Daffodils in Wellington.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 13, 28 September 1910, Page 42

Daffodils in Wellington.

(By A LOVER (>E DAFFODILS."' As the -pring is with us again, and the Howers arc beginning to brighten up the gardens alter Ihe damp, drears win ter, a few remarks about the foremost of them, namely. the daffodil. max not be amis-, ’and may possibly interest some of vour readers. I here are several things which should recommend this queen of the spring (as it may be justly termed) to the public. In the first place, it is one of the vry first flowers to remind us of returning spring in Wellington ami the South, ami this alone should be sufficient to recommend ii after tin* scarcity of

blooms which is felt during the xx inter, lint this is not all, for owing to the large variety available, it is possible to keep a continuous succession of blooms tor several months, say. from the beginning of duly until the end of November. This much without any trouble whatever, just a matter of having the earlv. medium.

and late varieties by lifting a tew of the early sorts, and planting them back earlier than usual, and holding a fexv of the bate ones back, the blooming season can be extended two or three extra months. In the second place, we will note the very large variety of form and colour

which we find among them. Some may di Her from me when I say large variety of colour. It is true yellow and white are the two prevailing colours, but, then, look at the amount of shades, varying from the purest white to the palest cream, and from that to the deepest of yellow, which, blended with the very large variety of form which is to be found from the small but very highly scented Gracilis, of the purest yellow, with from three to five Howers, to Iler Majesty, which is one of the best of the polyanthus. Then, from the small Star narcissus, such as Ellen Barr or Baroness Heath, up to the large trumpet varieties, such as King Alfred and Lord Roberts; but these two, with a few others, are rather too expensive for everyone; but there are many more good ones that would come within the reach of all. I will give a list later on of good, reliable, and cheaper sorts, but what I xvi-h to do here is to draw attention to the enormous range of form and shade to select from, and I think all who have studied the daffodil xvill agree with me when I say that it is very hard to find any other single class or flower with such a large range of beautiful form and feature. Another thing that should commend it to the public is the very hardy habit o the plant. It will thrive almost anv where. 1 have seen it growing well o i almost bare sand, a lso on very poor cla v soil, such as you will find where bir< h and manuka have been growing. Anyone doubting this statement has only to pay a visit to a few of the gardens about Petone or to the public cemetery at the Taita in tin* Wellington district to con vince themselves such is the case. Then, again, it is a flower that commends itself to those with the smallest of plots, for not being of a spreading or rambling nature, anyone with very small gardens, or, perhaps, only a narrow border, may still have a fairly large variety without undue crowding*. Now, we come to the subject of cultivation, which is not a very difficult one. for, as I have said, the daffodil xvill thrive almost anywhere. For those who have the choice, a fairly deep loam is what I find suits them very well. Ground that has been manured for a previous crop suits them, but if you have to manure them after they are planted, none but well decomposed manure should be used,

for that containing much ammonia is very hurtful. The ground should he worked a good spade’s depth at the least, and most of the bulbs should be planted quite five inches deep: a few of the small and more delicate sorts a little less, say, four inches. After a bed is planted the bulbs may remain there for three years, and then it is advisable to lift them, as they will soon begin to crowd one another. This should Ik* done as soon as the foliage has withered down, and after storing for about three months, the best bulbs may be replanted. Anyone following this line of treatment will not go far wrong.

I will now give the names of a few varieties that are well-known, are eheap, or reasonably so. and that will keep a fairlv continuous run of blooms tor tom or live months, starting, we will say. al the beginning of July (sometimes r’arlier). Among the first to bloom are: Taper White. Staten General. White Pearl. Maximus. Triumph, and Princeps. Then follow most of the other polyanthus varieties, with a lot of the trumpets, such as Victoria. I lol’stieldii. Golden Spur. Albicans, J. B. M. Caiiini. Mrs. 'Thomson, with several of the double ones, such as Sulphurous, Butter ami Eggs, ’and Eggs and Bacon. These* should carry on to the end of August, and then we should be getting a lot of fine blooms, such as; M

J. Berkley. Madam Plemp. Madame De Graaff, Emperor, Empress, (dory of Leiden. Sir W’atkin. Stella Superba. ’and many others. Then follow a lot of the smaller varieties, say: Conspicuous, Albatross. Amabillis. Mrs. ('. Bow ley. Crown Prince, Beatrice, Sensation. Gloria Mundi, Flamingo, Queen

Sophia, and Erank Miles. These should keep the blooms going until the end ot September. There will then he following on: Baroness Heath. Ellen Barr. Agnes Barr, Crown Princess, Model. John Bain, Almira. Dante, and M’arvel. These should kc( p the garden going until tin* eiid of October, and then Bi Horus should be

blooming for -till anothei month. liu-t ing t hese few remark- may pro\e of in teie-t to some of your reader-. e