Nancy R. Wilson Daffodils, A Note from Nancy

April 2011

Dear Friends,

We had a disaster this winter. I had about 100 planted pots waiting to go outdoors when the weather cooled. The day we went to the barn to put them out we realized their new identification tags were gone! It turned our that a woodrat had carried them to her nest under the barn. Short of pulling down the barn, this daffodil season will be spent re-identification. We took in a lovely little terrier, hoping it was a woodrat killer, but he does not have a strong enough mouth to capture a cream puff. "Sprite", "Towai" and "Zip" have multiplied enough for us to offer a few for sale. For those of you who ordered Trimon in 2011, it is now registered as "Yana".

This year Walter Blom has had a good increase and several of his bulbs are offered at a lower price. He has four new introductions. "Golden Symphony" 5 Y-Y and ‘Spring Serenade’ 5 Y-Y are two new triandrus hybrids which are much needed for exhibit. The other two are early blooming bulbocodiums with multiple flowers per bulb. They are "Golden Tiara" 10 Y-Y which has deeply scalloped perianths segments and "Spring Medley" 10 W-Y , the second bi-colored flower to be registered, the first to be Glenbrook Bulb Farms "Mitimoto" which is offered as well. It is a good grower with a large, brilliant greenish yellow corona. Both cultivars are very striking.

Our web page is updated with pictures when available. Look for the * in this list. We hope you are having a good season and that your gardens are full of your favorite daffodils.

Nancy and Jerry R. Wilson

Narcissus are divided and color coded for identification.

Narcissus are classified by the Royal Horticulture Society into 13 Divisions. Divisions 1-12 are of garden origin.

Division 1: Trumpet

Division 2: Large-cupped

Division 3: Small-cupped

Division 4: Double

Division 5: Triandrus

Division 6: Cyclamineus

Division 7: Jonquilla and Apodanthus

Division 8: Tazetta

Division 9: Poeticus

Division 10: Bulbocodium cultivars (or hybrids)

Division 11: Split Corona (a) Collar, (b) Papillon

Division 12: Daffodils that do not fit into other categories

Divisions 13: Species and wild variants and hybrids

Color codes are as follows: y=yellow, w=white, o=orange, g=green, p=pink, r=red. If a daffodil is labeled y-y it means it has a yellow perianth and a yellow corona. These designations can become quite complicated if there are bands of color in the flower ie, Gipsy Queen 1 YYW-WWY.

Recommended Readings

American Daffodil Society, Modern Daffodil Cultivars, 4126 Winfield Road , Columbus , Ohio 43229

James S. Wells, Modern Miniature Daffodils, Species and Hybrids, IBSN 0-88192-118-1

John WW. Blanchard, Narcissus, A Guide to Wild Daffodils, Alpine Garden Society, Lye End Link, St. John’s Woking, Surrey, GU21 15W

Good luck. Happy growing. Attend your local Daffodil show in the spring. You will be amazed at the different kinds and colors. Join the American Daffodil Society, 4126 Winfield Road, Columbus, OH 43220-4606.