Narcissus April to June 2009

[Paul T]

Luc,

My "crocus bed" was designed for Crocus, Iris reticulatas, and the Hoop petticoat Daffs (there are some Anemone blanda, Moraea polystachya, Spiloxene linearis amongst them and also some Calostemma and Lycoris in the top level).  I wanted a blend of things to give a range of heights and colours etc.  Over time I will reorganise arrangements if I get time during summers.

Arisaema,

That was why I was reassuring you that there were enough to spare, because I figured that you'd be thinking that way.  The 'Fyno' at least is really not going to be a problem to sacrifice to the greater good, and the way the others multiply I would be thinking the 'Taffetta' won't even be noticeable next year.    What white varieties have you tried there before?

[Lesley Cox]

I'm pretty sure 'Taffeta' is an English hybrid, along with 'Nylon' and the like. Maybe one of Alec Gray's? It has been around for many, many years.

[Paul T]

Thanks Lesley.  I'll mentally adjust my definition of 'Taffeta' then (and my spelling).  I jumped to conclusions about it coming from Glenbrook.  Now I am right on 'Fyno' though, aren't I?

A couple of minutes later......... Just checked on Daffseek and you're right.... 'Taffeta' was bred by Douglas Blanchard in England, and 'Fyno' is a Glenbrook one.  Thanks for the heads up, Lesley.

So, Arisaema, if I send you both of them I'll only be sending you one Aus breeding after all. 

[Kees Green]

Paul you Taffeta look great, I hope mine will be similar in a few years, here is a pic of mine.
Thanks for the offer Leslie but I better pass at present, what sort of cost is it to import from Australia?
I will also post a pic of my monophylus showing the colour difference from freshly and a wee or so old blooms.

[Kees Green]

Paul, any chance of a pic of your Fyno?
Below is a pic of Taffeta, this one seems really flared.

[Ragged Robin]

Paul and Kees, your Narcissus 'Taffetta' look so gorgeous - the shape of the trumpet is wonderful - how tall does it grow as I would like to grow it here in the Alps (if it will survive the snow and frosts?)

[Paul T]

Robin,

Absolute maximum of 15cm tall for me here, maybe even a bit shorter than that.  I find the stems vary according to temperatures as the flowers are opening, but I reckon 15cm is about the maximum.  No idea re snow, but fine to -8 or -9'C without a problem here, even in small black plastic pots that would magnify the cold around the roots.

Kees,

I'll try to get a photo tomorrow of the 'Fyno'.  Weather forecast a bit windy and murky so may be the next day.  I have a pot with a whole bunch of flowers on it, so should give you a bit of a display to see. 

[Lesley Cox]

Kees,, there certainly are costs in importing from Tasmania (Marcus Harvey) but if one wants the bulbs..... and we have no other sources now. I usually end up with an order of around $400 so if you were wanting just 2 or 3 or half a dozen, the cost for inspection, phyto etc of my order could absorb yours easily enough. Anyway, we can talk about it again when Marcus summer list is ready.

He's just sent me his winter list which includes Hellebores, lilies, auriculas and some other things. I'd like to have a go there too, though I think just about everything would have to go into quarantine, so it's not an option. As usual, the list is illustrated with Susan Jarick's beautiful paintings.

[fermi de Sousa]

We're heading into "hoop season" here with the first bloom on "Galligaskins" a Rod Barwick hybrid,

One of my oldest daffs is this little cantabricus type which a friend gave me about 30 years ago;

I presume it's N. cantabricus but may even be "Nylon" anyone hazard a guess?


And "Camoro" goes from strength to strength!


cheers
fermi

[Kees Green]

Robin, all of mine seem to be 10cm at the most at present but have had a lot of sunshine hours so this may be why.
Mine survived the snow we had here, but it only lasted a day at most.
I look forward to your pic Paul.

[Paul T]

Fermi,

Too broad for 'Nylon' isn't it?  Or are my old things I bought as Nylon years ago all incorrect.  Mine are like a white bulbocodium rather than the flaring.  After seeing your 'Camoro' I checked my pot and it has gone to the great garden in the sky unfortunately.  Darn shame that.  'Galligaskins' and 'Tarlatan' have buds emerging at the moment at a great rate of knots.  LOTS of flowers this year too.  The only other couple I have in flower at the moment is a rifanicus and one other that I have l have lost the name for (but it is the nicest flower form).

Thanks so much for the pics. 

[Lesley Cox]

And 'Nylon' is rather more lemony than that, even for 'Nylon' Group, which seems to cover quite a lot of variation. But it is reasonably wide Paul. To my mind, 'Nylon' is pretty much like 'Tarleton' but a couple of months earlier.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I'll check and see whether I still have the couple of late flowers on one of the pots I got years ago as 'Nylon' and if so I'll photograph it.  Could easily have been mislabelled, particularly as mine is white, not lemony.  It usually flowers earliest of all of them for me (starts mid to late May), IF it bothers to flower.  Seems to multiply lots, but not many flowers.

[Paul T]

Kees,

This is a pic of the seedlings I get from 'Fyno'.  They're pretty uniform in general, allowing for individual anomolies in the occasional flower.  They look the same as the parent, but I will try to find a flower if there're still any on the parent pot (different sides of the house, so different flowering times I find).  These are in an 8 inch black plastic pot, and were actually seedlings from a friend's 'Fyno' into a romieuxii pot.  I'm still trying to sort out any romieuxii that pop up in this pot, lifting them each year if one flowers.  The 'Fyno' is far outgrowing them, particularly I think because it starts a bit earlier and then crowds out the romieuxii which flowers later.

[Kees Green]

Paul they are lovely, very frilly and quite attractive. There really are some fantastic hoops.
I really enjoy looking at them all in this forum, hopefully I can get some nice hybrids over the next few years/decades 
I look forward to seeing everyones yellows later in the year as well.
Thanks again for the pic Paul