September Narcissus 2012

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
A few more photos.
Fortescue is a top quality intermediate here although it is registered as a standard daffodil. A long time ago we had one with pollen and I had no idea what to do with then. After many years we have again found pollen on a Fortescue but this time I knew what to do with it.

[Armin]

Graham,
thanks for your reply. For me you live in a 'Narcissus paradise'

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Amin, this week has probably been peak flowering time so it looks like daffodil heaven at the moment. It also smells like daffodil heaven as the miniatures are mostly heavily perfumed.
What I have not shown is our beds of standards that were not weeded this year because we never caught up from where we went on holidays in February. There are thousands of seedlings flowering in those beds.
I have done a lot of hybridising and expect to do more as the triandus, poeticus and jonquilla hybrids flower. I have a refrigerator full of flowers which equates to a lot of pollen.
We have some small poeticus flowering at the moment and a miniature pink from Glenbrook Bulb Farm is just opening. There are some nice Div 5 and 7 seedlings yet to flower so there is much to look forward to as well.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Only a few photos today. Some excellent new seedlings still opening so there will be more photos.
There is a photo of another miniature double. While it opens 4W-Y it may change colour to 4W-P. It is of the same parentage as our miniature 4W-P. What is notable is that the pollen parent has prevailed in terms of flower colour. The seed parent is of course Y-Y.
The intermediate 7Y-Y is one of our fertile breeders. It means you can do many things not otherwise possible. The 7W-W was in yesterdays photos. The advantages of having a 7W-W are also considerable if you want to breed for colour.
The poeticus seedling is just a bit too big for miniature. I will pollinate it to cut it down to size. We have several others out that were easier to pollinate. If it works they will certainly shrink as the pollen parent was miniature 1W-W bred from N. asturiensis vasconicus (? not sure about the spelling) I will need to remove all the pollen to pollinate the one in the photo.
The GBF miniature 2W-P is a breeding triumph by our friend Rod Barwick in Tasmania. It has Pink China from Mitsch in its parentage and the other parent is Swagger.
N. cordubensis should be finished but we were behind with planting things out so it is flowering extremely late in the season. It is getting double and split cup pollen.
The big split is for Lesley. It is a bit wishy washy in the perianth. Too much pollen and not enough to put it on at the end of the season from the look of it. It needs to go onto a strong 2Y-R.

[annew]

Thanks for the explanation of your compost Graham, it's 'horses for courses', and what works best over here is completely different to what's needed in your conditions. We have kites overhead regularly too. That must be why I'm not bothered by sulphur-crested cockatoos..

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Anne, I often think I need to give our cockatoos to Lesley. The NZers ended up with our possums so why not a few cockatoos as well!
The miniature Div 8's are very promising. One looks like it will have at least 4 florets.
In the pat we have done some breeding using US flowers. The pink can intensify to such a level that it is a red.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
A few photos for Lesley!

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
A few more photos.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
A few more photos.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Final lot of photos for the night.

[annew]

I like the multi-headed ones that change colour as they open. I bet a clump would look lovely. Some of those reds are eyeopeners!
What's you smallest poeticus type so far?

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
Anne, we have flowered some poeticus seedlings that open less than 50mm. I hope to cross with my fertile miniatures to produce seedlings that easily measure miniature. My poeticus seedlings are probably diploid so I should be able to produce fertile seedlings with colour.
The 3W-YYO is a fertile seedling that is an intermediate so I will be using it as well.
The mulitcoloured flower with 6 florets is a very good seedling. Do I like it more than our 5W-W with 6 florets or our 8Y-O with 5? Not sure as they are all superb. I spend a bit of time trying to get as many florets as possible in our miniatures.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
A few more photos.
Some of our ferals are of exhibition quality.

[Mini-daffs]

 Hi
A few more photos.

[Mini-daffs]

 
Hi
More photos.