A new favorite

I don't have a favorite plant. The concept is too much like having a favorite cat, or a favorite child. What I have is lots of favorite plants, at least two or three for each season. But right now, I have a favorite that is almost season-spanning, a daffodil that today, in mid-May, is only just ceasing to bloom. The Van Engelen bulb catalog lists the plant as a late-April bloomer, but this beauty started blooming around April 15, and a few blooms are still hanging on.

These were early flowers from April 20:

That pristine white set off by a peachy-pink that sometimes seems lit up from within is so sweet it almost makes my teeth hurt. Besides being almost too pretty, this narcissus is called "Fragrant Rose" for a reason; the scent, while not identical to that of old roses, wafts a good distance, making spring cleanup chores less of a chore.

Like most pink daffodils, Fragrant Rose does best away from strong afternoon sun, but this predilection for partial shade may be why the flowers last so long. Besides, tucking bulbs in among shrubs gives lots of opportunity for unexpected garden vignettes, like this one next to our very ordinary driveway.

Narcissus, wild geranium, and sweet violet--is there such a thing as too much spring?