Trumpets of Spring (Daffodil)

Member Name: Picasso

Product:	Daffodil
Date:	25/02/06 (483 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Uplifting and cheery

Disadvantages: none

I have just spent a couple of hours in the garden. The weather is bitterly cold but very sunny and I am feeling extremely uplifted. Gardening is very therapeutic, but I find it more so at this time of the year when the spring bulbs are everywhere and getting ready to flower. My favourite spring flower is the daffodil. I must have at least 400 in my garden and more growing in pots. I grow lots of varieties too. After winter they appear and this cheerful spring bloom signals that spring is on its way. Wonderful!



Daffodils are horticulturally divided into 12 groups based on the form of the flowers. They provide a wide variety of shapes and forms, from the tiny exquisite Cyclamineus hybrids with their swept back petals, to the wonderfully tall trumpet daffodils and the more showy and my favourite double variety. In addition to the characteristic bright yellow flowers, others include those with pale butter --yellow blooms or brilliant white petals and fiery orange cups. The 12 groups are: -
Trumpet

Large cupped

Small cupped

Double

Triandrus

Cyclamineus

Jonquil

Tazeta

Poeticus

Split cupped

Miscellaneous


Rather than describe them all, I have chosen a few of my favourites, all of which I grow in my garden.


Trumpet
Perhaps the most commonly seen, it has solitary flowers, each has a trumpet as long as or longer than the petals. Included in this group are "trousseeau" which have milk white petals and straight, flanged soft lemon trumpets and "Kingscourt" which have rich gold trumpets with broad, rounded paler gold petals.


Double
Most have solitary large fully or semi double flowers with cups and petals. Some have smaller flowers in clusters of 4 or more. These can flower as late as early summer. My favourite daffodil the "ducat" comes into this group. This produces rich golden flowers, is very sturdy and is ideal for cutting. "Rip Van Winkle" is another, not as commonly grown these shaggy, double flowers have densely arranged flat, tapering greenish - lemon petals with incurving tips.


Tazeta
Flowers are borne in clusters of either 12 or more small fragrant flowers per stem or 3 to 4 large ones. Cups are small and often straight sided with broad petals, which are mostly pointed. They flower late autumn to early spring. The "Pride of Cornwall" is my favourite in this range. Firstly biased by the name (I love Cornwall), it bears large, fragrant flowers, each with milk white petals and rich yellow cups. Again this group is ideal for cutting.



WHY I LIKE DAFFS

Daffodils make ideal spring bedding flowers. They are the most reliable of bulbs for naturalizing and they rarely need lifting in borders or grass.They hardly ever suffer from disease,although some varieties may be prone to bulb flies but this is rare. Dwarf Daffodils such as "tete a tete" are ideal for rock gardens. Daffodils will grow in any type of soil and will thrive in sun or shade. They are also cheap to buy and will provide a wonderful vase. Planting time is from September to December. Plant 12 to 15cm deep.

Price

Bulbs can be bought for as little as 10 pence each for the most common varieties. The more exotic sell for around 50 pence. Currently bunches of daffs can be bought, two bunches for £1.00. Bunches usually contain 10 flowers. Although when cut they only last about a week, during that time, they will brighten up any room at very little cost.


With names like tahiti, cheerfulness and ambergate, together with their vibrant colours of yellow and orange or their creamy milk tones, it is no wonder that daffodils brighten our spring and that is why they have remained my firm favourite.

Summary: The best of spring