November 2020

Perhaps one of the most recognizable heralds of spring are narcissus, (the genus that includes daffodils, jonquils, and paperwhites). The flowers of these geophytes (bulbs) play a larger role in my garden than just their display of bright cheery blooms. Because all narcissus bulbs are poisonous to just about everything including gophers, I have incorporated them into my apple orchard “guild”. “Plant guilds” are a permaculture term used to describe a group of plants that companion well together providing benefits to one another thus enhancing their growth and survival better than they would fare on their own. Some simple examples