The Iron Ladies and Marathon Men Daffodil Club

An antique double. A truly joyous bloomer that deserves a place in any border or cottage garden. Daughter of Telamonious Plenus and Ornatus. Given the parentage Argent should be expected to perform in the deep south, but I can't find any explicit mentions of that.

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 old an bright small-cup, Narcissus Bath's Flame was once widely grown as a cut flower. A true classic that will never go out of style. Lithe and long lived. Based on the intense color that is coaxed out of the cup in the Dutch spring weather I think this daffodil would be classified as red, not orange in the cup if it was newly introduced today,

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.

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).

Do you have a desert island daffodil ? 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 would scrub our volcano every day. 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.

A lovely, older Robert Backhouse cultivar. Glowing Phoenix is wild and sparse double, colorful and free. That is free as in spirit, not as free as in beer. Rare. Very early. ADS Historic.

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.

Lucifer waves, winks, and beckons in the landscape. Star shaped with a rich colored cup that is variable with age. Angelic and demonic, a truly great landscape daffodil. ADS Historic. Limited.

Please contact me if your club would like to make a mass public planting of historics.

Consistent and persistent in the firmament of narcissus, Queen of the North should be everyone's first daffodil. Top of the list : Most beautiful flowers. Widely distributed, known, and loved. Deservedly so. ADS Historics.

Best in class: category historics. To our eye Seagull really stands out in form and in color, the orange rim makes its wave and wink visible from across the garden. Unforgettable.

White Lady is an old Engleheart variety that is maddeningly similar to Queen of the North. Having spent much time looking at the two I can say that if you showed me one flower and asked me which, I could not say. Show me one of each of them together I could easily pick out White Lady. She had a deeper color coalescing at the rim of the cup. Also lightly scented.

It is difficult to identify the old small cups from their shape alone: their form changes greatly as the bloom matures. I am sure that at one time long ago some reprobate mixed a stock of White Lady and Queen of the North together further compounding the confusion. Seagull is also similar.

Like most of the old small cups White Lady is as tough as an iron maiden, blooms well out of the leaves, and a top choice for a sparse vista (aka "Naturalized") planting. ADS Historic.

Will Scarlet has been in the trade as long or longer than any other daffodil cultivar but we seldom see him around any more. Renown for his deep color and vigorous growth he was a commonly grown garden daffodil. Like many first generation crosses Billy boy is the product of two species daffodils : N. abscissus x N. radiiflorus var. poetarum. Being fertile both ways Will was bred a lot in his salad days, not so much lately to our knowledge. Tall and late, good for the border, sparse vista plantings, and cutting. ADS Historic.