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Small and Miniature Daffodils

© Mary Lou Gripshover

If you garden in a small area and think you have no room for daffodils, or if you have a rock garden, perhaps the smaller daffodils will fit into your garden scheme.

Daffodils come in all sizes, from 1/2-inch blooms on two-inch stems, to five-inch blooms on two-foot stems, so it's easy to find something that fits into your garden. Small daffodils have been around for ages; in fact, many of the species are small. In the early years of hybridizing, most breeders were looking for larger blooms to make a bigger impact in the garden; and many times the smaller ones were discarded as having no value. Alec Gray, in England, and Roberta Watrous, in the United States, were the first whose intent was actually to breed smaller daffodils. As many of the miniature daffodils are not many generations removed from their wild ancestors, they may require a bit more care to live long and prosper.

For exhibition purposes, The American Daffodil Society has established a list of cultivars which may be entered in classes only for miniature daffodils. If you want that list, email me at the address above and I'll be happy to send it.

But for our gardens, we can choose from the miniatures and other small daffodils to add beauty to our spring gardens. Small and miniature daffodils have the added attraction of smaller foliage which is less intrusive after the blooms are gone. By choosing early-blooming and late-blooming cultivars, you can also have a longer season of bloom.

The miniature trumpets usually begin the season several weeks ahead of their larger brethren. Look for 'Bagatelle,' 'Wee Bee,' 'Little Gem,' or 'Small Talk.' Plant them along the south side of your house, or on the south side of a rock for even earlier bloom. Sisters 'Jumblie,' 'Quince,' and 'Tete-a-Tete' join the early parade, and come with several blooms per stem. You'll have no trouble finding 'Tete-a-Tete' at your local garen store this fall. Not miniature, but certainly small, is 'Jack Snipe,' with white swept-back petals and a yellpow cup. All yellow 'Rapture' has been awarded the ADS Wister Award for garden excellence. Its petals sweep back severely, in the manner of its species parent, N. cyclamineus. 'Jetfire' and 'Emperor's Waltz' in yellow and orange add early color, while 'Cazique' and 'Durango' are all white. All yellow 'Sweetness,' another Wister Award winner, is a wonderfully fragrant flower, and the bulbs multiply rapidly. The name describes it perfectly.

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