Easter often falls in April and one of the flowers most commonly associated with this time of the year is the daffodil (Narcissus). Of course, to use a phrase like “the daffodil” is very misleading as there is a huge range of varieties. Using “narcissus” as a search term for plants on the RHS website gave over 8,000 results and the RHS handbook for shows has 14 different divisions for daffodils. As well as the classic yellow, daffodil colours can range from white through cream, into orange and include multiple colours in a single bloom, in addition some are strongly scented. They range in size from dwarfs that are only 15cm high to tall ones that can reach over 50cm. Apparently, the world record is over 1.5metres.

You might find some narcissi garish, or indeed bland, but look at the wealth of options. With the range of colours, flower forms and sizes there is probably a Narcissus to complement every planting scheme.

It is possible to force Narcissus to flower indoors for Christmas, but even outdoors it is perfectly feasible to have a succession of different varieties in flower from early February through to May. Having a clump (or drift if your garden is larger) of these nodding heads in April is a sure sign that spring has definitely arrived.

Woodland Daffs in spring sunshine

Garden Daffodils

Another sign of spring is the emergence of the first asparagus spears, which generally start to appear in April. An asparagus bed is a long-term investment. There won’t be a crop for 2-3 years and for the next couple of years spears should only be cut selectively. However, once a bed is fully established you can expect large yields and tasty meals for many years.

Emerging Asparagus Spears

Asparagus and mozarella