Daffadils at Yellow Wood

Spring seems to be struggling to reach us, with only a few really warm days and mostly cloudy, cold weather.  I know we can still have frost this time of year, and we did need the rain, but the gardeners are getting impatient!  Somehow I managed to get the flower beds at our house all mulched, so I am ready to plant more perenials and summer annuals any time!

We are currently enjoying the bountiful daffodils our hill is famous for.  Unfortunately, most of our tulips succumbed to the ravages of either the moles or the hungry deer, who ate the young plants before they could bloom. But I have been pleased with the display of daffodils, including Dutch Master, Chromocolor, Replete and Ice Follies that I planted last year.  It was also nice to see the tete-a-tete, Winston Churchill and Mount Hoods from years past.  But our display pales in comparison to that at the Goethe Link Observatory, about 1/2 mile from our house.  Since Mrs. Link passed away about three years ago, we were afraid the daffodils would not be cared for and eventually die out.  Much to our surprise and pleasure, we found her large cultivated field and wooded areas to have even more blooms that we remembered from before!  We were lucky to visit on Easter evening, when someone from the Indiana Daffodil Society was present, handing out leaflets on daffodil culture.  The Society has been tending the daffodils and dividing them, spreading their beautiful colors throughout the front of the property.  We were so glad that they are taking on this task.  The gates to the Observatory are open when someone from the Society is there, and the public is welcome to walk through the daffodils, although no picking is allowed.  Our only disappointment was that we could not longer walk back through the rest of Mrs. Link’s property, which has a pond and many specimen plantings.  Still it was a treat to visit and a nice destination for us on our daily walks.

We found out that the New York Times reprinted a 1981 article written about the Observatory and the daffodils, and this has brought more visitors to see them this year.  The grounds should be open throughout the daffodil season, but the gates may open on a hit or miss basis.  Most likely weekends during the day are your best bet if you want to visit.  Although our llama farm is are not staffed for public visits, a drive down Observatory and left turn on Goat Hollow Road will bring you past our llama pastures, on both sides of the road.  More daffodils and spring flowers can be viewed at our neighbor’s beautiful gardens from the road as well.

For more information on the Observatory, try these links:

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/01/travel/a-flowering-of-daffodils-in-indiana.html?sec=travel

http://scican3.scican.net/preservation/Most_Endangered.htm

laura