Wayland Weekly Flower – Garden Daffodil

A cluster of Daffodils growing at a house on Stonebridge Rd.

The Daffodil (genus Narcissus) is a hardy classic spring time perennial.   It is native to southern Europe and North Africa, but the plant has been spread widely since before the 10th century.  The Daffodil flower has six tepals (petals), which are white in this picture, surrounding a central corona, which is yellow in this picture.   The petals and the corona are often the same color with yellow being the most common color.

Daffodil plants can last many years as the bulbs are not attractive to deer or rodents.  The most common pests are slugs and bulb rot.  Although the flower produces small black seeds, these take years to generate flowers.  The most common way to spread the plant is by bulb division.  The bulbs have contractile roots which shorten after some years to pull the bulbs deeper into the ground.

Daffodil stems secrete a fluid which promotes the wilting of other flowers.  When cut, the stems should be soaked and rinsed before adding them to an arrangement or they should be featured alone.

Return here every week to warm up to a picture of flowers from somewhere in Wayland.  Perhaps learn a bit about flowers, and different places in Wayland.  If you see noteworthy flowers in Wayland, please contact the author at waylandweeklyflower@gmail.com

Submitted by Duane Galbi

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