-of-english-roses
Haha, yes, and I used to steer clear of yellow roses too but now have sevral that I am very fond of! 😁 Admittedly they are softer yellows than some… The twisted hazel is really useful in vases and posies, whatever the time of year. When do you expect your snow to have gone?
Lovely daffodils and twisted hazel. I am one of those that loves yellow. I have quite a bit in the garden and even small patches are very welcome. Here is my vase, a very small one! https://noellemace.blogspot.com/2022/03/in-vase-on-monday-miniature-daffodils.html
Thanks Noelle – I wonder which miniature daffodils you have in your vase today…?
I’m glad spring is making its presence known in your part of the world. Daffodils can be very stubborn when it comes to arranging them. I cut some this week too but ended up plopping them into a tiny vase that didn’t make the photo session this week. Yours are much prettier and I love your little prop. As I head off to tackle this week’s grocery run, here’s my post: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2022/03/in-vase-on-monday-spring-is-in.html
Yes, the daffs were quite insistent that they were going to stand where they chose, and I didn’t want to add any pebbles as I sometimes do because I wanted to emphaise the clear glass and pattern of the vase
Some disapprove of yellow? Gee, I took whatever color I could. I would prefer all bloom to be white, but that does not work out so well. When I lived in town, a neighbor selected colors for the front garden, since I am so inept with color, and they were generally in the yellow and orange range.
Not sure that disapprove is the right word, Tony – some just find yellow a bit jarring
I was not so keen on yellow, and was even less keen or orange, but they looked so good on that particular house, and I will always grow nasturtiums anyway! I dislike purple, but would like to add more blue and purple to a Memorial Garden for someone who appreciated blue and purple. The family of the deceased financed the project a long time ago, and requested certain flowers within that color range. I intend to continue the preference. Incidentally, it is right across a walkway from my exclusively white garden. Incidentally, and contrary to poplar belief, the white garden was not my idea! Really!
Just shows personal our colour palettes are!
You might find this to be amusing.
Haha, yes definitely worth a giggle!
Oh I am so taken with this breath of spring…daffs shout spring’s song. Hoping some I moved will grow in a container. I don’t have flowers up yet but some lovely spring flowers from the grocer has me thinking spring. Here’s my link:
Hope yours flower in due course Donna, but I am glad you are still able to enjoy some spring flowers in the meantime
There is a lovely tradition here of planting daffodill bulbs in the hedgebank opposite the entrance to a farm or house. I guess originally because that way the cottage or farmhouse owner could see them from the windows but they also cheer up anyone passing. Opposite my entrance are some so old and simple I think they may be the natural Tenby daffs – Tenby is only a 45 minute drive aay and that is down windy narrow roads so really not very far.
That’a a lovely thought, that they could have been there for some time… Must admit, I have wondered about planting some on the verge opposite our house…
Sometimes I pass a clump and realise that there must have been a cottage opposite at one time but it has fallen down.
Oh, thank you for letting us know of that tradition. My Mum was welsh. Her father donated daffodil bulbs to the Crematorium where his ashes are and I visit in daffodil time when I can, there are masses planted in the opposite bank as one drives out of the gates and I always say goodbye to them!
That’s a lovely thing to hear from you too Sandra 😊
They are such cheerful friendly flowers. I like your Grandfather’s style!
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Daffodils have to be the exception to the anti-yellow brigade surely! That’s how I feel anyway 😉 .
You made me smile with your comments about disobedient flowers. I thought that I was the only one with precocious plants 🤣. you couldn’t have had a better named daffodil though!
Here is my bunch: https://wp.me/pM8Y1-8zn
Yes, daffs are the exception, and personally I wouldn’t choose any taller ones (uless they were white, or early ones for the Coop!) 😁
Yay, daffodils! They definitely welcome spring. Mine are beginning to emerge, and I can’t wait until they bloom. 🙂
They do indeed – hope years bloom soon. We had a period of milder weather after ours emerged and it didn’t take them long to open
I love yellow and pity anyone who doesn’t. It’s such an important colour for insects too. Your vase is so pretty, roll on spring. I’m ready 🙂 Been to our daffodil woodland yesterday, it was magical. Will try and share a vase next week.
Don’t need to pity me though, Annette! Actually, there are some yellows I do like, so I am just selective, not anti-yellow! A natural daffodil woodland? Sounds amazing – how did that come about, I wonder…?
I wasn’t referring to you but rather to those who hate yellow. You’re right, I don’t like all yellows either. How the wild daffodil woodland came about? Well, wildflowers can cover huge areas and spread naturally if they aren’t interfered with. Just read a lovely article in Landscape about areas in the UK where they still grow en masse.
I am guilty of avoiding it though!! And yes, it was a silly question about the natural daffodil woodlands really, wasn’t it? 😉 But good to know they are still in the UK too
That little clockwork man made me smile Cathy even though he is standing quite still. Himself had a furry clockwork mouse that entertained little and no so little people over the years. Daffodils are instant sunshine and even though I prefer paler yellows the brighter yellow daffodils are never capable of causing offence 😀 I was distracted by filling that green garden waste bin yesterday amongst other things but hope to be back with a vase next week.
Haha, I can imagine that clockwork mouse! We are very much slaves to our green bins at times, aren’t we…?!