The Daffodil Garden
I noticed my first daffodils popping from the earth a few weeks ago. I know it was still February and I was thinking, “Oh no! It’s too early!” This weird, but wonderfully warm Maine winter has confused more than the flowers. I read in Sunday’s paper that the maple trees don’t know whether to run their sap or not. 
Daffodils are definitely a sign of spring here in Maine. I think many other parts of the country celebrate their arrival as well. In fact, I recently received an e-mail telling the story of a busy mother whose daughter wanted her to come see the amazing daffodil garden near the daughter’s home.
The mother resisted, but the daughter persisted.
Read the full story of The Daffodil Principle by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards.
Here’s what the mother saw…
Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, saffron, and butter yellow. Each different colored variety was planted as a group so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.
And what the mother learned…
On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.
The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and very little brain.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”
There it was, the Daffodil Principle. For me, that moment was a life changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than 40 years before, had begun one bulb at a time to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at time, year after year, had changed the world. This unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of ineffable, indescribable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.
The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration. That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time often just one baby step at a time—and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.
“It makes me sad in a way,” I admitted to Carolyn. “What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal 35 or 40 years ago and had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years. Just think what I might have been able to achieve!”
My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. “Start tomorrow,” she said.
It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, “How can I put this to use today?”
- Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards
I did a Google search for “daffodil garden” and found this delightful site.
http://www.daffodilgarden.com/daffodils_home.htm
Helen Lee’s Daffodil Paradise in Gladewater, Texas, contains golden daffodils spread over a 28-acre piece of land. It is open for public viewing in February and March.
My daffodil garden is much smaller… it’s an area approximately 3 feet wide by 8 feet long. Daffodils, tulips and other favorite perennials will bloom in the coming months. But when the flowers are in bloom I am reminded that I played a small part in the beautiful sight before me.
You see I made a decision to add color to my yard. I purchased the bulbs and then planted them. Now, each year I am able to enjoy their beauty. So many times people make decisions but take no action.
The Daffodil Principle reminds us that small actions, taken consistently, can produce amazing results. What are you going to plant today?
