When flowers the color of the sun emerge from bare tree branches or from the dark, cold earth, they bring with them warm promises of what is to come.

Daffodils, forsythia, Cornelian cherry dogwoods and many crocuses are lighting up our landscapes with their golden hues.

I can’t help but feel happy when the first daffodils bloom in January.

Every time I see those very early ones in bloom, I promise to plant some myself. But in the fall, when it is time to purchase and plant bulbs, I seem to forget about them or can’t muster the energy for digging.

I do have some midseason daffodils now in bloom and others that will show flowers in a couple of weeks.

Ideally, gardeners should plant some early, midseason and late bloomers so they can stretch out the season for daffodils up to two months or more, depending on weather variables.

“Our weather can be so crazy that all the daffodils bloom at once,” said Bea Howell, a past president of the Hernando Garden Study Club, the group that puts on a daffodil show in the DeSoto County Courthouse.

The club, whose members are getting on in age, is not having a show this year, but will probably have one in 2008, Howell said.

Many of the earliest bloomers in our area are an old variety called Early West Virginia. About the only way to get some is to coax someone into dividing their clumps, Howell said.

She recommends these varieties for early blooms: Rijnveld’s Early Sensation, Holland Sensation, St. Keverne and Birma.

Most of the common trumpet varieties, such as King Alfred, are midseason bloomers, as is Mt. Hood, Arctic Gold and Ice Follies. (See What’s Blooming on page M6 for more on the Ice Follies variety.)

For late season, Howell recommends Flower Drift, Cheerfulness, Yellow Cheerfulness and Sir Winston Churchill.

Be sure all the foliage lives at least six weeks after the flowers fade. The leaves have an important role in making food to nourish the bulb for next season’s flowers.

When daffodils refuse to flower at all, it usually means they are overcrowded. Thin the clumps by digging them up right after the foliage withers.

Divide the bulbs and replant immediately.

Daffodils are great when interplanted with daylilies. When daffodil foliage starts looking bad but before you can safely cut it, the foliage of the daylilies will hide it.

Another pretty partner is the grape hyacinth. The purple flower spikes of the muscari, its botanical name, contrast nicely with yellow daffodils.

Beds in front of the Visitors Center at the Memphis Botanic Garden are filled with this outstanding duo.

Spring Fling will get you going

I don’t know of any event that delivers as much as the Master Gardeners Spring Fling scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Red Barn at the Agricenter.

Some of the best and brightest speakers in the region will be sharing their ideas, and nurseries will be selling plants and garden wares selected especially for the audience of savvy gardeners.

Last year’s event was a spring tonic for gardeners itching to get at it, and this year’s promises to be just as exciting.

Ornamental specialist Carol Reese will lead off the presentations at 10 a.m. with a talk on “plants that stand out from the crowd.”

At 11 a.m., Diane Meucci, co-owner of Gardens Oy Vey in Arlington, will speak on native plants, hydrangeas and azaleas.

Rita Randolph takes the microphone at 1 p.m. with a talk on “containers for collectors.” She is the owner of Randoph’s Greenhouses in Jackson, Tenn.

At 2 p.m. Reese is up again with “the attraction of aberrant plants.”

Garden designer Tom Pellett will share his thoughts on Memphis shade gardens at 3 p.m.

Bring your notebook and plan to stay awhile at the free event.

Roses 101

Growing hybrid tea roses and other showy roses is not easy with our clay soil and hot, humid region.

Members of the Dixie Rose Club will share their tried-and-true experiences with beginners and newcomers at a seminar from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Memphis Botanic Garden.

They will cover topics such as rose varieties best suited to our area, building rose beds, selecting and planting roses, irrigation, fertilizing, spraying, chemicals and pruning.

An optional pruning demonstration will take place, and rose plants will be sold.

Cost: $10; $8 for members of the botanic garden.

For more information, contact Jimmy Moser at 386-9892 or go to the club’s Web site, dixieroseclub.org.

source : www.commercialappeal.com