Dryad Nursery Summer List imminent!

[annew]

I know many of you are waiting for our summer list to be released. I have finished counting and now need to compile the list and website etc, which I hope to do this week, hoping to release the list next weekend, if all goes well.

I also know that many of you will be disappointed to hear that there will be no snowdrops in the summer list this year.
The Covid-19 situation has affected everyone and the impacts are widespread. For me this has meant focusing my available time on the daffodil side of the business. As a result, I will not be in a position to produce a resting snowdrop list this season. I intend to offer snowdrops in the green next year as usual. I am sorry to be missing my first resting snowdrop season, but I am sure you will understand.
While you wait, I will tell you about some of the treats which will be in the list, starting with these:
Remember these charming small Memorina group daffodils waving in the breeze earlier in the year? I'm very happy to tell you that I have managed to persuade master breeder Brian Duncan to let me have some of these and other varieties of smaller daffodils for the garden. These are simple hybrids that are close to and very reminiscent of wild daffodils, with delicate colours and informal shapes. They are nearly all only about 30 cm high or shorter, with flowers in proportion to their height. They increase very well and would be superb planted in informal borders or naturalised in grass. Because they are so compact, they also make wonderful container plants - perfect with spring favourites such as primroses and other small bulbs.
These are only very occasionally offered (and I've already bought some of the stock myself - compiler's privilege!), so grab them while you have the opportunity.
Below:
Narcissus Asturiet Group
Memorina group
Narcissus BD 3695 - N. asturiensis x N. poeticus
Narcissus Little Beacon

[annew]

A few more:
Memorina group with primroses in our garden this spring
Narcissus Gavroche
Narcissus Myriel

[annew]

A taster of things to come in our list. For those of you for whom nothing can compare with a wild species, a rare opportunity to plant some of the larger narcissus species in your garden.
These have looked stunning in my garden this year giving a display of incomparable beauty and grace. They are mostly easy to grow in the open border, and will shine out in glorious golden yellow or purest white (no fancy pinks and oranges!). I just love the long, frilled trumpets of some of the N. nobilis varieties, and the wonderful scent that keeps us going back into the garden even in May, waiting for the N. poeticus to open. We are offering bulbs of a delightful small form native to Luchon in France.
There is only a very limited number of these (I already bagged some!) and Brian only occasionally has them to spare, so you will have to be quick if you want some.
Below:
N. bicolor in my garden this spring
N.hispanicus subsp. bujei
Narcissus nobilis var leonensis
Narcissus nobilis var. nobilis in my garden, a short form originating in the Tarna region

[annew]

Probably my favourite for it's wonderful frilly corona, N varduliensis in my garden this spring. Hotly contested by the petite and fragrant Narcissus poeticus which keeps us waiting until May for its pristine flowers. This is the dainty form native to Luchon in France that we are offering.

[Maggi Young]

Good news .....
 " Dear All,

All being well, our summer list will go live around 6.30 pm on Saturday 11 July.

Many items are in very limited numbers, so you will have to be very quick!

I recommend you email in your order as soon as possible. Some of the very rare items will also go onto ebay to give a chance to obtain them if you are not quick enough on the email.

 

If you have difficulty with email, you may telephone your order, in which case I will note the time of your request and slot it into the appropriate place among the email requests.

PLEASE

·       check the website for availability before ordering – I will try and update it as often as I can, but certainly at least daily after the first 24 hours.

·       Add your full name and address to your order

 

For new customers - what happens is:

·       you email me your order (it's helpful if it is in the same order as the list)

·       I confirm which items you have bagged

·       there will be a short period while I do all the paperwork, after which I will send a paypal invoice - make sure you check the invoice to make sure I have your order correct.

·       once the invoice is paid, I will post to you and let you know they are on their way.

 

Best Wishes,

Anne "

[annew]

Many of our speciality true miniatures will be available in our list this weekend, but in VERY limited quantities - in some cases only one or two. Here's a preview.
Andy Blanchard
Citron Baby
Flurry
Gale Force
Giselle

[annew]

A few more:
Lemon Breeze
Little Dryad
Minionette - winner of Best Bulb (Royal Bank of Scotland Award) at Loughborough Show 2020
Snipelet - new this year
Three of our Moon Series - Tethys, Telesto and Cyllene

[annew]

Well, this is another fine mess you've got me into! Those of you who have been customers for a few years will know that the release night is often beset with gremlins - once we lost our internet access entirely! This year, I am having major problems with the website - everything is ready at my end, but the problem is with the website builder company. If they can fix their problem by tomorrow (Sunday), I will release the list then, otherwise It will have to be next weekend, by which time I hope it will be fixed. I will keep you posted. Apologies for keeping you all waiting.

[annew]

While I wait for my website to be fixed, I've had some feedback from Spanish botanists about the naming of the larger species. The names comply with the RHS Botanical list, which was last updated in 2018, but it seems there has been much lumping and renaming in the last few years, and conflict between different taxonomists, largely because of more observation in the wild leading to more understanding of variation within a single species. From a horticultural standpoint, plants can look very different, whereas botanically they may turn out to be just different morphs of the same species. No doubt as more DNA analysis is used, there will be further name changes. This will pose problems for nurseries selling bulbs as it is not helpful to the customer to offer distinctly different (to the eye) plants under a single name, and is something that will need to be addressed.
I do not have the knowledge to make decisions about naming, and am using the names I was given along with the bulbs, so if you would like to know the names that have been suggested as alternatives, I list them here and in brackets on the list. If you are buying for a specific species/subspecies, I cannot give you a 100% definitive identification. It would be great if all the taxonomists could come to an agreement, but that seems very unlikely in the near future, so I am offering the larger species as seen in the photo. What you see is what you will get. Even if the names are unclear, they still make wonderful garden plants.

N. bicolor = N. pseudonarcissus subsp pseudonarcissus

N. hispanicus subsp. bujei = N. confusus

N. nobilis var. leonensis = N. pseudonarcissus

N. nobilis var. nobilis = N. pseudonarcissus

N. pseudonarcissus = N. bicolor

N. varduliensis = N. pseudonarcissus

[annew]

I think I've now fixed the website problem, so all being well, our summer list will go live around 6.30 pm on Saturday 18 July. Gremlins willing

[annew]

Our 2020 summer list is now live on our website: https://www.dryad-home.co.uk
Many items are in very limited numbers, so you will have to be very quick!
I recommend you email in your order as soon as possible. Some of the very rare items will also go onto ebay to give a chance to obtain them if you are not quick enough on the email.