Have you ever had the pleasure of receiving a bunch of Cornish daffodils by post?
Of course when they arrive they don't look quite like this, but should be in tight bud.
This is how the daffodils come from the grower.
Can you imagine what they look like in the fields ?
At this time of year our local daffodil growers are busy picking and bunching hundreds of stems to be sent to London markets.
It is a big industry for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and daffodil growing has been an important part of our economy for over 100 years.
Long ago ladies from the village picked the bunches, but now Eastern European workers come here for the daffodil season.
During the war many of the evacuees were used as pickers. I love this photo of children in 1943, with their little bunches!
Once the railways came to Penzance, deep in the South West of Cornwall, it was so much easier for growers to get the flowers to markets.
Below is an embroidered panel, part of a collection of panels designed for the Millennium, known as the Tregellas Needlework. They are unique and show the history and legends of Cornwall.
The daffodils are there, and along the edge are some of the other flowers sent to the market, Cornish violets, anemones, primroses and one that I can't identify.
Ready to travel to market.
The picture below shows a Daffodil Festival in one of our local churches.
The flowers seem to add such a glow to the stonework.
Although it is a relatively short season it seems to herald the coming of Spring, and hope.
37 comments:
I wonder if this year's early season has made a difference to those involved in the trade. Our daffodil season here seems to last from before Christmas till April with the different varieties coming up one after the other. I also remember being taken by our school to see the wild daffodils in the Forest of Dean and being allowed to pick a small bunch each to take home back in the '50s
I absolutely love daffodils! They don't grow here in Florida. So sad. I lived 9 months in Tennessee and in the spring, they were everywhere! How lovely that they can be shipped! Have a great day.
What a beautiful way to includes one of God's flowers into winter months. Daffodils grow here in my cottage garden and I just love their happy faces :)
They are in the shops here - I have resisted buying any yet as I still have a Christmas carnations gift in full bloom and want them to have full glory but daffodils will grace my table soon, they really do give us a lift. I don't like their fragrance though! am I alone in this? I have planted lots of miniature daffs in tubs - can't wait for them to bloom. Betty
Elizabeth, thanks for allowing me to know more about UK daffodil farms. I also like the looks of that Tregallas Needlework and will try to find some more images of it.
Suddenly very cold here again, also on Saturday I did see some snowdrops blooming in Central Park. xo
What a gorgeous picture of the daffodils against the seashore! Thanks for sharing some of this history!
I love daffodils! They are such a bright, cheery flower. I have some just beginning to show in my flower beds. The photo of the daffodil field and the church are just beautiful. Around the farm, we have some patches that pop up in the spring where houses used to be long ago. While picking some, I often wonder who planted them there. Thanks for sharing ♥
Dear Elizabeth,
Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog! I was all the more grateful because I noticed there was another picture llinked to your name ... and I therefore found your new blog. Hurray! A lovely title, small moments, well I must say I am very happy that you wish thses moments again with us!!! I just read all your posts. I'm happy your husband could leave the hospital soon. And yes, those daffodils! I read an article on them in 'Country Living', some years ago. About the Cornish daffodil fields, lovely! My mother should have seen them, daffodils were her favourite flowers.
Anyway, I am very happy to have 'found you again', dear friend! Have a nice evening & Dutch waves across the pond, Carolien
Oops, sometimes my laptop can't keep up and I'm writing silly things then ... I meant: wish to share these moments etc. Sorry! xxx
Hi Elizabeth! How fun to find you in a new space! Well, new for me anyway.
Those closed up daffodils look a lot like asparagus, wouldn't you say? They are one of my favorite flowers, so seeing fields of them in the spring would just make my day. Your photos are gorgeous!
Great to connect again! Have a good day my friend,
Ceil
Oh dear, I'm so sorry, Elizabeth! I sent you an email awhile ago, when we changed of provider. Maybe that mail didn't arrive?
Anyway, thank you for trying to contact me and here is my current email address: c@vboven.eu
Love, Carolien
Daffodils are most definitely my favorite Spring flower :) My, this post was enchanting, my friend, and ever so beautiful! I also enjoyed the history. Hugs to you!
