Winter Narcissus

[annew]

I still do. What has Betty Mae to do with Narcissus tazzeta var (or ssp) patulus?
Anyway, Here are some updated shots taken this morning of seedlings flowering for the first time. I wonder if David will like the smaller siblings of the Cedric Morris cross I posted earlier?

[Maggi Young]

I still do. What has Betty Mae to do with Narcissus tazzeta var (or ssp) patulus?

Nothing.... Lesley was explaining that Betty Clark, who was kind enough to give her the patulus, was the person for whom the delightful Narcissus'Betty Mae' was named.

[annew]

Ah!

[David Nicholson]

Ah! also

Anne, David does like the smaller Cedric Morris seedlings and he like all of the little beauties you posted.

[Lesley Cox]

Thank you both, David and Maggi. I do apologise to Betty and to the Forum for mis-spelling her second name, perhaps because my mother was Alison May. Yes, Anne, I used the name because it was Betty (always just Betty here) who most kindly gave me the bulbs along with several other scarce things and some rare seed.

So yes, I mis-spelt, but the bulb's provenance was correct as to source, in spite of the terse email I received from another Forumist telling me it was not. Funny, that using the name at some stage, in an email sent to that person, takes out the connotation of rudeness.

When I saw Betty's potful at a late autumn meeting last year, it was like seeing a brand new daffodil of great beauty and charm. I feel very fortunate that she has shared it with me. It is potted now and I hope I'll be able to show a picture of it in flower later on. In the meantime, I'll do the looking up suggested above. Thank you everyone here.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Lesley, the provenance of the N. patulus as you said, was what we have learned from Betty Clark, too.
I can only think that someone thought you were ascribing that provenance to  Narcissus 'Betty Mae' which of course, you were not, you were referring to the fact that Joan Whillans named the plant Betty Mae for Betty Clark. (And, of course we  can all know the story of that daff,from the link given above to other Forum posts about 'Betty Mae')

Lesley was told by Betty, of the N. patulus :" that it came to her from Mary Evans many years ago, Mary being a NZer who collected in the company of Paul Furze on some occasions".
Interestingly Betty has "custody" of a number of Mary Evans' plants and I must post, in the Colchicum pages, some notes we have had from her for some time about some of these.

[Lesley Cox]

A quick and fairly superficial search on Daffseek doesn't help much. The photos don't really "gel" with Betty's and it is described as spring flowering while hers was in full flower at the meeting of 1st June (December in the NH), hardly spring. Never mind, we'll go on looking and hopefully seeing the flowers again in a few months.

[Lesley Cox]

Mary was a great and much loved and respected alpine and especially bulb grower who unfortunately died quite a few years ago now. She had a comprehensive correspondence with many of the "old brigade" of gardeners/collectors, such as Furze, Polunin and others. She was impatient of meetings and gatherings to a large extent and was something of a loner but was happy to share her knowledge and plants. I remember one occasion when visiting her garden with Ashburton AGS, I went to the loo and was directed to the bathroom where the bath was full of freshly mixed compost! (I'm sure she had a separate shower though.

[Michael J Campbell]

Narcissus romieuxii treble chance.
 2-6= Narcissus romieuxii mesatlanticus hybs
7-9=Narcissus romieuxii mesatlanticus x camoro hybs
 10 Seedling bench.

[Gerry Webster]

Mary was a great and much loved and respected alpine and especially bulb grower who unfortunately died quite a few years ago now. She had a comprehensive correspondence with many of the "old brigade" of gardeners/collectors, such as Furze, Polunin and others. She was impatient of meetings and gatherings to a large extent and was something of a loner but was happy to share her knowledge and plants. I remember one occasion when visiting her garden with Ashburton AGS, I went to the loo and was directed to the bathroom where the bath was full of freshly mixed compost! (I'm sure she had a separate shower though.

Sorry to be pedantic, but the name was Paul Furse (Admiral Paul Furse if you like).

[David Nicholson]

Narcissus romieuxii treble chance.
 2-6= Narcissus romieuxii mesatlanticus hybs
7-9=Narcissus romieuxii mesatlanticus x camoro hybs
 10 Seedling bench.

What a beautiful show Michael.

[Michael J Campbell]

Thanks David,I do my best though sometimes it is not good enough.

[Maggi Young]

I am trying hard not to be jealous when I see how many flowers other forumists have got coming into bloom now.... It's not easy 
We managed 10 degrees C in the middle of the day today but there was a cold wind which wiped some of the benefit out. 

[Maggi Young]

We were also lucky enough, a couple of years ago, to be given the N. patulus by Betty.  It is hanging on here but and not flowering yet.  Betty told us she had been given them by Mary Evans who supposed them to be N. tazetta patulus as to her knowledge that was the only fit with the information she had gathered from the 1966 American Hort soc. James Wells and John Blanchard’s books. It has a white perianth with pale lemon cup while all others appear to have a yellow cup. Through this Forum Betty  discovered that someone  had photos that appeared to be the same plant,  the same under N. tazetta ochroleucus  ( which Flora Europaea gives as a synonym for Narcissus tazetta L. subsp. italicus (Ker Gawl.) Baker ) and she believes this may be the ID. Betty told us that foor her it was Winter flowering in NZ, April  and with a large dark brown bulb. She grows it so well in NZ and after 30 years has it in 2 spots against concrete block wall and for the last few years collected a small amount of seed which needs the winter heat to set. She is so happy with it and it is perfumed too.

 We hope for a flower soon!

[Lesley Cox]

Gerry, it's not my day, is it. Of course I knew it was Furse, and yet again, my apologies.