The Low-Down on the Down-Under Daffodils

The Low-Down on the Down-Under Daffodils

The daffodil breeding and hybridizing hot spots for the last few hundreds of years has been the British Isles, Ireland, and America, right. Wrong! For the last hundred years, Australia and New Zealand have been hotbeds for breeding and hybridizing new daffodils! The Southern Hemsiphere is often overlooked here in America, but has an excellent new daffodil introductions in their programs. Our perception is that such far-away places would have little influence on daffodil gardening, which is the province of the British Isles. Wrong again! New Zealand and Australia are into the "thick" of things.

Americans on Down-Under Daffodils

As quoted from an email to me from Donna Dietsch one of America's premier hybridizers and judges, "I have lots of down-unders (meaning daffodils from Australia and New Zealand). I love to grow them since the breeding there has a different look than in the Northern Hemisphere. You really have to get some more down unders. The ones you listed have been so far surpassed in the last couple of years that you are sadly behind."

"My absolute favorite is 'Turning Point' 2YYW-WWY from Spud Brogden. It has the most luscious color of fresh butter. The petals are absolutely smooth and flat, have lots of substance and the cup rapidly turns white. Another fabulous feature is that it increases rapidly."

"Another favorite is 'Stardom', also Spud's, which is 3Y-R. It is hard to imagine that a flower could be so smooth and consistently perfect in form, but this one is."

"Third is 'Dream Maker', also Spud's, 3W-WWO. This is a large flower with round petals making a circular flower. The edge of the cup is a vivid orange and against the poeticus white perianth, it seems to glow in the sunlight. It is a constant surprise to me that a flower of this sizehas such wonderful substance, too."

"Another that is one of the "must have" (daffodils) is David Jackson's 'Impeccable'. It is an almost perfect all yellow flower. This will be one of your favorites, even if you have many all yellows."

"I have lots of down-unders. I love to grow them since the breeding there has a different look than in the northern hemisphere."

"Over the years that I have been breeding daffodils, I have tried to cross something from down under with something from here. I think that mixing up the gene pool will give me things with a look that will be distinctively mine. Or at least, that is what I hope to have happen. Donna"

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