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Daffodils Down Under

© Mary Lou Gripshover

If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere — or even if you live in the Northern Hemisphere and want to import daffodil bulbs from there — now is the time to be writing specialist growers for catalogs.

There are no daffodils native to the Southern Hemisphere, but bulbs were brought over with the early European settlers and are now as important a part of spring gardens there as they are in the Northern Hemisphere.

Tasmania has a near-perfect climate for daffodils, and daffodil breeding has been going on there for years. C.E. Radcliff and his family have been in the forefront of breeding pink trumpet daffodils; 'Pink o' Dawn' and 'Dawnglow' date from the 1930s and are the basis of many modern-day pink trumpets. These days, the Radcliff family is on the leading edge of developing orange trumpet daffodils.

William Jackson, Sr., began breeding daffodils in Tasmania in 1929. He was followed by his son, William. Grandson David and his wife, Robin, now carry on the business. David has been awarded the prestigious Peter Barr Memorial Cup by the Royal Horticultural Society in England for his work with daffodils. The Jackson cultivars are well-known to exhibitors around the world who appreciate the smooth, flat perianths which David is breeding into his flowers. Jackson cultivars, making their marks at American shows, include 'Banker,' 'Graffiti,' 'Who's Who,' 'Nynja' and 'Sea Legend' among others.

Rod Barwick, doing business as Glenbrook Bulb Farm, is becoming well-known for his work with miniature daffodils, although he breeds standard daffodils as well. His series of winter-blooming N. cantabricus hybrids include 'Fyno,' which usually blooms by December here, followed by 'Kholmes,' 'Spoirot' and 'Smarple.' These are planted in pots in my coldframe and brought indoors when in bloom, and then returned to the coldframe. They all want a completely dry summer, so the pots go into the garage and are brought back out in September. 'Angel's Whisper' is an elegant miniature which usually has four pendent lemon-yellow blossoms per stem; it has the added bonus of fragrance. Sister seedlings 'Angel's Breath' and 'Angel o' Music' are equally charming.

In mainland Australia, Rex and Kath Breen continue the business of J.N. Hancock and Co. The business goes back to 1950. They grow bulbs in quantity for the mass market, and have many hybrids to their credit.

Check out the Tasmanian Daffodil Page (see links) for some photos and information about some of the other Tasmanian growers.

The copyright of the article Daffodils Down Under in Daffodils is owned by Mary Lou Gripshover. Permission to republish Daffodils Down Under in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.