Visit Joe Hamm’s Daffodil Garden in Washington County
Joe Hamm’s Daffodil Garden is the greatest collection of blooming daffodils in the area.
Joe Hamm’s Daffodil Garden in northern Washington County is one of my favorite places. It’s free to visit and the daffodils start blooming in March and are usually just about done in May.
His impressive plant collection of around 2,000 varieties includes some dating to the 1500’s and maybe older. As they increase in numbers, he sells the surplus and it's imperative that the bulb is the right variety.
"It's not a business," Hamm says. "All I want is eight or 10 bulbs of each."
When the obsession kicked in and he discovered there were almost 30,000 different types of daffodils, there was a realization that it would be an impossible number to grow. He started by choosing cultivars introduced in 1938, the same year he was born. From there his collection was built with heirloom varieties from that year and older. His collection also evolved to include varieties introduced by certain hybridizers, with 400 different breeders represented.
The “Field Sisters,” Georgine Materniak (Joe’s Sister) and Carol Stough make sure the varieties in the beds are correct.
"My whole effort is the study and preservation of the older daffodils," Hamm says proudly.
There are also newer types growing in the beds as planting continues annually. It is breathtaking to see so many different daffodils all displayed together and painstakingly marked with correct names. Hamm encourages people to visit, take photos and explore the gardens for free from now through the end of May. He reflects on what he hopes they get from a visit: "Some of the joy I have from the flowers."
He had a serious medical crisis in 2010 that caused him to eventually have his legs removed near the knees. He's soldiered on but misses planting outside.
His gardening fix is fulfilled by tending a multitude of containers on the adjacent deck. There are plants everywhere inside too, with amaryllis bulbs in full bloom around the house. He starts lots of plants from seeds and experiments with cuttings. When the daffodils are gone at the end of May, the beds are filled with annual flowers.
There's a legacy for this garden, according to Hamm. When he's gone, the daffodils are all earmarked for growers who know what they are doing in the American Daffodil Society.
Joe Hamm’s Daffodil Garden is located at 99 Maple Road in Hopewell Township, Washington County off of Route 331 (Brush Run Road). Call 724-345-3762 for more information.
