Narcissus February 2015

[Maggi Young]

I wonder, if like me, other Narcissus growers have made use of these two RHS papers:-

Botanical Classification
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-registration-forms/daffbotanical

and,

Botanical Names in the Genus Narcissus
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/plant-registration-forms/daffalpha

Previously I have had Links to them in My Favorites but earlier today I found neither Link would work and simply led me to the RHS main page. I spent nearly two hours trying to locate the pages again (does anyone else think the "new and improved RHS Web Site" is an absolute shambles)?

So thought I would add them here.

Very useful links, David, I agree. I also agree that the  RHS website is now a complete waste of time.

[ArnoldT]

Dave;

What's your temperature range in the greenhouse these days.

I try for 40-45 F but usually winds up a bit warmer.

[David Nicholson]

Dave;

What's your temperature range in the greenhouse these days.

I try for 40-45 F but usually winds up a bit warmer.

Difficult to say Arnold, my thermometer in the greenhouse died all of two years ago and I've never replaced it. If I go with the thermometer in the car (and I've spent far more time in the car than I have in the garden or the greenhouse since Christmas) we are in a coldish spell at the moment with daytime temperatures varying between 37 and 45 dependent upon the conditions at the time and the time of day (no snow yet this year). My greenhouse top vents and side vents are open all the year round so maybe not too different from yours.

[Roma]

Narcissus albidus ex SF110 from Anne Wright.  This one has stayed short.

[ArnoldT]

Dave:

thanks, my vents open very rarely these days.  We've been having a 'real' northeast winter.

More snow on the way.

[Yann]

another from Anne

[annew]

Very nice N. jacetanus - I think it is distinct to my non-taxonomist's eye.
The N. ex SF110 is a cracker - one of the best from that batch, I reckon!
Your Fringellas are ahead of mine, Yann, and I think Brian is still under snow!

[WNOETULIP]

Flowering in West Yorkshire today

Not for the purist - too tall and too large - but a superb hybrid well worth its AM and AGM awards
'Sporoit'
N. cantabricus petunioides Alex Jeans form (ex Anne Wright)
N. asturiensis ex Portugal ('Treble Chance' behind)
'True' N. lusitanicus just coming into flower

[johnstephen29]

Two narcissus I acquired from Anne last autumn have flowed, the first one in N. Asturiesis, loverly little dwarf narcissus from the Iberian peninsula, hopefully when I have enough of them I can try it outside as it's supposed to be cold hardy. Next is N. Albious SF110, it only has one flower at the moment, but it's a beauty, this is the first time I have grown this do the leaves always hang down like they are with my plant?

[ashley]

John, N. asturiensis is perfectly hardy outside but so small that it's easily overgrown by neighbours.

[johnstephen29]

Hi Ashley its a small dainty little thing, I was thinking perhaps in a planter on its own or with similar sized bulbs or alpines would look great. Do you grow it in cork?

[ashley]

I'd agree John; maybe in a trough or open patch of rock-garden. 
Yes it grows fairly well here and multiplies slowly. 
Growing from seed is an easy way to get more plants, and some diversity.  With me these small daffs usually take 3-4 years to reach flowering size but are well worth the wait.

[Matt T]

John, you'll probably want to do something to prevent slug damage if you do try N. asturiensis outside.

Check it's not suffering from lack of water, otherwise it's pretty normal for N. albidus SF110 and many of the hoop petticoats to have lax foliage. The leaves are so thin and light levels so low in our relatively high latitude that they grow too long and can't support themselves. I believe they can also grow to considerable lengths in the wild, trailing through and over other vegetation Some of the N. bulbocodium varieties have slightly more robust foliage (nivalis, obesus etc) which might flop less, but N.cantabricus and N.romieuxii (which N.albidus is close to - the current position is that it's placed as N. romieuxii subsp. albidus - although I'm not convinced) share these thread-like leaves.

[johnstephen29]

Hi matt thanks for the advice, I keep chickens & I use the empty egg shells as a kind of mulch around my hostas and other plants which slugs and snails go for, it's worked well so far, I'll do the same for the narcissus. I don't know how I got the name wrong for the Albidus though, I'll get the lable changed.

[Matt T]

John, I'd leave your label as it is. Personally, I'm not entirely comfortable with albidus as a subspecies of N. romieuxii. The taxonomic status of some of these hoop petticoats is pretty fluid, so you can just pick a name you're happy with and stick with it, as sooner or later it will be in vogue and then back out again on the botanical nomenclature merry-go-round!