They're Here! Daffodil Bulbs Have Arrived!

When Labor Day comes around, it means the unofficial end of summer and the kids are back in school, though these days many schools begin in late August. But to daffodil growers in the Northern Hemisphere, it means that daffodil bulbs will be available at local garden stores and other national chain stores like Home Depot and Wal-Mart. And if you ordered earlier from specialist growers, the postman will be bringing those much-anticipated packages to your door. Most growers include some extra “goodies,” and it’s always fun to see what they have included. And it’s still not to late to order from some online sites, like Brentandbeckysbulbs.com, but you’ll have to hurry.

If you’re going to buy locally, try to go sooner rather than later while the selection is good. I’ve noticed more choices in what are sometimes called the “minor divisions,” those divisions where the flowers come more than one to a stem. I noted ‘Hillstar’ and ‘Tripartite’ the other day, though the photo on the package of ‘Tripartite’ was not ‘Tripartite.’ ‘Hillstar’ is a reverse-bicolor jonquil hybrid in tones of yellow and white. The perianth is yellow with a white halo at the junction with the cup while white cup is yellow at the base. For those interested in trying a bit of hybridizing, it is one of the few jonquil hybrids that sets seed readily. ‘Tripartite’ blooms at the end of daffodil season. It’s an all yellow split corona daffodil that comes with several blooms per stem—a real charmer. It’s also a Wister Award winner. Pink and white ‘Bell Song’ and the reverse-bicolor ‘Pipit’ are two more jonquil hybrids that have been available from Dutch sources for several years.

If you want daffodils in the more traditional style, you can’t go wrong with ‘Ice Follies’ or ‘Salome’. Both of these have been awarded the Wister Award by the American Daffodil Society which means they should do well in all areas of the country. ‘Ice Follies’ opens white and yellow and as the flower matures, it becomes all white. This is often offered as a “weatherproof” daffodil. ‘Salome’ has white petals with a cup that is a lovely shade of pink ending with a small rim of yellow. The newest Wister Award winner is ‘Tahiti’, a yellow and orange double daffodil. Others that have won the Wister Award include ‘Stratosphere’, ‘Accent’, 'Sweetness’, 'Ceylon', ‘Peeping Tom’, ‘Intrigue’, ‘Monal’, and ’Bravoure’, all of which are available and pictured at http://www.Brentandbeckysbulbs.com. Two others which have won the award are ‘Golden Aura’ and ‘Rapture’. You can’t go wrong with any of these selections.

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