Immortalised by William Wordsworth in his poem ‘I wondered lonely as a cloud’ Daffodils have long been considered one of the heralds of spring. There are over 27000 varieties of daffodils, providing a multitude of colour combinations and forms, and hybridizers develop hundreds of new varieties every year. From pollination of existing blooms it takes 5 years for a new variety to offer a worthwhile flower with sufficient bulb size to become an established variety.
Over the last 40 years hybridizers have bred flowers with ever increasing distinct colours and ultra-smooth petals layered as two distinct triangles over each other. The normal daffodil has six petals. Careful selection and planting of daffodils in autumn can give a four-month period of wonderful spring flowers February- May. The bulbs are relatively cheap and available from supermarkets, garden centres, and specialist suppliers online. Within the UK there is a strong demand for cut daffodil flowers picked in bud for flowering at home. Cornwall and Lincolnshire have long been prolific growing areas although this year due to a shortage of pickers many flowers will never leave the growing fields.
Although daffodils grow anywhere in the world in hot or cold climates, they have a much stronger following in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. All of these countries have societies dedicated to the growing of daffodils and hold annual shows for growers to exhibit their blooms and compete against each other.
Established in Birmingham in 1898 The Daffodil Society is the specialist society of Great Britain for all who are interested in the Genus Narcissus by way of exhibitions, breeding, or just lovers of this wonderful flower. www.daffodilsociety.com
Since a low key start some 10 years ago, we now grow over 500 pots of daffodils in Clifton in a selection of greenhouses and polytunnels primarily grown for show but not least for enjoyment and relaxation. We have achieved success at national and local shows winning numerous trophies and best bloom awards. Our dream is to grow flowers to maximum size of 5 inches across and compete at the top level.
This year due to covid restrictions there are no shows to attend and rather than waste our flowers we have offered a few photographs for you to enjoy.
Daffodils are one of the most popular garden plants and it is thought appear in 80% of gardens. They are a cheap splash of colour at the end of winter and can be a joy to behold.
By Richard Marriott.
