Daffodil

Daffodil (Narcissus) - Beautiful bulbous flowers of mountain and alpine pastures, plains, or woods, thriving admirably in most parts of our island; if anywhere, better in the cooler northern parts and in Ireland, though excellent in cool soils in the south. They are to the spring what Roses, Irises, and Lilies are to summer, what Sunflowers and Chrysanthemums are to autumn, and what Hellebores and Aconite are to winter. No good garden should be without the best of the lovely varieties now known. Narcissi vary so much in form, size, color, and in time of flowering, that a most attractive spring garden could be made with them alone; provided one had suitable soil, and a background of fresh turf, shrubs, and trees. The best of the commoner kinds should be planted by the thousand, and, indeed, in many cases this has been done with the best results. On grassy banks, on turfy bosses near the roots of lawn-trees, or in meadows near the house, their effect is delightful. All the best Narcissi, and practically all the forms of the yellow and the bicolor Daffodils, may be planted in June, July, or August, in three ways-in the lawn or meadow, in the beds and borders of the garden, or in 6 or 8-inch pots. Five bulbs should be planted in a pot and covered over with coal-ashes or sand until January, when they may be placed in a sunny frame, pit, or greenhouse, or even in a sunshiny window, and a crop of flowers can be secured earlier than on the open ground. The main points in beginning the culture of Narcissi are to get sound and healthy bulbs as early as possible after June, and to plant or pot them at once in good fibrous, sandy, or gravelly loam, or in any virgin soil. They like fresh deep-tilled loam, and the strongest of the bicolor and star Narcissi do not object to soils rich in manure; but it is as well to remember that no manure should be used in its raw or crude state, and that wild species and wild-collected varieties suffer and often fail if planted at once in heavily manured soils.

In naturalising the Daffodil on the grass, the Poets Narcissus, or the Star Narcissus (N. incomparabilis in all its forms), do not begin as late as November or December by planting the sweepings out of the bulb-stores, since such bulbs are weak and flabby, and are liable to rot in the frozen ground. The time to begin planting is June and July, and it is a good rule to refuse to plant in quantity after August or September.

In grouping border Narcissi it will usually be found advisable to lift and replant the clumps every three or four years, but if any delicate varieties do not flower well, or if they show signs of weakness or of disease, they should be lifted not later than July, and after being cleaned, at once replanted in fresh and good soil, and, if possible, in shady or gravelly loam free from fresh manures. It is better to dig and replant Daffodils too soon than too late. The best time is when the leaves turn yellow in June or July. On well-drained loams resting on gravel, the bulbs lose both leaves and roots in June or July, and may be taken up and removed with advantage; and, indeed, where good round presentable sale bulbs are grown, the rule is to dig them every summer as soon as the leaves wither. Whenever an amateurs stock of bulbs is divided, it is wise to replant some in fresh ground, and any surplus may be naturalised in grass. The rate of increase on good soils is surprising, such splendid sorts as N. John Horsfield, N. Empress, N. Grandee, N. Emperor, and N. Sir Watkin actually trebling themselves the second year after planting. The depth at which the bulbs should be planted varies according to the texture and the drainage of the soil. In strong or wet and retentive soils, shallow planting, say 3 to 5 inches beneath the surface, is ample, but on light, sandy, and well-drained soils, or on what are known as warm soils, the depth may vary from 6 to 12 inches-in a word, the bulbs should be as far as possible below the drought and frost line. The best grown private collections of these flowers I have seen are those at Great Warley, Essex, and at Totley Hall, near Sheffield, where the best kinds are grouped boldly by the thousand.

If cut flowers are desired, then bold groups on borders, in beds, or on grass sheltered by hedges or shrubs are desirable. The first crop can be obtained from pots or boxes in the greenhouse, and these will be followed by fully formed and bursting buds, in sheltered and sunny places. These buds will open large, fresh, and fair if placed in pots of water in a warm greenhouse or a sunny frame or window. In March and April comes the prolific harvest of golden open-air blossoms. In cutting Daffodils or Narcissi for indoor decoration, cut the flowers, when the buds are opening, or even just before, and let the stalks be long, as the flowers group better with long stalks. Do not cut the leaves of choice kinds, but use leaves of common sorts with choice flowers. Put each kind in a separate glass, but put together as many of the same kind as you like.

Such delicate southern kinds as N. Bulbocodium, N. triandrus, N. calathinus, N. juncifolius, and most of the varieties of N. Tazetta may be grown in front of sunny walls on prepared peaty or on sandy borders, or else in glasshouses in the garden; but even in such places their flowers often suffer from spring storms, and the surest plan is to adopt pot-culture in a sunny frame. N. viridiflorus, N. serotinus, N. intermedius, N. elegans, N. pachybulbus, N. Broussoneti, etc., are interesting to collectors; but the difficulties of their culture are out of all proportion to their beauty, and those who only wish for large and beautiful flowers had better ignore them. Practically, we have only six species of Narcissus worth cultivating—N. Bulbocodium, N. pseudo-narcissus, N. poeticus, N. Tazetta, N. jonquilla, and N. triandrus. Then for naturalisation, or for ordinary garden culture, these six may be reduced to three groups—N. pseudo-narcissus, or the Ajax Daffodils; N. poeticus, or the Poets Narcissus; and the natural hybrid between these two species, the ubiquitous Star Narcissus—N. incomparabilis. These kinds are really the only free and hardy open-air Narcissi, and are the best for the meadow or the lawn.

Of the newer seedlings, perhaps the finest are N. "Ellen Willmott" and N. Mme. de Graaff, which first flowered at Leyden in 1883. N. Glory of Leyden is a yellow counterpart of it. The two were offered, one bulb of each, for seven guineas only a year or two ago. They are so vigorous, and they increase so fast in good soil, that buyers were amply repaid, high as these prices appear. N. Weardale Perfection, N. Monarch, and some others are so fine and so rare that they are practically not to be had, anything less than ten guineas having been refused for a single bulb of N. Weardale Perfection. These are only show flowers, however, and many others not much less handsome may be had by the hundred or the thousand at a moderate price.

Narcissi flower in continuous succession from February until June; and when pot-culture and warm-house treatment is adopted, the double Roman Narcissus and the Italian paper-white Narcissus flower in November, and there are always some Narcissi in flower from that time to June.

Comment on Daffodil

(Displayed with your comment)                        (Will not be displayed)

Verification Code: