Daffodils brighten cloudy days
No rain here yet, but the regional radar screen is filled with promising green blobs just to our west. It is slowly crawling our way; however, the weather seers have down-graded their rainfall total estimates. Yesterday, they were waxing enthusiastic about an inch to an inch and a half of rain. This morning, they are mumbling about thunderstorms to our south stealing our moisture. Now we’ll be lucky to see three-quarters of an inch. Not an insignificant amount, but not the kind of water we need to deeply drench awakening vegation and raise the water line in the creek.
I’m trying to hold on to positive thoughts, praying my inch-plus rains are still out there, still on their way to my house. Meanwhile, another daffodil cultivar started blooming yesterday. It’s the orange-centered one above. I think this is Flower Record, although, if you look at pictures of that cultivar online, the petals are white, not pale yellow. However, I’ve noticed that catalog descriptions rarely acknowledge that many daffodil petals start out one color, and fade to a lighter shade after exposure to sunlight. A day or two of sunshine will turn this daffodil’s pale yellow petals white.
Whatever its name, the orange center adds a little fire to the daffodil show — a sunny addition perfect for a cloudy day.
Piedmont Gardener 