Jonquils like to get an early start on spring. Give the little guys a few warm days in January and they are up and at ‘em.
Our jonquils began popping up last week, just as the last of the ice and snow melted away. They seem to surprise us every year with an early sprout, but come Feb. 1, ready or not, jonquils are coming out of the ground.
But not to worry. Snow and cold won’t kill spring bulbs. They may get a bit smashed, but the plant and later the flower are not damaged. In just a few weeks, the lovely yellow and white blooms will be as pretty as ever.
Actually, snow may contribute to early sprouting. Plants relate to soil temperatures, not air temperatures and snow insulates the ground, making it a bit warmer and thus encouraging the jonquils to bloom.
But are they jonquils or are they daffodils? There is a difference, but only a very slight difference. Jonquils usually have multiple flowers per stem, while a daffodil will have only one bloom per system. An easy was to tell them apart is by their leaves. Jonquils have rounded leaves while daffodils have wide pointed leaves, like a sword.
