Lilting grace, cheerful demeanor, and a subtle quality composed of form, texture, and poise make the daffodil a universal favorite.
Color, too! While yellow, in all its chromatic variations, and white in various degrees of purity are basic, many shades and tints of orange, red, rose, pink, salmon, buff, and green may be found in them in varying amounts, particularly in the cups of modern varieties.
In the garden, plants are most effective when grown in groups of three, six, or more bulbs of a single variety, at irregular intervals among shrubs, and in borders.
Flowering clumps are set off wonderfully by evergreen trees and shrubs and look enchanting around white birches and under such flowering trees like cherries and peaches.
In larger areas, they are attractive when planted in unevenly spaced drifts of 25 to 100 bulbs of a kind. In large wooded areas, they are lovely planted in a mixture.
Only daffodils were grown for purposes of cutting, exhibiting, and hybridizing and should be planted in rows to simplify cultivation and care.
Planting Daffodil Bulbs
As bulbs are relatively large, they must be planted deep, covered with from 4” to 6” inches of soil.
They thrive in most soils but require plenty of moisture and, at the same time, perfect drainage. Therefore, fertilizers must be used sparingly and must never come into contact with bulbs.
Mulches almost eliminate the need for it by keeping weeds down. Such materials as sawdust and buckwheat hulls also help to keep the soil moist and to prevent dirt from splattering flowers.
If the finest quality flowers are to be produced, bulbs should be lifted and replanted every two or three years as, by their natural increase, they tend to become crowded and, consequently, make smaller blooms.
In addition to growing flowers outside, a few bulbs can be potted for early bloom indoors. However, they must be brought along in a cool greenhouse or cold frame, as daffodils resent hard forcing and do not last long in a warm room.
Potting Mixture
A good potting mixture consists of two parts loam; if no compost is available, one part each is peat moss and sand. An inch or two of the mixture is put in the bottom of 7- or 8-inch flower pots.
A tablespoonful of superphosphate or a balanced fertilizer is put on top of it and, then, two more inches of the mixture. Three large bulbs (preferably double-nose bulbs) are grown in each pot.
After the pots are filled with the soil mixture, they are taken outdoors and plunged into soil, peat moss, or sand.
The soil is kept sufficiently moist, and to prevent bulbs from freezing, pots are lifted in January or February and placed in a cool greenhouse or cold frame.
Daffodils that grew in this manner flower several weeks before those in the garden. A few varieties, particularly some whites, are finer grown thus.
If pots are brought into a room that is too warm, blooms will not last long. They will last up to three weeks. However, temperatures of 40° to 50° degrees Fahrenheit, such as are found in a cool greenhouse.
Flowering Season
The daffodil season begins early and extends over 6 or more to 10 and 12 weeks in favored areas.
By selecting varieties thoughtfully, a gardener can have flowers that bloom at different times during the season and differ in size, form, and color.
A few of the satisfactory, moderately priced varieties are described below.
Doubtless, yellow trumpets are the best-known and most popular. The old King Alfred has long held a proud position, although it does not perform equally well in all locations.
Others in this category are:
- BenHur, a very large flower on medium-long stems
- Diotima, a giant borne on very tall stems
- Golden City and Golden Harvest are both large, tall-growing varieties
- Hallmark, a large flower of good form, having a broad overlapping perianth;
- Magnificence, an extra early variety
Good bicolor trumpets, those having white or cream perianths, and yellow trumpets are rather scarce. One that has good form is Arnold Neale.
The long-familiar Lovenest is interesting because of its pinkish frill. Two nicely formed, large Irish varieties are Ballyferis and Gregalach.
White Trumpets Are Becoming Plentiful
When it first opens, the very large trumpet of Ada Finch is a lemon yellow. But this variety is not considered a bicolor because its trumpet pales as it develops and becomes a creamy white.
Then there is Beersheba which tends to be short but has such lovely form and texture that it has become the criterion by which other whites are judged.
China Clay, rather similar but slightly smaller, has a very polished finish.
Pearl Harbor blooms somewhat later than most of its class and is an excellent garden flower. Silverdale is distinguished by very tall stems, very long trumpets, and slightly reflecting large perianths.
Large-Cupped Yellows
Of the large-cupped, all-yellow daffodils, the giant Carlton is a great favorite and an excellent performer.
