After planting bulbs of the Daffodil February Gold last Autumn, I thought I was being rather optimistic in expecting them to live up to their title.

I have in the past seen some of the early varieties of Daffs blooming in late February here in Aberdeen, if planted in a sheltered sunny spot.

However, these ones which I planted in pots last Autumn were placed in our patio area,which, from the month of November until the end of February is completely void of sunshine.

February gold not only had to put up with full shade, but also had to show their strength in getting through a Winter which was to last right through until the twelfth of April.

The result is, here on the 13th of April, we finally have this delightful Narcissus giving us a marvelous show, looking out from the dining room on to the patio.  It was not until the eighth of April that February Gold opened up its first bloom.  Actually, I did speed up the opening of the blooms by placing the tubs in a sunny spot for three days, yes we did have three days in a row when the sun shone off and on, still flippin freezing though.

The preferred position for this Narcissus/Daffodil is of course full sun/partial shade.  I think its always worth stretching the barriers at times, although in this case I would recommend a sunny spot.

The bright yellow blooms of February Gold have rather long narrow trumpets and outer petals which are slightly swept back.  Its about 30cm/12″ tall growing slightly taller than this in our shady spot.  They really are looking good and deserving of the prestigious award of garden merit received from The Royal Horticultural Society.

Unlike Tulips which we grow in pots and treat as annuals the Daffs get stored after dying back, and either planted in more permanent positions in the borders or come Autumn replanted in tubs for the following Spring.

Although we have some taller Daffodils in the borders we now tend to plant up only the shorter varieties such as these highlighted today, so many to choose from and they all stand up so well regardless of the weather conditions.

 

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We also have Tete e Tete in tubs this year. This one reaches only 15/20cm/6/8″ in height.

It is generally said that each stem carries two or three blooms.  We have two pots planted up with these little beauties. When the pictures were taken on the ninth of April there were still a lot of buds to open, some stems do have two blooms,  however each bulb has produced three or four individual flowering stems.

The cold early Spring has resulted in this early blooming Daff to be later in coming into flower, I will not be surprised to see it still in bloom at the very end of the month and perhaps even into May.

I am not sure when Tete e Tete was introduced but in the 70s, mention a dwarf Daffodil and this one would have been the recommendation.

Plant your bulbs three inches deep in containers, at the front of the border or in the alpine garden in full sun/part shade and enjoy next Spring.

Tete e Tete also received the RHS prestigious award of garden merit.

Flowering in Aberdeen – March/April –  Possibly late February

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The final Daffodil which I would like to highlight today is (Jack Snipe)

We grew this one for the first time last year and now would not dream of being without it in the garden.

This year we have fresh ones in pots and those from last year were planted in the border after flowering and looking good although not as yet fully open.

Jack Snipe in our garden grows to 30cm 12″ tall, the trumpet is yellow and the outer creamy white petals are reflexed.

Needless to say, Jack Snipe also received the RHS award of garden merit.

Of these three, if I were asked to place them in order of preference I would first go for – Jack Snipe – Tete e tete – February Gold.

_I have seen Winters in the past, here in the city, much colder than the one which is now supposed to be over, but never one as long.  From the second week in March the temperature has almost  remained between -1 and +5c, constant snow showers and wind chill making it feel even colder than the actual temperature. Today as I write this on the 9th of April a thin layer of snow covered the ground in the early morning.

Mr duck who dropped by at this time last year decided to look back again yesterday, just called on his own this time.

 I guess Myra and I are now past the stage where major projects go on in our garden. Its more or less all about maintenance, and of course new plants regularly find their way into the borders.  However can you see what we have added, a little preview below and when we get the area all sorted out I will let you have a better look.  Well I say sorted out but it will probably take a few makeovers before we decide that we are satisfied.

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