All Daffodils are Yellow, Right? Wrong!

You mean all daffodils are NOT yellow? Sure they are, and the white ones are narcissus, right? No, but that is a common misconception. Narcissus is the botanical name and daffodil the common English name for exactly the same thing. I could never convince my mother-in-law of that, and eventually gave up trying.

Let's take a look at just the trumpet daffodils. All the colors in daffodils-yellow, white, pink, red, and orange, or some combination of them--can be found in trumpet daffodils. Trumpet daffodils are those daffodils with the cup as long as, or longer than, the petals. They are in Division 1 of the Daffodil Classification. As a group, the trumpets are early-blooming, though there are exceptions to everything. The famous, old 'King Alfred' registered in 1899 is the classic example of a trumpet daffodil-yellow petals and yellow cup. However, old 'King Alfred' was not the healthiest of growers, and these days you can order King Alfred-TYPE daffodils. Some suppliers of heirloom bulbs do list the real thing. But if you want the typical yellow daffodil, with much better form, try 'Arctic Gold,' available by mail order. Others available at reasonable prices by mail order include 'Arrawannah,' 'Banbridge,' and 'Jumbo Gold.' Though less refined, 'Unsurpassable' is usually available from garden stores in the fall.

But why stick to yellow? Why not try some white ones? 'Mount Hood,' which opens with a yellowish trumpet, is often available locally in the fall, but look in catalogs for 'Empress of Ireland,' 'Panache' or 'Rashee.' 'Empress of Ireland' is a creamy white, but the others are really white. And 'Rashee' is a bit later than the others. These last three were bred by Guy Wilson in Northern Ireland. Mr. Wilson is famous for his white daffodils, and during his lifetime reigned supreme in this area.

For a good white and yellow trumpet daffodil, try 'Bravoure.' This has won all kinds of garden awards in Britain. It's a large flower, and will make a bold statement in your garden. Another, if you can find it listed anywhere, is 'Prologue.' This flower is one of the first to bloom in spring. 'POPS Legacy' (pictured) is an outstanding bi-color trumpet. Its interesting name comes from the fact that the seed came from Phil Phillips in New Zealand and was given to Bill Bender in Pennsylvania. So it was named to honor Mr. Phillips legacy: Phillips Open Pollinated Seed, therefore 'POPS Legacy.'

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