First, let me say that with gratitude to the Northfielder’s Garden Club that daffodils are my new most favorite flower. Because we have a Chicago flower farm, we are often giving talks to garden clubs and they invited me last fall to give a talk and presentation on daffodils this Spring. At the time,  I thought to myself,  “What a silly, narrow assignment!” With total ignorance,  I had grabbed a few boxes of them at the hardware store and planted them as a lark in late November when they were half off. The variety and excellence of what sprung up at our farm was stunning! How did I not know that daffodils could be scented, ruffled and huge like peonies, or grow in white sprays resembling Cattleya orchids? It’s just as Martha Stewart says, in her brilliant book she wrote,  you must teach to learn. Most of them lasted at least one week with fresh stem cuts and water every few days! We even delivered them to first responders who drew much refreshment and solace from them. Sadly, we also delivered them to our friends who have lost loved ones to COVID 19 as well.

Our farm was just a parking lot when we began. Over the course of three years now, we have built the soil up with woodchips, goat manure, compost, and soil deliveries we were amazed this year to find nests of baby bunnies in the clover, and killdeer bird nests as well.  Encouraging such biodiveristy on Chicago’s West Side, being able to take my kids outside to have contact with nature during the pandemic,  I am more grateful than ever before to have a flower farm in Chicago.