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What a Short Season it Was!

© Mary Lou Gripshover

Well, what can I say about this season. . . except that it must have been about the worst daffodil season I can remember. Yes, I know, we daffodil growers always complain about the weather—it’s too hot, it’s too cold, it’s too wet, it’s too dry . . .But I really think this was the worst. When I left on April 4 for the American Daffodil Society convention in Louisville, there were about a half dozen flowers open in my garden. When I returned on April 8, half the daffodils in my garden were in bloom! We had temperatures in the 80s, and flowers were opening quickly—and dying almost as quickly! Hot winds battered the blooms and tore the petals. Blooms had to be cut just as they were opening and brought inside to enjoy, or they would quickly wilt away. So what is usually a six to seven week blooming period was compressed this year into a two-week period. Well . . . there’s always next year!!

There were some interesting blooms at the National Show in Louisville, and the one that seemed to get the most attention was a jonquil hybrid (pictured), two blooms on the stem, with a dark pink cup and a definite light pink in the petals. It was bred by Sid Dubose in California, and this was the first year it bloomed. It will be interesting to see if the color is stable, or whether it was just a seasonal variation.

A flower that was impressive in my garden in this terrible season was ‘Geometrics.’ This, too, was bred by Sid Dubose, and was the winner of this year’s Pannill Award. This award is given to an American-bred flower which has done well at shows, having won either a Best Bloom Award or the Best Vase of Three Award over the past five years. It’s a large-cupped daffodil with a white perianth and yellow cup; its precise form earned it the nickname of “Cookie Cutter” in the field. It has proven its show-worthiness, but it is also a wonderful flower in the garden, with the bloom held up above the foliage on strong, sturdy stems. And it held up in the hot weather better than most.

Even in a dreadful season, there are compensations. Several first-blooms appeared in my seedling beds this year. One was a jonquil hybrid with orange tones in the perianth and a deep orange/red cup, two blooms to the stem. Another was an intermediate sized double with white petals interspersed with segments of pinkish yellow. It was a cross of a jonquil hybrid with a pink and white double, and it has a delightful jonquil perfume. One shouldn’t get too excited by first blooms, but if this repeats its performance in coming years, I will be well pleased.

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