Marde's Blog

Merle Reuser, The Daffodil Man

by | Mar 18, 2013 | All Categories, Daffodils | 0 comments

I received a phone call from the Daffodil Man Merle Reuser saying that he wanted to meet me, the Daffodil Lady! He lives in Santa Rosa and has been replanting the oldest daffodils in California brought in by settlers in the 1820’s. On a three hundred acre ranch in Cloverdale are thousands of these settler planted daffodils. The Daffodil Man digs up clumps and transfers them to other places. He now has eleven such places that he adds to each year.

In Santa Rosa, he has aa 72 x 100 foot area up on a hillside off of Calistoga Road. It is across from the high school. The area is in the shape of a heart that is filled with these beautiful, small daffodils. It is a memorial to children and others who have died of cancer. The daffodils look like the yellow trumpets we are familiar with, but just a little smaller. They have naturalize in California extremely well. Unlike the larger, modern yellow trumpets which return for only a limited number of years, they re-bloom like gangbusters. Merle said that if he plants one, the next year there are two. After the fourth year there are sixteen. Then it is time to dig, separate and replant individually again.

The Original Daffodil Lady

The famous and original Daffodil Lady, Mrs. Gene Bauer of Running Spring, CA, no longer opens her garden. I understand she is still alive today. Merle has sent her a letter asking to correspond with her. I may hear more about this soon.

There is another, famous Daffodil Hill. It is in Murphy’s California, and Merle and I have agreed to pack Cedric into the car and drive up to see it. This weekend, I am in Utah, babysitting while my children ski. I will miss the amazing daffodil show that he is visiting at the Ironstone Vineyards, Motherlode Daffodil Show in Murphy’s, California. This is where there are a hundreds of different blooms on display, I believe. He has promised to tell me all about it.

Daffodil enthusiast Merle brought Chris Smith, a reporter with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat newspaper, and we toured my daffodils on Wednesday, March 13th. They were still in full bloom with a few yet to appear and the biggest field, Thalia, yet to come into bloom although a few were starting.

 

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