Narcissus April to June 2009

[Diane Clement]

Oh, this is very interesting, Luit. Yes, I can see that visitors will enjoy to b ring home bulbs treated in this way.....and perhaps for those narcissus lovers a longer season, too, will be good.   

What happens the year after?  do they revert to their "normal" time of flowering?

[Lvandelft]

Oh, this is very interesting, Luit. Yes, I can see that visitors will enjoy to b ring home bulbs treated in this way.....and perhaps for those narcissus lovers a longer season, too, will be good.  

What happens the year after?  do they revert to their "normal" time of flowering?

I think so, but research is not finished.
It's something different when they are bought in Septermber and flower in October. Cannot imagine they will flower next spring again.
Normally Narcissus bulbs which were used for forcing are kept dry till September
and planted and will not give many flowers  , but very good bulbs for flowering the year after. But these forced bulbs are really in stress of course.
So time will learn about.

[Lesley Cox]

This should probably go in the Muscari thread but I am pleased to see that the Muscari macrocarpum which I bought a month or so ago and was told had been forced for winter flowering, are not only still in flower (26 stems on 12 bulbs) but are now producing at least 2 more stems on each bulb in a brand new batch. The first should be out in another week or so.They're outside because I found the perfume just TOO much. There also seems to be some seed forming, which I certainly didn't expect.

[Kees Green]

Hi
By making some species/varieties of narcissus flower later could be very beneficial for hybridising, you could if you wanted make crossing the earlist daffs like the petticoat foliosus to the later species such as poeticus or any other but it would mean that storing pollen would not be a problem.
I thought I would post a few pics of my latest daffs, cantabricus and monophylus.
Also I was quite surprised to find 2 cyclamen seedlings popping up in an orchid pot this week, I do now remember throwing the seeds in there but not expecting anything to happen.
Anyway here are the pics.

[Kees Green]

Here is another pic on monophylus, chucked in a pic of my apprentice and his mother as well.

[Lesley Cox]

Looks like a good season for skating and curling Kees.

[Maggi Young]

Looks like a good season for skating and curling Kees.

Crumbs! I didn't think so.... too many cracks on that ice for my liking 

[Lesley Cox]

They may be just scrapes already left by skaters. These Central Otago dams are used for skating and curling every year Maggi, unless we have a very mild winter. Not that ANYTHING would entice me onto the ice. And there's a new indoor curling rink at Naseby for those occasions when the frosts aren't cold enough.

[Maggi Young]

I hope so, Lesley! Had it drummed into me when little that you should never go on frozen water where the ice had any cracks : good that I remember some stuff my Mum taught me, isn't it? 

Looking at Kees' lovley short narcisssus makes me envious of the light conditions he must have to keep them neat like that. In Aberdeen ours get pulled too tall by the lack of good growing light.... though, yes, I know, we DO need to clean the bulb-house glass more often 

[Kees Green]

We have had a pretty mild Autumn and Winter so far, only had 2 frosts at home as well as a bit of snow for a day.
The damn looks worse than it was due to the snow on top in parts but yes most of the marks were from skaters, still I was not venturing on to it just in case. There were a few loud cracks and booms just to keep everyne interested and on their toes.
It appears that I also have my first Taffeta out now as well, they all look so similar but it will be interesting to see how they change over the next week or two.
Does anyone know if all the petticoats like to be kept fairly dry in Summer or if it is just foliosus, if you can not tell by the pics all mine are planted outside in a small raised garden.
Regards
Kees

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nice to get a Narcissus fix at this time of year Kees !
Thanks for posting !

I think it's safe to say that virtually all pettycoats enjoy a dry (and prefarable warm) Summer.

[Paul T]

Kees,

My clump of 'Taffetta' is opening at the moment as well.  Only one or two fully extended as yet, but quite a few buds coming through.  The fog has barely cleared here most days this week, so no photographs.  If we're lucky we get the fog clear by 3pm or so..... and it is already back tonight the thickest I can recall ever noting it outside at night.

[fermi de Sousa]

I posted pics of this hybrid hoop, "Camoro" to the "June in the SH" thread last week.
I haven't had a chance to take another pic but there are more blooms coming.
"Tarlatan" is soon to open and "Jessamy" has a couple of "lemon hoops" open already.
cheers
fermi

[Hristo]

Pretty little hoops Fermi, nice to be reminded of cool times as we enter the season of Crisp here!

[Paul T]

Fermi,

I don't think I've come across 'Jessamy' before, so would love to see pics of it when available.  Is it your earliest yellow then?