Key to understanding daffodils and how they came to be an important garden flower is to see them in the context of their geography and climate. As so often, it helps to compare and contrast with tulips. The tulip centre of diversity is in central Asia, an extreme continental climate where winters are long and cold and summers hot and dry; tulips have evolved to make the most of a very short spring growing season. Daffodils by contrast enjoy a western Mediterranean climate where a long cool (but not cold) moist winter is followed by a spring with reasonable soil moisture levels—the result is a long growing season; dormancy begins only with the summer drought. Compared to the tulip, the daffodil year is a languid one; many start to make root growth in late summer, and their leaves may stay green until early summer the next year.
North of the western Mediterranean climate zone is the Atlantic zone, where prevailing westerly winds bring rain and temperatures moderated by blowing in from over a vast body of water. Visitors to Cornwall or Ireland will be familiar with the feeling that sometimes it is difficult to tell whether it is December or June; while a Chinese friend living in Edinburgh once said to me, “Every day here is like autumn.” Moving eastwards, the Atlantic climate zone develops a clearer distinction between winter and summer in eastern England, into northeastern France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, but certain factors remain: rainfall which is relatively predictable on an annual basis, cool summers, mild winters, and long springs.
Not missing their summer drought (which tulips need to stimulate flower bud formation), the daffodils of the western Mediterranean hills are in heaven in the Atlantic climate zone—their roots can grow into moist soil from mid-summer, they can push their shoots up above the earth during mild phases in the winter, and then flower in a spring that goes on for months. Both for daffodils and for us, the long drawn-out, on-and-off springs of the Atlantic zone are one of its joys. For gardeners or simply people who enjoy daffodils in public spaces and in other people’s gardens, long springs allow a succession of varieties to flower and finish flowering in their own time, and not be scorched to a premature end. Gardeners in continental climates in contrast (such as the American Midwest) often experience a concertina’d spring with spring and early summer flowers all performing together, and all over too quickly.
Bringing order
THE DIVISIONS
ALL WILD DAFFODIL species have now been used by daffodil breeders to produce the approximately twenty-seven thousand registered varieties, although the vast majority of garden and florist varieties are derived from genes from a limited number of species. Such a vast number of varieties needs order. Over the years various schemes of classifying daffodils have been proposed, of which the one set out by the Daffodil Committee of the RHS in 1950 has lasted the course of time, with minor modifications. It is a mixture of classification on the basis of plant form and on genetic origin. Here, we will run through the divisions, in the process getting to know the basic outline of this beautiful and fascinating group of plants. Divisions will then be referred to through the rest of the book with a capital letter (e.g., Trumpets, Jonquils). However, anyone who wishes to pass with the daffodil community will need to learn to refer to the divisions by number.
The average garden daffodil has a big yellow flower with a big trumpet. ‘King Alfred’ (John Kendall, UK, 1899) is the best known and is everybody’s idea of a typical daffodil. It is derived from an Iberian species, Narcissus hispanicus, and if anything deserves the title of “ur-daffodil,” it is this. Narcissus hispanicus is a splendid plant, sturdy, richly coloured, early, and free-flowering. Only its distinctive perianth segments mark it out, as they are narrow and twisted—elegant but unlike the solid background for the trumpet we are used to. ‘King Alfred’ is a good example of DIVISION ONE—TRUMPET DAFFODILS, where each stem has a single flower where the length of the cup (i.e., the trumpet) is greater than or equal to the length of the perianth segments.
Any cursory look at a collection of daffodils or at the pictures above the sale bins in a garden centre shows that there is a great deal of variation: there are white flowers and pale flowers, wide trumpets, narrow trumpets, trumpets which flare out a bit, and trumpets which veer towards orange, or even red-orange. There is often a difference in colour between the perianth segments and the cup (i.e., the trumpet)—these are referred to as bicolours, and it seems to be the general pattern that the cup is a richer yellow than the perianth segments. Except that there are some where the cup is paler than the perianth segments—these are known as reverse bicolours.
Other species have contributed to the Trumpet genepool, apart from Narcissus hispanicus. Not surprisingly, one is the widespread west European N. pseudonarcissus, a hardy and robust little plant, with a trumpet which is considerably longer in proportion to the rest of the flower than we expect from cultivated plants.
