White Narcissus

What a difference a few sunny days make!  A statement I have no doubt many of us here in the Northern Hemisphere will be saying to themselves lately.  At the time I posted my end of month review my favourite Narcissus was ALMOST but not QUITE!!

Narcissus Thalia

Narcissus Thalia - a firm favourite of Victorian gardeners had long been ignored for some of the bigger, bolder and shall we say brash varieties that were being introduced.  According to my research N. Thalia is making a comeback and I'm so pleased I got in on the act early on in my gardening 'exploits'.

As I walked out the back door this early evening (to bring the washing in - a woman's work is never done!) the scent hit me - BAM!!  It was gorgeous, from so few blooms it truly was intoxicating!

Whilst looking delicate it is an extremely sturdy flower 

Pure white blooms

Tip - I have grown these bulbs in containers for the last 3 years - they are in a mix of multi-purpose compost, John Innes No2 and some grit for added to aid drainage.  When flowering is finished, they are dead headed and fed with half strenght tomato feed on a weekly basis until the foliage dies back.  When the foliage has died, I lift the contents of the pot and replace with new compost.  The pots are wrapped with bubble wrap for winter and stored against a sunny wall until early spring.  I begin watering (weather dependent) when new growth appears.  It is important that container grown Narcissus are not allowed to dry out during their growing period.

N. Thalia has flowered for well over 2 months in both 2011 and 2012.  It will be interesting to see if the extended winter/late flowering will make a difference this year.

Adding to the delighful scent of N. Thalia is another white daffodil.  Planted for the first time last autumn, these bulbs are, unlike their cousins, kept to the borders.

Narcissus Tresamble has certainly not disappointed me!   N. Tresamble is another daffodil that produces upto 3 flowers on a sturdy stem.  It has stood tall and hasn't been affected by the recent strong winds, another plus as far as I can tell.  Off the 25 bulbs planted, all 25 have produced flowering stems.  Being their first year, this should be expected!

    

Slightly taller than I expected - those planted under the Cornus alternifolia (my favourite shrub) have come along just as the Corydalis, Crocus and Pushkinia have come to an end.  The Cornus is always late coming into leaf in my garden therefore these blooms are equally appreciated to add interest.

Elegant blooms on good strong stems  

A view from below

As I struggle down on my hands and knees - I thought a worms eye view was in order.  A whiff of the scent made the effort very worthwhile!

White or Yellow Daffs......what's your preference?  I have recently added a few yellow daffodils to my garden and whilst I admire them in many gardens, I am really struggling to form any sort of affection for them in mine!

If you are looking to grow some white daffodils I can highly recommend either of these varieties, they would make a great addition to any garden.  I'll be looking into planting another variety of whites this autumn, if you have any recommendation I'd like to hear about them.  Providing they are scented they will be grown in containers by my front door - I'm sure the postie will appreciate them too!