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I've been on a bit of a bulb-buying frenzy lately, and have more bags of narcissus than I know what to do with.To celebrate the purchase of my first flat a few weeks ago, I treated myself to some pheasant's eye daffodil bulbs. These are beautiful

piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it fits into place, adding to the memory of the old garden. A few years ago I discovered pheasant's eye daffodil, Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus (pictured, left), which I'd last seen growing in a pot, aged four. Its scent

in the flowers as they open.I’m aiming to have something in bloom for passing insects from January, starting with winter aconites and snowdrops, moving to snake’s head fritillary and grape hyacinth. Then, for me, I’m growing my favourite daffodil: ‘Minnow

I love the way plants hold associations with places and key events in your life. Some - like pheasant's eye daffodils - I grow in my garden as a fond reminder of the childhood associations I have with them. Others somehow seem to slip the net

. They are easy, cheap, and fast growing, but they're also short-lived and therefore disposable. I'd rather wait for my perennial plants to grow into the borders and sow a few cosmos seeds in the gaps, than get into the cycle of buying - and replacing - annual

, according to Chief Horticultural Advisor Guy Barter. The growing season is getting longer, and plants are simply taking advantage.I don't know if my spring-flowering cherry is blooming late, or early. But not only is it in flower, it's also produced a second