Birdfeeding

[ysabetwordsmith]

Today is cloudy and cool.

I haven't fed the birds yet, but I saw a cardinal at the fly-through feeder earlier.

I started planting the Mixed Daffodil Super Sak in the notch of the prairie garden.

EDIT 10/16/23 -- I fed the birds.

I planted more daffodils in the notch of the prairie garden.

EDIT 10/16/23 -- I finished planting daffodils in the notch of the prairie garden. I still have some left in the bag for other places.

EDIT 10/16/23 -- I planted more daffodils around the prairie garden.

EDIT 10/16/23 -- I finished planting daffodils in the prairie garden. \o/ That was a bag of 30.

I flushed a large bird out of the trees in the ritual meadow. I think it was a redtail hawk. I also saw a tiny bird foraging in the goldenrods, possibly a wren.

Comments

[the_broken_tower]

What kind of daffodils did you plant?

There are a lot of naturalized ones in the local area. Envy found a patch hidden by the power lines a few years ago when they were in peak bloom.

- Ryou (he/him)

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

These were 30 Mixed Daffodil Super Sak. They have different colors and shapes, with pretty good survival in naturalized conditions. At least, they have the highest durability of the fancier types with colored cups or ruffles, etc. I plant a lot of these; they're my go-to mix for ringing trees and such.

See my Breck's order for more of what I bought.

The best daffodils for longevity and naturalizing are two basic types: plain yellow trumpets (try Yellow Trumpet Daffodils or Giant Yellow Jonquils for Naturalizing) or Ice Follies which are white with open cups of pale yellow. Up at my father's place, there are yellow trumpets almost 40 years old. Here I have Ice Follies that are almost 30 years old, and some of the yellow trumpets in flowerbeds are probably well over 50. There are also yellow ones growing wild along roadsides in places.

I've been planting these things for decades. In recent years, some of them have begun crossing and seeding themselves outside the beds. There are some of them in the parking lot beside the daffodil bed and some in the grass outside the wagonwheel garden. Many grow in the prairie garden and probably some of those have crossed too. :D Most of the volunteers are yellow trumpet types, but some have more orange trumpets.

Sometimes I get fancier ones for putting under trees or in beds. The fancier they are, the less likely they are to stick around. But last year's batch of reds bloomed nicely this spring.