Three New Daffodils

Three new daffodils are blooming but I don't know what they are. I planted 15 new daffodil bulbs last fall. 5 came in a bag labeled "Variant." 10 came in a bag labeled "Sorcerer." I thought I was planting two varieties of daffodil. Apparently not. Now that spring is here, there are three distinct daffodils in bloom.

I love the pure white petals on this daffodil. The pink cup was totally unexpected (pink is not my first choice when selecting daffodils). And yet, compared to pink cups I have seen and grown, I quite like this one.

This small-cupped daffodil could be "Sorcerer." I found only one image of "Sorcerer" online and this comes pretty close.

This is the largest daffodil bloom I have ever seen. It is freakishly huge and the stems bend under the weight of the flower. The colour succession on this flower is quite dramatic: the orange cup is surrounded by yellow petals that fade to white at the tips. Very interesting.

The true identities of these daffodils may forever be a mystery to me. Just another reason to never trust a plant label.

An Exceptional Year for Daffodils

It has been an exceptional year for daffodils. One of my favourites is "Barrett Browning," with its white petals and frilly orange cup. The water droplets are a nice touch. This daffodil has under-performed in the last two years. It is said to be a good naturalizer, however, so I hope it eventually finds its stride because it really is a beauty.

"Minnow" is a miniature with a bloom about the size of a thumb print. Even a small grouping of "Minnow" looks very impressive as each stem can carry multiple blooms.

The King Alfreds (which aren't really King Alfreds) look stunning as usual.

Tete-a-Tete, another miniature, continues to bloom its little head off. The first blooms appeared in late March. This is a garden work-horse. I dare say it's a guaranteed bloomer even for gardeners who have a lot of bad luck.

This unknown daffodil variety continues to be my favourite. It has returned reliably for years.

I was worried for the daffodils during our March heatwave. But now that temperatures have returned to seasonal and even a little below seasonal, the daffodils seem quite content and I am more than happy to enjoy their long-lasting blooms.