It's Never Too Late for Daffodils

There is a rule in gardening that daffodils belong to spring, and by September you have missed them. Happily, nobody has ever told my crochet hook about that rule. This week a proper little clump of golden daffodils has taken shape on my table — bright yellow cotton petals, pearl-bead stamens, green wire stems — and now they live happily in a little terracotta pot, photographed against a dark background so the yellow really glows.

Each flower starts as a small circle of cotton yarn, worked outward into six pointed petals that are then stiffened and shaped by hand so they curve back the way real daffodil petals do. The centres are gathered into that classic trumpet shape, and a few tiny pearls sit inside as the stamens, just to catch the light. The stems are wire wrapped in green, so every flower can be angled exactly how you like it — no drooping, no watering, and absolutely no waiting for next March.

That is the thing I love most about the flowers I make: they are a spring that never ends. A fresh bunch of real daffodils is one of the great joys of the year, but it lasts a week or two at best. These will look exactly like this in ten years' time — the same cheerful yellow on a grey January windowsill, the same little pot of sunshine in the depths of winter, when you need it most.

They sit beautifully alongside the fabric tulips I have been making for the shop, and between them they make a year-round garden for anyone who is better at killing plants than growing them. A single pot makes a lovely gift, too — for birthdays, for new homes, or for anyone who has ever said "I could never keep daffodils alive". With these, you truly cannot fail.

As with everything in my shop, each pot of daffodils is made by hand here in Devon, so flower shapes and petal shades vary a little from pot to pot — I think that's half their charm. If you would like a pot of your own everlasting spring, keep an eye on the shop or come and find me at one of my craft fairs; you can find dates and venues on my events page.

Thank you, as always, for reading the journal. The daffodils may be months out of season, but I rather think that is the whole point — some flowers are simply too cheerful to be limited to a few weeks of the year.