We are lucky in Canberra and NSW that we have
the opportunity to see some of the newest and most unusual
daffodils anywhere. At the shows in Blayney (9 September),
Canberra (16 - 17 September) and Orange (23 September), and
at the HSOC/Daffodil Society display at Floriade (October
long weekend), there will be some very special things to see.
Look out for a few things in particular.
The yellow pinks
Much progress has been made with yellow pink daffodils in
both form and colour. Certainly two of the most talked about
flowers at the World Convention in Melbourne in 2004 were
the Jacksons’ seedling yellow pinks.
Jackson 1y-p seedling at the World
Convention,
Melboure, 2004
One of these, called Sally Mally, has been
released this year and could well turn up at one of our shows
or displays. There are also some wonderful yellow pinks originating
from other countries, including those from America where one,
American Dream, was selected as the best bloom at the 2005
American convention.
The cyclamineus hybrids
These attractive little flowers stand out amongst daffodils.
In our region they make wonderful garden plants. I think it
is fair to say that the displays of these at our local shows
are as good as you could see anywhere, and probably better!
Turland Gold, bred in Canberra by Tony
Davis
Varieties that you may see include some from
the UK (Noss Mayo), the USA (Rapture), NZ (Trena, Tracey and
Utiku), Tasmania (Abracadabra and Voodoo) and those bred locally
(Turland Gold and Good Friend).
The "splits"
Some people love them - others hate them. Certainly the quality
of the split corona daffodils is improving both as cut flowers
and for garden display. While they have always been colourful
they have lacked the substance and consistent form of other
modern hybrids. This is changing and you might see some of
the more recent improvements at our local displays.
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Seedling "Split" bred by
Tony Davis
These include She's Smokin' and Flavel (from
Tasmania) as well as a number of New Zealand and UK varieties.
There are also a number of locally bred seedlings coming through
that could be exciting.
The Minis
Great advances have been made in the miniatures in recent
years.
Seedling mini bred by Graham Fleming
of Keira Bulbs -
Champion minature and reserve champion daffodil,
Canberra National Championships, 2005. Photo by Graham Fleming
There has been a lot of breeding activity and
many new varieties have come onto the market. At our displays
you might see some of these newer varieties (Le Brute or Angel's
Whisper) from Tasmania or you might see some of our locally
bred miniatures, such as Platinum Legend, which are as good
as any in the world.
Red Trumpets
When I started growing daffodils these were something of a
holy grail. Now there are some very good yellow red trumpets
emerging from breeding programs in the UK, the USA, NZ, and
Tasmania. There will not be many of them but if you are lucky
you might see one or two.
The seedlings
Lots of seedlings are being developed in the local region.
Many of these are very good flowers. You never know what you
might see either in terms of colour or form.
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