Darling daffodils
We have finally moved back into our spanking-new-old house, after an eight-month sojourn while the house was renovated. A spectacular showing of daffodils seemed to be trumpeting their welcome home — it’s nice to be back.
I treated myself to a bouquet of daffodils as we settled in, cutting just one of each of the varieties in bloom — 10 in all. Why so many different kinds? First, and foremost, I can’t resist, there are so many beautiful varieties available.
The humble daffodil, also known as narcissus, is one of the easiest of the spring bulbs to grow — they are bunny, deer and pest resistant. They willingly naturalize, returning (and sometimes multiplying) year after year with little or no intervention. They only ask for a welldrained site, a little sunshine and to leave their foliage in place until it dies back naturally (usually by June). Daffodils happily grow in containers, flower beds or meadows. They make cheerful, long-lasting bouquets that brighten our kitchen tables and warm our winter weary hearts — who could ask for more?
Let me introduce you to some of my favourite daffodils:
Pink Parasol offers single white petals with a fluted, peach/pink centre. These easy to grow trumpet daffodils (30 cm tall), offer a light sweet fragrance and unusual colouring. They are wonderful additions to spring bouquets; plant them near the pathway or front entrance so that you can enjoy their pretty colours.
Gigantic Star boasts huge flowers with sunny yellow colouring and a gentle vanilla fragrance. The flowers are well formed and appear on sturdy stems. (35 cm tall) Very showy in the garden and as a cut flower.
Bridal Crown features small creamy-white blossoms with saffron yellow cup segments; the flowers are held up high on 35-cm tall stems. It is one of the earliest of the doubles to bloom, with the flowers appearing mid-season here in Niagara, just as the grape hyacinths begin to bloom. With a delightful fragrance and several charming florets per stem, it is easy to see why this unusual narcissus has won numerous awards. Sadly, it has not multiplied over the years in my home garden, but returns year after year. It makes a great cut flower.
Jet Fire is a free flowering, long blooming, multiple award-winning narcissus. Classed as a dwarf narcissus (25 cm tall), it produces cheerful, very showy flowers with vivid yellow, strongly reflexed petals and reddish-orange trumpets; the flowers are lightly scented. This bulb multiplies quickly to form a showy patch of colour. Great as a cut flower or in containers.
Ice Follies is one of the earliest daffodils to bloom in my Niagara garden. Dressed in crisp white petals with a soft yellow trumpet, it is classified as a cupped narcissus; the flattish cup features a delicate ruffled edge. Ice Follies (40 cm tall) is easy to grow, it will happily naturalize and give you loads of colour early in the season. Long lasting as cut flower. Tête-a-Tête is the classic dwarf narcissus that is sold in little pots early in the season. I can’t resist their tiny yellow faces, a sign spring is just around the corner. With a short stature (15 cm tall) and petite flowers, Tête-a-tête work beautifully in dish gardens, baskets or early containers, but given a chance, they are workhorses in the garden. Plant them out in the garden when they have finished blooming and they will naturalize and return year after year. I tuck them in behind later emerging perennials and then they are out of the way as their diminutive foliage dies back.
Orangerie is a split-corona narcissus, with unusual flowers and a light fragrance. The split section of the cup folds back resembling the spread of a butterflies’ wings, giving rise to the name butterfly daffodil. Orangerie features a showy tangerine coloured ruffled corona, nestled against six white petals. It reaches 40 cm tall and flowers mid season. An unnamed yellow-on-yellow split-corona daffodil also appears in my back border. Butterfly narcissus are very hardy and have returned year after year for more than 20 years, and are virtually maintenance free.
The catalogues list several varieties, with showy orange split cups and bi-coloured forms.
Mount Hood is a pure white trumpet narcissus with clean, elegant lines. Blooming mid-season, it works beautifully with the violet tones of grape hyacinths and pansies, or paired with early tulips. (35 cm tall)
Jack Snipe blooms just as the early tulips and grape hyacinths appear on the scene. Classified as a dwarf narcissus, Jack Snipe reaches a sizeable 25cm tall with smart looking yellow pointed petals and matte-yellow ruffled trumpets. They are great for naturalizing and spread to form showy clumps. Excellent cut flowers.
Angel’s flute (trumpet narcissus) Is a very pretty daffodil with nice strong stems. Impressive, single stemmed flowers have butter-yellow trumpets, with double ruffled edges, that can be longer than the flower petals. Blooming mid-season, this trumpet narcissus stands 35 cm tall and is very sturdy. It is sweetly scented and makes a beautiful cut flower. They are new to my garden, this is only their second season, but they are so showy, I’m hoping to see more of them as time goes by.