Trumpet daffodils began with Narcissus hispanicus 1 although the genes of other species are now well blended in. ‘King Alfred’ 2 is typical. ‘Apricot’ (de Graaff Bros., Netherlands, 1897) 3 is a good example of an older variety—notice the thin and twisted perianth segments, which would be utterly unacceptable among show judges and therefore most modern breeders. ‘American Heritage’ (Elise and Richard Havens, USA, 1993) 4 is a good example of modern breeding—notice the flat and even perianth segments.
Large-cupped daffodils show a great deal of variety. ‘Chy Noweth’ (2003) 1 is a modern take by Ron Scamp on what most would see as the classic daffodil. ‘Golden Amber’ (Ballydorn Bulb Farm, Northern Ireland, 1975) 2, ‘May Muriel’ (J. J. Grullemans & Sons, Netherlands, 1957) 3, and ‘Edge Grove’ (Carncairn Daffodils, Northern Ireland, 1990) 4 are good examples of modern varieties. ‘Kernow’ (Ron Scamp, UK, 1993) 5, a reverse bicolour from the leading Cornish breeder, celebrates the county’s name in its ancestral language, ‘Sheviok’ (Tom Bloomer, Northern Ireland, 1987) 6 is late and, unlike many older orange-cupped varieties, sunproof. ‘Marlborough’ (Ron Scamp, 1991) 7 is a pink-cupped variety.
In DIVISION TWO—LARGE-CUPPED DAFFODILS, the length of the cup is more than a third as long as the length of the perianth segments but less than equal to it. It is the largest division, some forty-five percent of those registered by the Royal Horticultural Society. They originated in crosses between the Trumpet species (such as Narcissus hispanicus) and N. poeticus and other similar species with only a very shallow cup, crosses made by those who were the very first conscious breeders. The same type of combination of character and colour seen in the Trumpets can be seen here, although there is a definite tendency towards orange-red cups, which can be particularly spectacular set against pale or white perianth segments. This cup colouring is derived from the intense orange of the very diminutive Poeticus cup. Starting with ‘Mrs. R. O. Backhouse’ (pre-1921), pink-cupped flowers have also been an important part of the development of varieties in the Large-cupped division. Most successful of all, and arguably the most successful daffodil of all time in sheer biomass distributed around the world, has been all-yellow ‘Carlton’ (pre-1927), which brings spring to countless parks and roadsides as well as gardens.
Small-cupped daffodils all do tend to look similar to the uninitiated. ‘Doctor Hugh’ (Brian Duncan, Northern Ireland, 1975) 1, ‘My Sweetheart’ (John Reed, USA, 1997) 2, ‘Gorran’ (Ron Scamp, 1986) 3, and ‘John’s Delight’ (Ron Scamp, 1995) 4 are all typical, in being mid to late season and relatively tall.
‘Carlton’ is instructive—to most of us it looks like a “typical” daffodil, i.e., a member of the Trumpet division. But get out a ruler and by a matter of millimetres it counts as Large-cupped. This is one reason why this division is so large—it is partly a matter of definition. The other factor is a genetic one, as there is such a rich source of material to choose from.
DIVISION THREE—SMALL-CUPPED DAFFODILS have cups less than one-third the length of the perianth segments. They show the influence of Narcissus poeticus and allied species even more strongly, so there is a strong tendency for strongly coloured but modest-size
d cups and white or pale perianth segments. “Rimmed” varieties are those where the outer edge of the cup is flared outwards, and may or may not be distinctly coloured.
All double daffodils are grouped into DIVISION FOUR—DOUBLES. Feelings about these are inevitably mixed; a lot of people do not like double flowers, whereas some who find double roses acceptable and even desirable feel that double daffodils are somehow not the real thing. There is nothing new about them—Vincent Sion, a Fleming who came to live in London in the early seventeenth century, introduced a double which became known as ‘Double Van Sion’, but as with many old varieties it acquired several other names over time (it is now synonymous with ‘Telamonius Plenus’). It and other doubles of great antiquity are vigorous plants and can form large colonies over time in old gardens. ‘Eggs and Bacon’ is another, a Narcissus pseudonarcissus × N. poeticus cross that has been around since the early eighteenth century; it is now called ‘Orange Phoenix’.
