Narcissus miniatus and others

[Maggi Young]

Exquisite flowers... I would so love to be able to feel that perfume!

[johnw]

It's hard to decide which is the more enticing, the viridiflorus or the basket of fresh figs!

johnw

[Rafa]

Very nice hybrid, Oron, is it natural?

[Anthony Darby]

I'm beginning to go as green as Hans's superb viridiflorus with all these autumn flowering plants.

[Brian Duncan]

Here in Central Spain, Narcissus viridiflorus is in dormancy, I think this year it won't bloom

Rafa,
How far North does N. viridiflorus grow in Spain? I have only seen it in areas between Malaga to La Linea near Gibralter. I have only been able to get it to produce one squinney bloom here in Northern Ireland. This year I have given it and a few others like N. dubius; N.x allenii, N. miniatus ; N. tortifolius and some tazettas a spell of +2 months in a warm cabinet at 25-26C. I even injected smoke from a bee-keepers smoke gun in an effort to encourage them to bloom.
Some of these species should be useful breeders because their progeny can be fertile and thus lead to further developments. I am about to plant and water  - fingers crossed! If anyone has experience of the type of treatments i've been trying I'd like to hear from them
Brian Duncan

[Brian Duncan]

... and Narcissus X perezlarae (N. serotinus (N. miniatus?) X N. humilis)

Hans,
The latest RHS Register still records N.x perezlarae as being a natural hybrid between N. cavanillesii x N.serotinus. It could be this cross though I suspect(as you seem to do) that  N. miniatus may be the pollen parent instead of N. serotinus. The humilis name has been used as a synonym for N. dubius; N. cavanillesii and even for N. pseudonarcissus var. humilis. which is all a bit confusing. I think N. cavanillesii is now the accepted name. Pardon my intrusion!
Brian Duncan

[dominique]

Hi all ,

now here from a sunny day a pic of

Narcissus viridiflorus

Greetings from warm and sunny Germany
Hans

Hi Hans
What a marvellous species and pics. I have not it. I received some seeds from Gibraltar Botanic garden which never have germinated. Thank you for the pic
Dom

[Oron Peri]

Very nice hybrid, Oron, is it natural?

Rafa, this hybrid is natural, I have found it growing in the wild, i had one bulb 3 years ago, split to 9 this season...

[Oron Peri]

Exquisite flowers... I would so love to be able to feel that perfume!

Maggie, you are most welcome!!!

Its only 5 hours flight, and in two three weeks time its Colchicum and Crocus paradise down here...

[Roma]

Interesting that you have problems flowering Narcissus viridiflorus, Brian.  The following pictures were taken at the Cruickshank Botanic Garden in Aberdeen last year.  They were a bit past their best, but I did not have my camera the first time, and the greenhouse was locked the second time I saw them.  When I worked there we usually had two potfuls which grew and increased well and flowered most years.  If kept watered they were more or less evergreen and I can't remember if they flowered better with or without a summer rest.

[Anthony Darby]

Here in Central Spain, Narcissus viridiflorus is in dormancy, I think this year it won't bloom

Rafa,
How far North does N. viridiflorus grow in Spain? I have only seen it in areas between Malaga to La Linea near Gibralter. I have only been able to get it to produce one squinney bloom here in Northern Ireland. This year I have given it and a few others like N. dubius; N.x allenii, N. miniatus ; N. tortifolius and some tazettas a spell of +2 months in a warm cabinet at 25-26C. I even injected smoke from a bee-keepers smoke gun in an effort to encourage them to bloom.
Some of these species should be useful breeders because their progeny can be fertile and thus lead to further developments. I am about to plant and water  - fingers crossed! If anyone has experience of the type of treatments i've been trying I'd like to hear from them
Brian Duncan

Rafa's will be in his garden and not wild.

[Gerdk]

I have only been able to get it to produce one squinney bloom here in Northern Ireland. This year I have given it and a few others like N. dubius; N.x allenii, N. miniatus ; N. tortifolius and some tazettas a spell of +2 months in a warm cabinet at 25-26C. I even injected smoke from a bee-keepers smoke gun in an effort to encourage them to bloom.
Some of these species should be useful breeders because their progeny can be fertile and thus lead to further developments. I am about to plant and water  - fingers crossed! If anyone has experience of the type of treatments i've been trying I'd like to hear from them
Brian Duncan

Well, this gives me reason to report something about a new cultivation method which I tried the
first time this season. This is by no means methodologically sound and surely improvable but it seems to be a step in the right direction.
I topdressed all pots with brown lava grit. Then they were plunged in black 'Glasasche', an ash which is used for draining. Because of the dark colour of the grit and the ash all warmth during sunny days is collected. Additionally I installed 2 soil heating cables (25 + 30 W), one at the bottom of the pots and another at the upper third of the plunge medium.
So the temperature around the bulbs was kept always above + 25 ° C, sometimes up to 50 ° C.
During spells of colder weather I covered the area with air cushion foil in order to support the effect of the heating cables.
I started 'heating' at June 10th and finished at the end of August.
The bulbs were repotted and a first watering followed. As soon as the first flowers appeared
artificial light was added.
I believe the pics do not need an explanation. The results were excellent.
Maybe there are more effective methods for warming  even for non commercial growers and the  periode can be shortened.

Some pics of flowering plants will follow.

Gerd

[Gerdk]

Here are some pics from autumn flowering daffodils

1.  Narcissus elegans
2.  Narcissus cavanillesii from Spain (left) and Morocco (right)
3.  Narcissus cavanillesii 'tube'
4.  Narcissus x perezlarae
5.  Narcissus x perezlarae - sideview
6.  Narcissus x perezlarae - colour changed when older
7.  Narcissus miniatus
8.  Narcissus miniatus - opening
9.  Narcissus miniatus - corona later (miniatus = golden)
10. Narcissus miniatus - tube dark and gradually tapering

[Gerdk]

and the rest for today


This is Narcissus serotinus - see the yellow corona and the much paler abruptly inflated tube
(than the tube of N. miniatus)

[annew]

Fantastic display - your method seems to work so far.