April Narcissus 2012

[annew]

White Lady is beautiful. I must watch for that one. I grow Lucifer here and it is a favourite of mine, but looks more orange than yours, Thomas.

[ashley]

Thanks Thomas and Anne for showing these beautiful old cultivars.  Several in my garden which have been here since the 1940s and may have come from an older garden nearby, look rather similar to the 'Bath's Flame' and 'Lucifer' you showed.  I must check them more carefully next year.

[Gerry Webster]

Interesting that some daffodils may date back to the 40s. Many purchased today seem to disappear after one year.

[Armin]

Gerry,
I endorse you. Great narcissus flies are undercover and furtive...
It's a cause in my garden, at least. Unfavourable weather is another...

[Gerry Webster]

Gerry,
I endorse you. Great narcissus flies are undercover and furtive...
It's a cause in my garden, at least. Unfavourable weather is another...

I don't know what the cause is Armin, though I doubt that it is narcissus fly here. Small species seem OK.

[Armin]

Gerry,
if you once have the chance I recommend to visit the narcissus and tulip fields in the NL.

Under optimum growth and vertilizer regime conditions the 'newer' narcissus cultivars can grow unbelieveable huge!
In the first year in our gardens the blossom is fantastic due reserves from the previous year.
The same clone in my garden reaches 50% of the possible size in the second year...(not lifted and if no pests and no unfavourable weather kills them before)

Maybe 'old' cultivars can better acclimatise to 'normal' garden soil conditions then 'modern' jumbo breeds.

[Rafa]

A couple today, from north Burgos, Spain. About the names, you decided, as usual there is no agreement.

Ganymedes one receives 3 names:
Narcissus triandrus
Narcissus iohannis
Narcisus triandrus subsp. triandrus var. alejandrei

Bulbocodium one receives also 3 names:
Narcissus bulbocodium
Narcissus turgidus
Narcissus bulbocodium subsp. validus

[Gerry Webster]

The Ganymedes is especially beautiful. Many thanks Rafa.

[annew]

I agree, a well-shaped flower, very pretty.

[ronm]

Can anyone let me know what this one is please? Its been in the garden for years but only ever puts up this one flower.

I have plenty of seedlings from it though!

[Maggi Young]

Narcissus watieri- I'm impressed that it will survive longterm outdoors with you.

[ronm]

Thanks again Maggi. Its in a very free draining area if that helps? Is it not one that usually lasts?  I think Nora bought it at a fair about six years ago. It flowers every year but never mulitiplies. But it sets seed readily and they germinate and grow really well. I think I'll do a bit more homework on it now! 

[Maggi Young]

It is one that folks usually have a bit of bother getting to flower even under glass, Ron.
In our showing days we used to put big pots of it on the bench with dozens of flowers and got a few certificates with it, as I recall. Not sure where any pix might be though. The Bainbridges show another form they call 'Alabeish'  ( that may not be 100% correct spelling ) but I don't like it so much as the type... which has rounder, flatter, fuller flowers.  Alabeish tends to be  more starry and  have propelller twists in the petals. A pot of that was shown in the show pix of the forum recently... I'll go find it.

edit: found it .. in the Stirling show in Kincardine 2012  thread, first post of the page  by Stan...Abaleish is the proper name!
http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=8836.0

 and here from Perth Show 2010 http://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5350.msg148831#msg148831

[Maggi Young]

More on Narcissus watieri.... this link is to a Farrer medal winning potful from Nigel Fuller , at the Kent Show 2011, on the AGS website :
http://www.alpinegardensociety.net/shows/results/shows2011/shows/kent/images/Jon_Evans/sizednarcissus-watieri-exh-nigel-fuller-farrer-6622.jpg.html

http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/260406/log.html to see this pic ( below) and also our own hybrid of watieri and triandrus.... N. 'Craigton Coquette'

[ronm]

Incredible. Thanks for the follow up Maggi.

The pots at the shows, wow, so many in a pot. Would they be seed raised or asexual multiplication? And your plants and hybrid on the bulb log, very very nice.

Another plant I didn't know we had  , but we will take more notice of from now on!

p.s. That Perth show looks as though it was a Classic