… about these blooms. Except that they EXIST in MY house. Each “had galoshes on” and most were not open when I bought them two days ago. I wonder what the main shipment looked like. And, where did it come from?
10/$1.69 at Trader Joe’s. Cheaper than last year.
Today it is actually warm!, warmer than Florida according to someone on the radio, and that greenish brown stuff in the background was not visible yesterday morning. Note our “Rusty Heron” back there.
George Dorner 
+=+=+=+=+=+=+= Anagram for Today +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIMS: The English, in flight, made port.
I visited the new Trader Joe’s here in Nashville a couple of weeks ago, George, and came back to work with about 8 of these bunches. I couldn’t believe the price, so I bought enough to share with several people at work. The daffs were in tight bud, barely showing a bit of color, and looked like they had been cut just above the bulb. Is that what you mean by had galoshes on? I saw boxes of them at Trader Joe’s, but I couldn’t find any ID with a name or address.
When a few of us toured some local daffodil fields after the convention in Tacoma in 2007, we saw daffs being harvested in bud and were told they would be dry shipped to florists. In Holland last spring we saw tazettas being forced, growing in trays of shells and saw them being processed similarly.
I wonder where these are coming from so early?
It was about 70F here today. Two yellow crocuses and a few snowdrops were open and hellebore buds are getting close. St. Keverne are up with buds showing and lots of jonquilla and tazettas are up. Of course, we’ve been known to have ice storms here in March, but I will hope for an early spring!
Becky Fox Matthews that daffy girl near Nashville
Hello daffodil starved folks………………I, too have had them on the table the past two weeks. We have a supplier here in Oregon, (Philomath, the town next to Corvallis) who ships them, and it might be the ones you are getting. He is a friend, a really nice guy who helps us with our sale in the Fall. He said they are Dutch Master. He also does tulips. They were VERY reasonable here, too. Green Gable Farms, and you can google them. Enjoy.
Barbara in Oregon
I do not know whether one stem is worth three leaves. However, it does make sense as photosynthesis is going on in the stem resulting in sugar (glucose) to be transported (translocated) to the bulb where it will be used to develop next year’s bloom and leaves. The sugar is stored as starch in the bulb where it can ultimately be used as a source of carbon and energy for the whole growth process in the spring. Everyone knows that leaves are very important for next year’s flower to develop. So, deadheading a bloom results in leaving behind a stem that now functions as a leaf, i.e. an extra leaf for that bulb. Deadheading here is important. Otherwise a fruit (seed capsule) might develop; fruits are said to be “sinks” for sugars. Thus, less sugar would be available to transport down into the bulb and ultimately less sugar for the carbon compounds and energy required to make a new flower and blooms.
Ted Snazelle
Ted
Theodore E. Snazelle, Ph.D.
101 Water Oaks Drive
Clinton MS 39056-9733
Hi Everyone,
I sent the message below to Becky only by mistake – hit the wrong button. To add to it for John. The bulbs from which these flowers were cut were replanted – we were told that it took two to three years for them to recover to flowering state again.
My father used to claim that the stem was worth three leaves to the plant – he also recommended disbudding claiming that going to seed weakened the plant. However Max Hamilton in his fertilizer uptake experiment estimated that the stem was worth only one – two leaves to the bulb.
I have heard of no scientific evidence to support the assertion made by John’s friend/acquaintance. Anecdotally I have noticed that varieties which do very well one year aren’t so good the next year. Perhaps this is a result of cutting too many show blooms. I’d be very interested in further comments on this topic.
Cheers,
Peter
Sent to Becky only:
Hello All,
If they are still operating in the same way we would guess Vantreght’s on Vancouver Island in Canada. We visited there in February many years ago and they were growing pre-cooled daffodils in trays. These were cut in bud, foliage still attached, and shipped to Safeways throughout Canada and the USA. They are still in business but not sure to what extent. If not then probably one of the big growers in Washington State.
Very hot here at present – as in California we need rain.
Peter NZ.
Ted & All,
I’ve long been one to accept that a stem can have a significantly greater effect than a single leaf.
I think possible reasons for the much reported suggestion that a stem is worth more (3 times possibly?) than that of a leaf for the build-up of a bulb are :-
-Stems are often (and should be for garden purposes) longer than leaves, gain more access to the sun as they are less shaded
-Stems are ’rounded’ and stand more vertically than leaves – thus being more exposed to the sun from sunrise to sunset.
-Stems usually stay green longer than leaves and thus have a longer exposure to the sun.
Combining these three points it is possible to conclude that there is much more opportunity for photosynthesis!
That’s my theory anyway – and I’ll stick to it until persuaded otherwise. It would be a nice little research project!
Brian Duncan