Bulb Log 44 – 29/10/2014

[YT]

Hello Ian

I’m very interested in early flowering petticoat daffodils and have a question at the front page of your log. Is it an exceptional early flowering petticoat at your place? Other seedlings in your sand bed seem holding no flower buds yet. As you know my place is warmer than yours, so petticoat daffodil bulbs start to grow later and the earliest flowering one usually starts blooming in mid to late December. I’m always looking for earlier flowering one.

[Ian Y]

Tatsuo

I have a number of forms just opening their flowers now.

I think the falling temperatures initiate the roots, water stimulates them to  grow and if the temperatures stay moderate then many will go immediately into flowering mode. If our weather turns cold soon after the first watering the flowers remain in the bulb until much later. We have had Narcissus 'Camoro' in full flower as early as the end of October and another year it was the end of March before it opened.
The point I am making is that what will flower early in our garden may not flower so early in your growing conditions.
It does seem that any crosses involving the plant we call Narcissus cantabricus foliosus have a tendency to flower early.
Interestingly N. 'Craigton Chorister' is in bud just now so we can compare flowering times.

[Maggi Young]

In the Narcissus thread, Wim is showing a 'Craigton Clanger ' in flower now  http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=11696.msg316015#msg316015 

[WimB]

Interesting, there must be a couple of different factors that give them the incentive to flower indeed...

[mark smyth]

I have some with flower buds emerging from below ground

[YT]

Thank you, Ian.

My English skill is not good so hoping you get my meaning right…

Most narcissus bulbs usually start to initiate the roots in late September here. The temperature at that time here is min. 20-23°C and max. 25-30°C.

I'm not sure the plant is same as yours, Narcissus cantabricus foliosus is one of the earliest flowering petticoats here, too. My potted N. c. foliosus grown on sunny outside bench usually starts to flower in mid to late December. At that time, outside temperature is min. 3-5°C and max. 12-15°C.

I think many factors affect each other to flowering as your mentioning. But on the other hand, I cannot drop the idea about the petticoat daffodils - ‘early start, early flower’.

Here is a record of N. 'Craigton Chorister' on my outside bench

 03/Sep  bulbs arrived
 06/Sep  bulbs potted with dry compost, keeping at shade place
 21/Sep  start watering, still keeping in shade place
 12/Oct  a leaf pushed out from soil surface, moved to sunny place
 …and a picture taken today. No flower buds can be seen yet.