Doubles vary enormously in their form, as do reactions to them. Old doubles like the rare ‘Feu de Joie’ (William Copeland, UK, pre-1927) 1 tend to be untidy, in contrast to the elegant arrangement of ‘Crackington’ AGM (David Lloyd, UK, 1986) 2. ‘White Lion’ AGM (de Graaff-Gerharda, Netherlands, pre-1949) 3 represents an intermediate stage. ‘Wave’ (unknown, Netherlands, 2004) 4 is an oddity—the corona is doubled up, but not the perianth segments. ‘Glowing Red’ (K. J. Heazlewood, Australia, 1968) 5 might find more universal favour. ‘Golden Bear’ (Brian Duncan, 1992) 6 may be attractive to some but looks a mutant to others. ‘Abba’ AGM (J. M. van Dijk, Netherlands, 1984) 7 will offend few, especially as this is a multi-headed Tazetta with a spicy scent, ideal for early flowering indoors.
Most of these early doubles have a somewhat messy appearance—lots of perianth segments or petaloids (mutated floral parts which function as and resemble petals) packed into a bunch, looking very much the mutants that they are. The truth is that they are curiosities which suddenly appeared and which were grown on and propagated because they are out-of-the-ordinary. Conscious breeding of doubles aims at flowers that have elegantly arranged perianth segments, or perianth segments, often in two different colours, which are bundled together in an attractive way.
‘Rosedown’ is a Triandrus, a hybrid between Narcissus triandrus and a Large-cupped daffodil, raised during the 1940s by Alec Gray, a Cornish breeder who specialised in dwarf varieties—classed as those with a maximum height of 30cm (1 foot).
In casting our eye from Division Four to DIVISION FIVE—TRIANDRUS, we have crossed a watershed. No longer are we among the familiar daffodils of the florist or the public park, but among plants which are generally smaller, with differently proportioned flowers, and sometimes with more than one flower to a head. These are the flowers which many people are happier calling “narcissus,” although the connoisseurs like to call them “the upper divisions.” Triandrus daffodils are descended from the Iberian Narcissus triandrus, with a distinct bell-shaped cup, and usually with at least two flowers per stem. With their downward-pointing flowers, they have a distinctly modest appearance and tend to be seen as delicate and pretty rather than showy. The species and the early hybrids have a reputation for being short-lived (which is an inherent factor) and being a bit fussier about soils than others (they like acidic, moist ones). From early on, most Triandrus varieties were hybrids between the species and daffodils from other divisions, and over time the longevity of the division has improved.
DIVISION SIX—CYCLAMINEUS, descended from Iberian Narcissus cyclamineus are slightly more conventional, with miniature trumpets, one to a stem. What makes them stand out is the way the perianth segments are slightly bent back, reminiscent of cyclamen, giving them an appearance either of being windswept or surprised. The Cyclamineus division gives us many durable, early-flowering, and generally smaller-sized plants.
Narcissus cyclamineus 1 is a rare species from damp woodland in Spain. Its early flowering, diminutive size, and swept-back perianth segments have been handed down to its descendants. ‘Charity May’ (Cyril Coleman, UK, pre-1948) 2 and ‘Mite’ AGM (Josslyn A. R. Gore-Booth, Ireland, 1965) 3 clearly show their ancestry. ‘Jenny’ AGM (Cyril Coleman, pre-1943) 4, ‘Dove Wings’ AGM (Cyril Coleman, pre-1949) 5, and ‘Kaydee’ AGM (Brian Duncan, 1984) 6 are less obvious descendants.
So far, we have met only minimal fragrance; but in DIVISION SEVEN—JONQUILS we meet it as part of a defining characteristic. Whereas the last two divisions are based on species with a history in cultivation going back only to the nineteenth century, the Jonquils have been known and loved since the seventeenth century at least. Often with three flowers to a stem, and narrow rush-like leaves, they look distinct. Descended from Narcissus jonquilla, these are tough plants, with a reputation for disease resistance. However, crosses between them and other divisions are often sterile, which has reduced their influence in breeding. They have a particular association with the American South.
A selection of Jonquils. ‘Katherine Jenkins’ (2007) 1, named for a Welsh singer, is the result of a cross between a non-Jonquil and Narcissus jonquilla; its breeder Ron Scamp of Cornwall has tried this approach to breeding Jonquils with several other successful results, such as ‘An-Gof’ (1999) 2 and ‘Little Meg’ (2008) 3. ‘Sailboat’ AGM (1980) 4 and ‘Intrigue’ AGM (1970) 5 are from one of the best American breeders, William G. Pannill. ‘Intrigue’ is among the most popular reverse bicolours. ‘Bunting’ AGM (1975) is from the great American breeder Grant Mitsch 6.
