Those daffy daffodils have finally decided to bloom. I picked 500 yesterday evening. Over the next two to three weeks I should have about 8,000 more. when I moved to this property 15 years ago there was one long row of struggling daffodils along the front of the property. I dug up as many as I could and transplanted them by hand to eight rows behind the house . I don't know exactly how long it took but I do remember hoping they would bloom the next season. Boy howdy! I haven't purchased any daffodil bulbs since then and they have multiplied at least ten fold. Daffodils are my first crop to bloom en masse in the spring and I'm always excited when I see the first hint of sunny yellow showing and I can begin picking. When the weather gets warm they all open at once and I put away my to do list for the day and just harvest daffodils. Harvesting flowers is one of my favorite tasks. It's floral meditation. I'm only harvesting daffodils, not running around delivering or picking up supplies, or packing the van, just harvesting. Three or four hours go by and I don't notice my knees hurt until I reach the end of the last row and start walking back to the processing area with my buckets. One of these days I need to order some knee pads. Back to reality and my 56 year old knees! Actually, my knees are still serving me quite well, they only complain after three or four hours of abuse. People have asked me what my favorite flower is. I never have the same answer. Today it's those beautiful daffodils calling me outside with their bright, sunny petals. They always make me smile. 
Compost Them: You can always compost your flowers! What a great way to give back to the earth. The easiest way to compost your flowers is to ask your florist or caterer to compost them for you. If they don’t compost, you can hire a commercial composting company to come to the reception site, pick up the flowers and compost them. There are a million good reasons to compost (but that’s a whole other post!). For now, let’s just say it’s great for the earth and totally worth the effort.
Local Color Flowers is a Baltimore-based floral design business. We create personalized arrangements and bouquets
from fresh, seasonal, and sustainable flowers cultivated by local specialty growers. We are committed to responsible use of resources, supporting the local economy and promoting neighboring farms. We provide our clients an environmentally and socially conscience alternative when purchasing flowers.
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Excellent advice, Ellen! We made a game out of giving our centerpieces away to guests, inviting them to each complete a word puzzle for a chance to win their table’s centerpiece. Composting and donating are wonderful options, as well.