Daffodil Time
By mid March most of the large flowering type of Daffodils (or Narcissus to give them their correct name) will be in full bloom. Almost every garden will be sporting a few of the many thousands of cultivars that are available today. They are so irresistible that even people with no interest in gardening always manage to plant a few. It must be that they are not convinced that spring has arrived until the daffodil is in bloom. I suppose the fact that they are almost foolproof helps a little.
The only thing that they require, for a continuous succession of blooms year after year, is that the foliage is not cut for at least six weeks after flowering, or better still, left to die down naturally. That is why even neglected gardens always manage to produce some flowers, as some of the older varieties even thrive on neglect.
My interest lies more with the smaller species, hybrids and cultivars that are good for the rock garden or that can be naturalized in short grass.
The first of these is Narcissus Bulbocodium (division 10 hoop-petticoat Daffodil) with dark green semi-cylindrical leaves. In mid-spring it bears funnel-shaped deep yellow flowers with expanded trumpets.
This one grows wild in France, Portugal and Spain, and you can add Ireland to that list for it is growing wild in my garden and is seeding all over the place.
There exists a nice white form of this one which I have not yet managed to get hold of, but one day soon I have no doubt it will be added to my list.
N. Asturiensis is a beautiful little plant with mid-green leaves and in late winter and early spring bears lovely pale yellow flowers with waisted trumpets. A tiny plant only getting to about three or four inches high. I keep this in a pot in the bulb frame where it increases very slowly.
Also in the bulb frame is N. romieuxii another small plant with narrow dark green leaves which in early spring bears funnel-shaped flowers ranging from pale lemon to primrose yellow and white. I have some nice white hybrids of the variety. It is easy from seed but takes about five years to reach flowering size.
Another nice one from Spain is N rupicola, with thin grey green leaves and long circular golden yellow flowers with 6-lobed cups produced in mid spring.
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