Scent goes up another order of magnitude in DIVISION EIGHT—TAZETTAS, sometimes almost to the point of being overpowering. Tazettas tend to have multiple flowers atop tall stems, with an overall appearance of just waiting to be picked. Most flower in mid to late season. With a wide natural distribution around the Mediterranean, these were the first daffodils to be taken into cultivation, from where trade routes took them as far as Japan many centuries ago. They are inclined to be tender and need hot summers to encourage repeat flowering. An early attempt to produce hardier plants for northern winters were the Poetaz types, hybrids between Tazettas and the Poeticus division made in the Netherlands in the late nineteenth century.
The super-fragrant Tazettas. Narcissus papyraceus 1, commonly known as paperwhite, flowers very, very early but is suitable for growing outdoors only in mild climates. ‘Laurens Koster’ (pre-1906) 2 was bred by Albert Vis of the Netherlands; ‘Dan du Plessis’ (1996) 3, bred at the government-funded Rosewarne research station in Cornwall, commemorates one of the county’s great daffodil men.
DIVISION NINE—POETICUS are derived from a group of closely related species common to the countries on the northern shores of the Mediterranean. The cup is very shallow and often brightly coloured, so the overall impression is of flat white perianth segments with a central ring. Being common, readily available, and easy to grow, the original species were used very early in the history of daffodil hybridisation. These have a strong tendency to be tall and late flowering.
Plants derived from Narcissus bulbocodium, known by its Victorian name of hoop petticoat daffodil (who these days knows what a hoop petticoat is, let alone wears one?) make up DIVISION TEN—BULBOCODIUM. This is a relatively new division, as extensive breeding here is recent. Natives of the Maghreb and Iberian Peninsula, the Bulbocodiums are quite unlike other daffodils, with minimal perianth segments and a greatly expanded cup. There is a very high level of variation, and there is the possibility that this is the most “advanced” daffodil, currently in an active state of evolution. Although often grown by specialists as an alpine houseplant, many forms thrive in damp but well-drained ground and can even naturalise in lawns. Given the level of recent breeding, this is clearly a division to keep an eye on.
Poeticus all look very similar, and indeed many might question whether any variety, old or new, is an improvement on the original species. These three are all old attempts: ‘Sarchedon’ (Engleheart, pre-1910) 1, ‘Actaea’ AGM (G. Lubbe & Son, Netherlands, pre-1919) 2, and ‘Ornatus’ (James W
alker, UK, selected from an old French variety, pre-1860) 3.
The original Narcissus bulbocodium.
‘Valdrome’ (1965) 1, bred by the Dutch company of J. Gerritsen & Son, who were pioneers in producing Split-coronas, and Ron Scamp’s ‘Jack Wood’ (1965) 2 are two of a varied and growing division.
The complex ancestry of the dwarf ‘Toto’ (William Pannill, 1983) is typical of Division Twelve, where no one particular species’ genes dominates. It is a cross between Narcissus jonquilla and ‘Jenny’, which is a cross between N. cyclamineus and ‘Mitylene’—an Engleheart cross between an unknown Small-cupped seedling and ‘Beacon’ (Engleheart again); that being the result of mating a cross between two different wild Poeticus forms with ‘Princess Mary’—a Leeds hybrid between N. pseudonarcissus × N. poeticus and simple N. poeticus.
Also the focus of much recent breeding has been DIVISION ELEVEN—SPLIT-CORONA, sometimes known as Split-cupped daffodils (and often by other very uncomplimentary names). This is the most controversial division, with many people hating the very idea of the cup being splayed out to become what is functionally another layer of perianth segments. They are popular with florists, and many breeders, who have led an otherwise blameless life working with other divisions, seem to find it hard to resist breeding yet more.
My personal prediction is that DIVISION TWELVE—MISCELLANEOUS will be the one to grow most dramatically in future years. Hybrids made across species and division boundaries, often with the help of biotechnology, will undoubtedly increase the number of varieties here. Although there have been a few since the early days of hybridisation, it is only in the last few decades that numbers have begun to escalate. A sign of the future is surely ‘Tête-à-Tête’, bred by Alec Gray and registered in 1949, one of the most popular daffodils of recent times, with genes from Cyclamineus, Poeticus, and Tazetta varieties.
The Daffodil Page 3