Narcissus Early 2007 ( to February)

[Paddy Tobin]

Rafa,

really looking forward to these photographs. Hard to imagine you will post something more interesting than the ones you usually post but this sounds especially one to look forward to.

Paddy

[tonyg]

I too look forward to more of Rafas narcissus adventures.  The cantabricus look quite like the form that I grow as 'var laciniatus'.  Although most of my plants have a longer narrower corona, I was dividing a potful today to remove a few with more open faces - just like the close-up that Rafa shows.  BTW Rafa was the weather as wet as the picture suggests?
On a more bothersome note the plants that I was sorting out today had poorly developed roots, fewer and less vigorous than I would expect.  Some bulbs had only 2 or 3 roots   I suspect that inadequate watering earlier in the winter may be the problem - next years flowering will not be as extravagent as this year    Any thoughts on poor rooting and how to avoid it will be welcome.

[Rafa]

Just some pictures, I will write more about in few hours

[Ian Y]

More great pictures Rafa, I am interested to see how well some bulbs have increased to form a clump.
One day maybe I will come to Spain and see them for myself, I wish.

Tony, you have your own answer.
Your poor roots are almost certainly caused by a lack of water available when the roots were emerging. They can stand drought for some time at that stage but eventually if the water does not come the root tips die and that is what you have observed.

[Rafa]

Hello,

I have visited this population in Madrid this morning. Unfortunely it's too early and most of them were closed. Other years, climatically not as strange as this year, most of the flowers have bloomed at the same time  around mid-march, making the ground look like a genuine white carpet. You can smell them some 200m away.

The vegetation that grows around them includes Thymus mastichina, Rosmarinus officinalis, Juniperus oxycedrus, Quercus ilex... in a very clayish soil.

Its exposure is on the north side, most of the day in the shade, with the sun behind it.

The main threat for this population is the illegal urbanistic development just opposite them (fabela style). The mayor of this village has precisely been trialed this year for urbanistic corruption, typical Spanish disease.

In the picture, this is me on the right taking photos.

Best wishes

[annew]

Rafa you are a lucky man - thank you for sharing this beautiful place with us.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Rafa wrote :"I visited this population this morning"
Sounds like he were visiting some old friends or family members 
Wished I had some friends like this in the vicinity to visit 

Thanks a lot Rafa - Great show !

[DaveM]

Hola Rafa. Super photos - wish I could be there!

Reminds me of a visit I made in mid February a few years ago to the Sierra de los Filabres where many thousands of Narcissus cantabricus were flowering in among Cistus albidus and large blocks of schist.

Do keep posting.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hi Rafa,

Fotografías maravillosas. Grande ver el narciso en su habitat natural.

Muchas gracias, paddy

[DaveM]

The Dunblane show is almost upon us and I usually have a pot full of N cyclaminius. But for some reason these are not coming on this year and those that are, aren't looking good. However, 'Minicycla' looks good.

[mark smyth]

my cyclamineous in the garden are doing OK. They are multiplying just fine. One with a fine cut trumpet has increased to six from one in three years

[annew]

Excitement mounts! They're about to pop!

[Maggi Young]

narcissus pic reposted here for Luc Gilgemyn:

Iris cantabricus ssp monophyllus

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thank you Maggi ! You were too fast for me - didn't even have the time to repost it !
Thanks again 

[ian mcenery]

This single flower - because I only have a single bulb so far - has been flowering outside since Christmas - what a star!!!