In early April, Salt Lake City's Red Butte Garden offers a colorful respite from winter's subtle hues.

Brilliant yellow and blue crocus, vivid purple iris, and starry Ipheion brighten the garden's paths and hillsides. More than 100,000 daffodils especially stand out in a stunning display of variety and resilience. Marita Tyrolt, the garden's horticulture director, encourages visitors to view the daffodils and 64 other varieties of flowering bulbs planted among the Four Seasons garden, the Floral Walk, and the Fragrance and Children's gardens.

"We have 96 varieties of daffodils, and they put on a wonderful show, but they're not all that's flowering this spring," Tyrolt says. Add the many flowering shrubs and trees --- including saucer magnolia, cornelian cherry dogwood and crab apples -- for a true celebration of spring color and scents.

Daffodils ( Narcissus sp.) earn their spotlight status in Red Butte Garden because they flower beautifully annually and are rarely damaged by local wildlife. After all, many Utah gardeners are frustrated at growing tulips, a favorite treat of deer and squirrels.

"We are the epitome of deer browsing habitat," says Tyrolt, explaining the garden's choice of bulb species. "We just don't plant many tulips because the deer will eat them all." Other flowers that wildlife usually leave alone include: spring starflower ( Ipheion sp. ), snowdrops, ( Galanthus sp.), Spanish bluebells ( Hyacinthoides sp. ), and dwarf iris ( Iris reticulata ).

Daffodils come in a variety of colors and bloom sizes, which makes them a sensible choice for many gardeners, according to Crystal Reece, Red Butte horticulturist, who helped design and plant the display gardens.

Daffodil varieties range in size from 6 inches to 24 inches tall, with varying flower structures and sizes. Colors range from bright gold yellow to white to peachy pink. Some daffodils' trumpets are a different color from their petals. Bloom time varies slightly too, and with wise choices of both early and late blooming varieties, gardeners can extend the show for up to eight weeks.

Daffodils are some of the easiest flowering bulbs Utah gardeners can grow. Select a sight in full sun with well-drained soil. Plant the bulbs in early fall when the soil is still relatively warm, following directions for planting depth on the bulb package.

Mulch over the bulb bed with about two inches of medium bark. Water slowly, but thoroughly. Through winter and early spring, bulb roots grow and prepare for next spring's growth.

Bulbs hold enough energy to push new growth of leaves and flower stalks up into spring sunshine. When springtime temperatures climb higher than usual, flowers may mature and wither in less than a week. Early season warm days that are followed by a sudden late freeze may end the flower show abruptly.

But if spring weather stays cool and sunny, flowers will persist two weeks or more.

Visit Red Butte Garden now and take notes on your favorite varieties to plant later this year.

Maggie Wolf, a certified professional horticulturist, gardens and consults in the Salt Lake City area.