'Willpower & sheer idiocy combine in harmony'
From top, Minnow; Tete a Tete; Pacific Coast; Triandrus Thalia; Sundisc.
Go for fragrant daffodils, narcissi & jonquils
I THOUGHT digging up the lawn was hard work - try planting 150 daffodils in heavy clay/gravel with a bad back!
My long-handled bulb planter did its job - they dig a circular hole, then the clod of earth inside is pushed out by the next hole, and so on.
I wanted some early season scent and no doubles - nothing too fancy. This is what I planted:
Minnow: Cream and yellow flowers. 15-20cm tall and produces two to four dainty little soft yellow flowers per stem. Well known for its ability to increase rapidly. Fragrant. Flowers March/April.
Pacific Coast: A yellow version of Minnow. Fragrant. Height 15-20cm. Flowers March/April.
Sweetness: Jonquil type, bold-shaped cups, golden yellow throughout, up to five flowers per stem. Height 40cm. Very fragrant. Flowers March/April.
Tete a Tete: Dwarf variety with up to three star shaped flowers per stem, white with cream trumpets. Ht. 15cm. Flowers March.
Sun Disc: Broad, overlapping perianth segments, which fade from buttery yellow to rich cream as they mature, surround a flattened, darker yellow corona. Each stem produces between one and three scented flowers. Height 18cm. Flowers April.
Triandrus Thalia: Fragrant single trumpet Narcissus, multi-headed, 30cm, flowers April/May.
Tulips for spring '16
IT'S a story of diminishing returns with big, blousy tulips - magnificent first year, the display getting steadily worse with each passing season.
I treat tulips like annuals, growing them in pots, as they don't do well in my cold, clay soil, and replant every autumn (usually November, to avoid the tulip fire virus).
I fancied a fiery orange theme for next spring (with a contrast), so this is what I've chosen:
Prinses Irene (single early): A Triumph tulip I've grown before, with electric orange petals and purple/rust coloured stripes. They are sweetly scented and have short, sturdy stems, making them ideal for windy gardens. Flowers from late March, very long lasting. Plant 10-15cm deep in well drained, fertile soil - ideal for pots, height 40cm.
Black Knight (single late): Almost black, flowering from April to May and a perfect partner to El Nino. It reaches a height of 50-60cm. Plant in full sun or partial shade in well drained, fertile soil.
El Nino (Triumph): This rare colour-changing tulip begins golden yellow and orange, with salmon-rose appearing as wild stripes or speckles that intensify and deepen with age. No two look the same, and each one stands on a contrasting yellow-green stem with broad lance-shaped leaves. Flowers April to May, height 40cm.
Two late additions to replace the Canna are the fringed varieties purple Curly Sue, flowers April-May, 50cm, and orange Lambada, also flowering at the same time, 40cm.
Prinses Irene (Princess Irene) in some catalogues.
Bursts of orange - top, tulip Lambada; above, El Nino.
YOU can beat having to replace tulips by growing their smaller species varieties, hailing from mountainous regions in Central Asia.
They're extremely tough and can be left in the ground where they will come back year after year, forming good-sized clumps.
All they need is a sunny spot with reasonably fertile, free-draining soil. Plant November-December, 10-15cm deep and 10-15cm apart.
Remove the flowers after they have faded and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser for a month before they die down.
Tulipa Little Beauty: upright bowl-shaped flowers. The hot pink petals often have a green flush on their outer edges, while the inside eye is a mix of creamy white and rich blue, 15cm tall.
Tulipa saxatilis Lilac Wonder: mauve-pink flowers, with a paler interior and a luminous, well-defined eye, 25cm tall.
Tulipa tarda: Lance-shaped green leaves, which in early to mid-spring are crowned with white-tipped yellow flowers, 15cm tall.
Species tulips
Above, Lilac Wonder; below, Little Beauty; T. tarda.
Daffodils & tulips: iconic spring colour
New Cornish daffodils from Dobies for 2017
THE last of the daffodils are still dying down, but always looking ahead, Dobies has unveiled four new Cornish varieties for autumn planting.
For more than 100 years, Cornish-bred bulbs have been a symbol of vigour, quality, depth of colour and early flowering:
Daffodil Sacajawea: Bright colour contrast between the golden yellow petals and the striking orange-red centre. Flowers February-March. Ht. 30/40cm. Bulb size 12/14cm, 10 bulbs £8.99.
Daffodil Children's Promise: A bicolour flower with a creamy white perianth and rich amber coloured cup. Flowers February-March. Ht. 30-40cm. Bulb size 12/14cm, 10 bulbs £8.99.
Daffodil Terwegen: A rare double variety, with deep golden petals of regular form, interspersed with orange-red petals in the centre. Flowers April. Ht. 30-40cm. Bulb size 12/14cm, 10 bulbs £8.99.
Daffodil Miniature Niveth: A pure white miniature with a deep bowl-shaped cup and broad petals which just overlap. Often two flowers to a stem. Flowers March. Ht. 20-30cm. Bulb size 10/12cm, 10 bulbs £8.99.
For information on other Cornish varieties, visit www.dobies.co.uk.
From top, Sacajawea; Children's Promise; Terwegen; Miniature Niveth. Pictures; Dobies
