I’m not sure if the poet William Wordsworth was out in his orchard in April, 1802 when the daffodils were, “beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze”, but he could have been in ours. The daffodils are now dancing throughout the orchards. They are an integral part of the team. We planted them to deter voles, and they do a good job. It’s something about the scent or the vibe that the bulbs emit. We also put plastic “tree-guards” around the trunks of all our smaller trees (up to about 15 years old) to fend off the voles. This year we wrapped about 500 trees. It’s a one-two punch to protect the trees.

The daffodils will stay year-round but not so the tree-guards. They have done their work and will now retire to the barn loft for the next 6 months. In the summertime the tree-guards can attract the dreaded, round-headed, apple-tree borer. The borer loves the protected bark under the tree-guard plastic. It also covers up the sawdust-like frass of the borer when you do get an attack. So we remove many a bag-full of the spiral sleeves every April. all the while entertained by so many waltzing ( or rock ’n’ rollin’) flowers. As old Willy Wordsworth put it 224 years ago,

“And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.”