Saying goodbye to April is so very bittersweet. Besides it being a roller coaster of weather events, she still managed to win over our ever-willing battered hearts. Being so ready for springtime, we are grateful for every and any semblance thereof. With a recent 85-degree day or two we are teased to death by a taste of what will hopefully not be too far away. We have just seen the resurgent azure blue lake and sky, sweet puffy little white clouds, green green grass and even have had a chance to go barefoot if only for a few unexpected days. April is as fickle as March was and May might be. We have had a sneak peek of what we have been missing in our lives; sun, fun and flowers. The best thing about April is that the earth comes alive again in all living things around us. We are celebrating with all kinds of joyous growing things in the gardens, woodlands and meadows. I call April the ‘Daffodil’ month. There are many different varieties of Daffodils to excite our lazy bones and send us out to the gardens to root around for more signs of life. The scientific name for Daffodil is actually Narcissus. Narcissus is a genus of predominantly of spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. They are extremely hearty and one of the easiest and most popular spring bulbs to grow. There are over 13,000 distinct daffodil varieties in existence. Those however can be divided into about a dozen different types that are characterized by the size and shape of their petals and their coronas. They are all wonderfully cheerful, colourful and bring a delight to our senses with their fragrances as well. They represent rebirth and new beginnings and indicate that winter is over. Spiritually Narcissus symbolism includes revival, rebirth, hope, joy, resilience, good luck, prosperity, memories and forgiveness. How sweet is that? Some of the varieties here at the Caretakers Cottage are Ice Follies, Tete a Tete, Cheerfulness, Salome, Poeticus, Erlicheer, February Gold and my favorite all white one, Thalia. Many other of the names escape me, but the large cupped varieties that have pale yellow or white petals with the brilliant orange cups are just outstanding! Any amount of money and time invested in Daffodils will handsomely reward you forever. April will be back next year and we will remember how glorious she was and how lovely her festival of daffodils is every year after year. “The object of a new month is not that we should have a new month…
we should have a new soul. “~ G.K. Chesterton “Life stands before me like an eternal spring
with new and brilliant clothes.” ~ Carl Friedrich Gauss