By Susan Cusumano, Neshanic Garden Club member
When we see a patch of medium-stemmed yellow flowers growing during spring, (no, not dandelions) most of us enjoy their beauty and give little thought to their given names.
These particular flowers are called daffodils or narcissus but Neshanic Garden Club’s President Diana Reinhardt enjoys them all, whatever their names may be.
She has cultivated quite a collection of varieties with her favorite being the “Tahiti Narcissus,” which looks like a daffodil to the rest of us. Van Engelen Wholesalers describes it as a “double that has a large four-inch soft yellow perianth and double-cup offset with shorter frilled orange cup segments, late April blooming.” It might also be described as a fancy ruffled double with a bloom of rich gold and orange red.
Ms. Reinhardt has timed her daffodil/narcissus collections for blooms over a period of six weeks.
Her all-seasons garden bed includes “King Alfred” a large daffodil and the petite Tete a Tete Narcissus, which are two varieties most commonly sold in grocery stores. Ms. Reinhardt, who has been involved in many flower shows over 25 years, said there are more than 10 divisions that are devoted to different styles of daffodils.
Some of her other favorites include her Asiatic lilies, native and re-blooming daylilies, alliums that were part of a club project, pink lily-of-the-valley and pink Siberian iris. Larger plantings include Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, Knock-Out Roses in several colors, PJM rhododendrons, forsythia and yucca plants. As with all other gardeners, each of her plants has its own story of how it arrived in her garden.
The club will meet on May 26 at the Station House in Neshanic Station. For information, call Ms. Reinhardt at 908-369-4362.
Editor’s note: Susan Cusumano wrote this article.

