Historics

Beefy and Bright April Queen is an older variety that is enjoying a newly found cult of admirers. Blooms out of the leaves, blooms more into May for us in 6a.

An antique double. A truly joyous bloomer that deserves a place in any border or cottage garden. Daughter of Telamonious Plenus and Ornatus.

Barri Conspicuous is one of the founding members of the Iron Ladies and Marathon Men Daffodil Club. A very old Backhouse seedling, aka Conspicuus, has broad petals for an antique, a long 90 degree neck, and a yellow petal color that transmogrifies to creamy white. The cup is a pleasing yet intense yellow orange with just the right amount of Victorian frilly bling. A truly great landscape flower that has been dug and replanted for 150 years, and with good reason. ADS Historic. The Barr Family were well established daffodil merchants in London by the turn of the 20th century . The appellation "Barrii" or sometimes "Barri" was an early attempt at classification and was applied to many poeticus / pseudo narcissus crosses that they marketed. The tall stems of modern cultivars likely descends from these early crosses of the upright poeticus species. The Barri nomenclature is now commonly dropped.

An older and bright small-cup, Narcissus Bath's Flame was once widely grown as a cut flower.

Belisana flies an intense orange frilly-crenulated cup over detailed petals maturing creamy white. Large, tall and proud she performs well in the landscape, mixed border and show bench. Mid 20th Century Modern.

An Englehardt cultivar, similar to Conspicuus , but Brilliancy keeps his yellow perianth color, loud cup, and is really tall. Another old timer that brings real, perennial, spring glory to the bed and landscape. Unlike us, the petals get slender and slim with age. Small availability,

This long celebrated double is new to our list. She is a magnificent creature and as old as the hills, as fresh as the dawn. Good for all uses and certainly as a conversation piece. I seldom see Butter and Eggs on the bench, but in a historical group certainly one to have. Fabulous and luxurious North, South, East, and West.

Anyone referring to a flower named 'Buttercup' elicits all kinds of confusion. Are they referencing a Ranunculus, using a generic term for jonquils that bloom freely in the South, increasingly as an alias for TÍte-‡-TÍte? One of the several daffodils registered under that name? We offer the historic Rev. Engleheart jonquilla 'Buttercup', a strong grower with large flowers more reminiscent of a historic small cup. Rare. Brings intense happiness to the gardener. Smells good.

Canaliculatus - An important Tazetta that is grown commercially in large numbers. A historic, an ADS Classic and an ADS miniature. On commercial acreage lists in Holland it is categorized as a species. Pollen and Pod fertile. We maintain a small stock that is hand harvested and graded apart from the large commercial growers. Floriferous, bright and fragrant. Mentioned as an "erratic and fussy bloomer"¹ in Southern zones 8 and above.


^{1. Daffodils in American Gardens 1733-1940, Sara L. van Beck, 101}

Cyclataz is the lovechild of a species CYCLAmineus and the TAZetta Grande Soleil d'Or . Vigorous, floriferous, wild in form, rich in color. Cyclataz does well in pot culture. ADS Historic. ADS Miniature. She is also the parent of three notable offsprin

Broad white petals with a coy green eye. Much Sought after. ADS Historic, ADS Classic. Tall and late, it plays well with others: We put it on the May floral market.

A historic poetaz, Early Spendour has ample wide petals and a brilliant over all coloration that sings in the sunlight. Easy to photograph, easy to fall in love with. ADS historic.

An antique all over mellow yellow small cup from the Rev Engleheart. This is a rare daffodil, so rare that it is rumored not to exist. But here we are one hundred years on with no end in sight. Petals get slim, acute, and shouldered with age. Swellegant ( thanks Cole Porter).

Erlicheer is an older tazetta sport with bodacious double, strongly scented blooms. Excellent for forcing and for cut flowers. Erlicheer may struggle in Zone 6 even with some winter protection. Grows freely in the South. A singular daffodil. Classified as a double but we all know that it really behaves as a tazetta. Makes an unusually large bulb.

Do you have a desert island daffodil ? (dit vertaalt zich niet in het Nederlands). Feu de Joie is ours, we would happily be banished to a desert island or even asteroid B-612 for that matter if we could take only this flower. We are swooning and proud that this flower finally made our list. Returns and rewards annually in the garden. Every bloom better than the next. Antique white / orange double. ADS Historic. Very limited stock.

Le feu de joie, c'est un beau coup de fusil.

Watching a planting of Firebrand in bloom blow in the breeze on a sunny spring day is an encounter that may never let slip from memory. A poster child for the greatness of historic, small-cupped daffodils : bred mostly by tweed wearing clerics and the landed gentry. A handsome devil, much like Lucifer . Increases with a little care.

Frank Miles has been bringing his sunny disposition to the landscape for 150 years. A two-toned gold on gold large cup that is stunning in the border. If you can have only one antique in your garden, Frank will be a long lasting and loyal friend. Frank was a friend of Oscar Wilde and not homely at all. Historic. Rare.

Gloriosus is a floriferous and beautiful very old tazetta with strong orange colored cups and a classic strong, sweet, fragrance. Pollen and seed fertile Glorious is also self fertile and "seeds like crazy" . A thing of joy and glory forced in a pot or as a cut flower. Needs a winter blanket in northern zones. Not to be confused with the tazetta cultivar "Glorious".

A lovely, older Robert Backhouse cultivar. Glowing Phoenix is wild and sparse double, colorful and free. Rare. Very early. ADS Historic.

A large flowered and deep cylindrical cupped jonquil that has been going strong for a century. Fragrant and lanky, well-loved in the South. Long lived and long lasting. ADS Historic.

Grand Monarque is an old and important Tazetta, once grown in great numbers for the cut flower market. Recently it has produced some remarkable seedlings. Plainly colored, Floriferous and fragrant. From the species N. tazetta subsp. lacticolor

Plain when compared to modern cultivars, but distinguished and dignified in its simple form. More than one customer relayed a similar story, it goes something like this. "When I was young I visited a neighbor with daffodil bed that included Helios, I fell in love at first sight and never forgot it. I am so happy that it is still available, having given up on ever finding it."

It also turns out Helios is sought after by those in pharmaceutical research, as it is remarkably high in the alkaloid narciclasine. The compound lycorine, also present in daffodils, is what makes them poisonous, unpalatable and thus "deer proof".

Helios is classified as a standard, but is easily at the upper height limits : it sails over the spring bed.

An old poet who, even with the demise of the interest in Latin, continues to be relevant. Horace is tall and like Kansas is as flat as a pancake. As he ages he progresses from a rounded flower to a spellbing rounded star. An offspring of Ornatus.

Inglescombe (Pre-1912)

Many of the historic old blooms that we love are star-flowered small cups. But watch out, the free formed, star shaped, old doubles will steal your heart and leave you jaded. Insulinde is ivory, tangerine and libertine all over. Long lived plant, long lasting blooms held aloft on robust scapes. A Sarah Backhouse cultivar.

A taller old white petaled maiden with an ample, orange, and frilled disc cup that can become reflexed. Patrimony is unknown, but a great example of this form, much more substantial and upright than Professor Einstein who has all but disappeared from cultivation. Jacquline brings a sunny and easy disposition wherever she goes.

Killara (Pre-1910) ADS Historic. Australian.

Well rounded and bright, La Riante is a sassy old small cup. Historic and contrasty, broad white petals with a yellow orange ribbed cup. La Riante was very common in trade mid century. May sun burn without afternoon shade. Rare.