Late Winter Featured
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Narcissus
hybrids
Daffodils
Nothing brings joy to a person's heart
after a long winter quite like a stand of Narcissus. While
Spring and all the accompanying bulbs are still many weeks away
from making their debut, visitors may still see Narcissus
at our Spring Flower Show, running through March 18th, 2001. Native
to Europe, Northern Africa and Western Asia, Narcissus, commonly
known as Daffodils, have been cultivated and hybridized for several
hundred years.
Narcissus
'Mary Gay Lirette'
with it's interesting split corona
The
petite Narcissus 'Sailboat'
next to a white Anemone
Daffodil hybrids are relatively easy
to grow, and will grow in almost any type of soil. However, they
do best in slightly moist, well-drained soil in full sun to part
shade. Bulb planting should occur in late October to early November,
or just before the ground freezes in your area. Plant bulbs twice
as deep as the height of the bulb, generally about 6 inches. After
flowering, bulbs may benefit from dead-heading the developing seed
pod. Although sometimes unsightly, it is also necessary after flowering
to leave the foliage to die down naturally. As the foliage eventually
browns, the energy in the leaves is transferred to the bulb, providing
the critical strength the Narcissus bulb needs to flower strongly
the following year.
The multi-flowered
Narcissus 'Canarybird'
Narcissus 'Itzim' blooming in
the Show House
In early to mid spring, the strap-like green
foliage first starts to appear. Shortly after, flowering occurs.
Hybrid Narcissus flowers display much variety in both the form of
the flower and the colors of the various parts. One thing that all
hybrid Narcissus flowers have in common is a cup-like structure,
called the corona, which is fused to a petal-like structure, called
the perianth. The corona may be long and trumpet-shaped or very
short and ring-like. The perianth is composed of the fused petals
and sepals of the flower. Often, the perianth and corona may be
different colors from each other, ranging from white to green, yellow,
pink, orange, red, or color combinations of the previous list (i.e.,
salmon, peach, yellow-green, etc.).
Narcissus 'Scarlet O'Hara'
featuring a bright orange corona and yellow perianth.
Daffodils hybrids may currently be viewed
in the Show House of the Talcott Greenhouse at least through the
18th of March of 2001.
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