April Narcissus 2011

[YT]

Narcissus 'Ice Wings' is in full blooming. This is one of my most favourite daffodils for its dropping purest flowers. Unfortunately, this variety can get basal rot easily during hot and wet summer here, so I have to grow it in containers and shut them out from rains all through dormant period.

[Maggi Young]

Tatsuo, what a beautiful narcissus.... a pure delight to start our April pages!

[David Nicholson]

Just to prove to Mark that I do, in fact, grow some Narcissi in the garden!

On the left N. 'Niveth' and on the right N. 'Jack Snipe'
... and a close up of N. 'Niveth'

Niveth is quite an old variety (raised by Henry Backhouse and registered prior to 1931). I bought some bulbs last Autumn from the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery marketed by a Cornish supplier specialising in the older varieties. (can't remember the supplier's name but I shall be on the look out for more varieties later this year)

[Maggi Young]

I'm very fond of N. 'Niveth' but here it is one of the later varieties - I find the different flowering times around the country quite fascinating. It's not just differing climates, though that is some of the reason, of course, there are other factors at work. Some plants can be coming out at exactly the same time as others hundreds of miles away while some are way behind ( seldom in front!!)

[YT]

Maggi, thank you for created this new April thread and moved my previous post from March one to here. Your maintenance work is always helpful

David, I admire such heritage daffodils are still preserving in your country. Only very limited narcissus varieties are available here.

[David Nicholson]

A couple from the garden (grown in pots though Mark!). Pics could have been better but I wasn't in "creative" mood!

Narcissus triandrus 'Lemon Drops' from Rob Potterton's List
N. 'Quail'

[Kees Green]

Tatsuo I wish I new that about Ice wings, mine have been in the wet pretty much all Summer along with most of my daffs, just hope that basal rot and favourable growing conditions causing splitting into multiple non flowering bulbs has not occurred.
Guess time will tell, I may have my own flat soon so might be ale to get some into the ground, bit late though.
Lots of the hoops are already popping up, might be an early season this year-I reckon its going to be a cold one here in Dunedin unlike last years very mild autumn and winter

[zephirine]

Two other spring beauties on a sunny spring day: Narcissus johnstonii (from Avon Bulbs), and a tiny beauty from Hügin, called Sea Princess, with delicate starry petals, starting with a gold trumpet, and ending pure white two weeks later:

[annew]

Sea Princess looks very nice - how big is it, Zephirine?

[Gerry Webster]

Narcissus x jonquilla

Received as cv. ‘April Tears’, this is clearly a jonquil; I suspect one of the common dwarf cvs. such as ‘Baby Moon’.
It is deliciously scented &, like all jonquils in my experience, responds to a very hot, dry summer bake.

[annew]

Nice photo, Gerry - I can smell it from here!

[Knud]

Hello,
Finally my N. romieuxii mes-atlanticus openend today, having been in bud for almost 5 months. As winter hit us mid-November my romieuxii "patch" had three buds, one about to open, one just out of the ground, and this one just peaking up amongst the gravel. The two buds that were up were both destroyed by the frost, but this one made it. We have had one of the coldest winters on record, with several weeks with temperatures between -5 and -10 C, and minimum -14 C, and no snow for the first 6 weeks and so a deep frost. The leaves were clearly affected by the frost, and after the taw I performed Ian's "tug-test". All small Narcissii in pots, and several in the ground, came 'sliding' out in response to a gentle tug (not a good sign). This patch, on the other hand, is emminently tuggable, pull one leaf, and the others shake along with it.

I am hopeful they will be back in the autumn, which brings me to a question: Is there a way of 'kick-starting' these bulbs a month or two earlier, so that they would bloom in October rather than in November/December?

Knud

[WimB]

Some more Narcissus whithout a name (from a time I didn't note the names of plants  )

[zephirine]

Sea Princess looks very nice - how big is it, Zephirine?

It is about 10-12 cm high (4 inches?), Annew. It is its first year in the garden, so maybe it will be a bit taller next year (I already experienced this with another narcissus).

[annew]

Thank you Zephirine, it will be interesting to see if it is the same next year. Very pretty.