The church full of daffodils is a very pretty sight - the flowers fairly glow. Tight bunches of daffodils are harvested here, with workers from Mexico, much as yours are, I suspect. The photo of the war evacuees is a sweet one.
Love, love daffodils, and love your pictures.
How neat! I love daffodils and can't wait for them to come up here in the Southern half of the US. Probably only a month or two before they appear!
What a gorgeous post! I bought tulips yesterday. No dafs now, but soon, I hope. Mine won't pop up until March.
Thank you for your comment. Thermal gloves are a good idea.
A very lovely post. What an amazing photo of the daffodils ready to go to market. Our area had many Daffodil farms in the past and we have a Daffodil festival each spring.
Visiting from Roses of Inspiration and new follower.
Oh daffodils! How they bless my soul after the long days of winter to see their happy faces shooting up through the snow! We just moved, and I won't have daffodils this year, but you can bet I will be planting some for next winter's joy! I so enjoyed seeing their bright happy faces in your post, and hearing the history of how these daffodils have been picked and shipped, and oh the picture of the little children carrying their daffodil bouquets back in the 40s during the war, I'm sure they must have brought a beautiful source of joy during that difficult time. What a joy to meet you, and I do look forward to getting to know you better! :)
living in new jersey, with record warm temperatures, mine are already a few inches out of the ground....they are a tad confused!!! daffodils are such an awesome sight after a long winter, they are one of my favorite bulbs. beautiful images!!!
I love getting my first bunch of daffs each year - always feels like winter is finally over!
I'd never thought of where they came from or anything about them, so this has been a fascinating read, thank you :)
Hi Elisabeth,
What a lovely blog you have here. I love all the pictures. :)
You commented on my blog about how you would have liked to join the Scripture swap. Would you still like to do it? I would swap with you since I've already paired the other people up. :)
Let me know by leaving a comment on my blog. :)
Love,
Ashley
creatingpreciousmoments.blogspot.com
Ps. I saw your comment and sent you an email. Let me know if you got it. :)
Love,
Ashley
creatingpreciousmoments.blogapot.com
The church looks lovely with all the flowers, so lovely to have flowers in winter!
The church looks lovely with all the flowers, so lovely to have flowers in winter!
Wow! I had no idea how Daffodils would be sent to someone. I've only ever seen the bulbs and planted those. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers! They just scream Spring to me, my favorite time of year. :)
{{hugs}} sweet friend on the other side of the pond!!!
Lovely photography. The local town Colchester has its name spelt in daffs on a grass bank. Its amazing to see.
What a lovely post! Daffodils seem a long ways off on this blustery winter day here, but it's nice to be reminded of their coming and to see your cheerful pictures.
I read back a few posts (something that I have not had much time to do lately) and I see that your husband has been in the hospital. I am happy to learn that he is home! Hope he is enjoying those slippers...they were quite the find!
Thanks for visiting me at Thinking About Home. Yes, grandparents definitely worry more. I didn't understand that until I became one myself.
Sweet friend, it was an absolute delight to have you at Roses of Inspiration this week. Thank you for joining the fun and I hope you join us again next week. Love and hugs!
How lovely to be sent a bouquet of spring while still deep in wintertime! I need to venture out and do a little sluething to see if any of my bulbs are poking up! xo
I love daffodils and the needlework is gorgeous!
It was interesting to read a little about the growing of Cornish daffodils. I didn't realize that those sold in London are grown there. :-) They are one of my favorite flowers - like bits of sunshine on stems.
The needlework is lovely. Could the flower on the right possibly be a gentian?
It does look similar to a gentian, but that isn't a common flower here. Maybe a periwinkle?
How beautiful the field of flowers look...so so pretty.
I enjoyed your pretty post very much...and I am your newest Google Friend Connect follower. xoxo
This was a very interesting post. I love the war picture. I'm wondering if the flower on the embroidery isn't a periwinkle. It's a flower we have a lot in Brittany and as we tend to have the same kind of flowers...
Thanks for the bit of history! I would love to see the daffodils in Cornwall. Someday ... sigh
Thanks for the bit of history! I would love to see the daffodils in Cornwall. Someday ... sigh
I enjoyed the story of the daffodils. They don't grow here, but I can buy them bloomed. What a beautiful old church. Cornwall is very beautiful. xoxo Su
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