Three other fine varieties in this class are:
- Crocus, a large intense, rich golden flower on strong, medium-high stems
- Malvern Gold, an extremely early blooming, tall, clear yellow
- St. Egwin, a soft yellow of exceptionally smooth texture
There are a multitude of varieties having yellow perianths with orange or red cups. Of these, the following might be mentioned:
- Campfire, medium yellow with bowl-shaped orange cup;
- Carbineer, the deep golden yellow of great substance with medium-sized cups ranging from deep yellow to rich orange depending on season and location;
- Klingon, similar but with more color in the cup;
- Diolite, tall, large, finely formed yellow with a narrow orange band;
- Fortune is a very tall, early, and dependable variety.
Still, others are:
- Hugh Poate, an excellent, very large flower with an immensely broad overlapping perianth
- Porthilly, the good medium-sized flower of great brilliance when the climate is to its liking
- Red Riband, similar to Fortune in form and size but with a most distinct band of orange-red on the border of the crown
- Rouge, very early with buff-gold perianth and brick-red crown
- Rustom Pasha, one which opens with little color but develops to rich orange in the crown
- Scarlet Leader, pale yellow, almost cream perianth with large, flaring bright orange-red crown
There is also quite a legion of those with white perianths and yellow, orange, red, or pink crowns. Adler is one with a yellow cup banded with orange.
Body and Polindra, two of the most magnificent daffodils, have large white perianths and good-sized lemon crowns.
Others are:
- Brunswick, extra-early white, and lemon
- Cream Cup and Daisy Schaffer, two large flowers of much different form
- John Evelyn, a very familiar one with a flat, very frilled crown and the parent of several even more striking flowers such as Brookville
- Duke of Windsor and others
Still, other whites with yellow, orange, red, or pink crowns are:
- Dick Welland, brilliant orange cup
- Flamenco is rather similar in color but of much better form
- Hades, cream perianth with red crown
- Jean Hood, very tall, extra early with orange-edged yellow cup
- Rubra is a very prolific, tall-stemmed, quite late-blooming satin-smooth flower with a cup of orange-red to apricot
A few large-cupped whites or nearly whites worthy of mention are:
- Evenings, a medium-sized, short-stemmed, very lovely, pure flower;
- Truth, large, perfectly formed, smooth, clean white;
- Silver Star, an older flower not so finished in form but good for the garden and cutting;
- Tunis, large and tall with cream perianth and a large crown of pale lemon passing to white but with buff trim;
- White House, a tall, strong-stemmed large white flower.
Small-Cupped Varieties
Small-cupped daffodils of note are less numerous. Examples include:
- Clackmar and Market Merry have yellow perianths and orange-red crowns
- Lady Kesteven is white with a cherry-red cup
- Mr. Jinks has a broad, overlapping, glistening white perianth and a red-edged cup
- La Riante is white with a vivid orange cup
Of those with less color in the cup, the following might be mentioned:
- Alberni Beauty, very late, extra tall, white with a small yellow fluted cup;
- Angeline, white with a gold line on the edge of the cup;
- Misty Moon, beautiful white with pale salmon-orange cup;
- Sylvia O’Neill, the good-sized flower of beautiful form, white with a lemon-edged crown;
- Silver Plane, white with flat yellow crown;
- Samaria is a late white with a much-fluted small cup with a cream edge and a green center.
Among the best of the doubles are:
- Cheerfulness and its sport Yellow Cheerfulness, each bearing several blossoms on a stem;
- Mary Copeland, large double white with short orange petals interspersed with white ones;
- Irene Copeland, fully double white and lemon;
- Texas, very large double yellow and orange.
One of the loveliest Triandrus hybrids is Silver Chimes which has up to ten or more fragrant flowers on a stem.
Thalia is a splendid pure white, usually with three blossoms. Moonshine is a creamy white of medium height.
Cyclamineus Hybrids
The spritely cyclamineus hybrids are a cheerful lot. February Gold is one of the very first to flower and is quite immune to frosts.
The mite is a delightful elfin flower, and Beryl is unique in form and habit. Jonquil hybrids are loved for their sweet scent. Three fine ones are Golden Perfection, Trevithian, and Trim.
The cluster-flowered tazettas, too, have many admirers, and of this Glorious, Geranium, St. Agnes, and Cragford are recommended. Of the lovely poets, the following are unsurpassed:
- Actaea, one of the largest and most popular;
- Cantabile, a very dainty flower with green eyes;
- orange-red-eyed Knave of Diamonds and Lights Out
44659 by Grant E. Mitsch