Daffodils For Hot Climates

A trumpet Daffodil has an enlarged corona (center cup) that is at least as long as the petals(perianth)are wide. Mount Hood is the best trumpet type in my Alabama garden. It blooms in mid March and stands up to any weather. The petals are creamy white and the trumpet starts out pale yellow and fades to ivory. I also have a little patch of Dutch Master that blooms dependably but the golden flowers never get very large.In General large cupped types are better in southern gardens. Trumpet types will grow through Zone 8 and are mostly early bloomers.

Dutch Master Trumpet Daffodil

If you live in frost-free zones 9 or 10 you can cheat by popping your trumpet bulbs in the fridge for 6-8 weeks and planting them after the nights are consistently cool. Unfortunately they are best treated as annuals in your mild Winter zone. You can dig them up after the foliage dies back in late Spring and repeat the process if you like a challenge but buy fresh bulbs anyway so you won't be disappointed. They usually won't bloom but once after getting a cold treatment. The blooms will last longer in the heat if you give them some afternoon shade.

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A large cupped daffodil has a cup that almost qualifies as a trumpet and they are mostly early blooming. Large cupped Ice Follies is probably the most dependable early bloomer in my garden. In fact,Ice Follies grows well all over North America and Europe. It has a large flower with crisp white petals and a flat yellow cup that fades to ivory. If the weather is mild it often blooms in my garden in February! If the winter is colder it blooms in early March. This is a tough flower that stands up to early heat and surprise late frosts. It is listed to grow through Zone 8.

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Other large cupped daffodils that grow well in the South are St. Keverne and Carlton ,both yellow flowering. Both have large flowers that have cups almost as long as a trumpet. Carlton is the first bulb I planted in my present garden about 12 years ago. I bought a cheap bag of 100 small bulbs and planted them in a big rectangle. They still bloom like gang busters every spring even though I've never even divided them.This patch of Carlton is the backbone of my Spring flower garden.

Again,if you live in a hotter zone you can try growing these bulbs by giving them a cold treatment in the fridge for a few weeks and planting them outside when the nights have been consistently cool for a couple of weeks probably in late November or December. Plant them in a partially shaded spot so the blooms will last longer. If you're a beginner and you want guaranteed success stick with tazettas and jonquillas.

Yes Jonquillas are the true Jonquil. Many Southerners refer to yellow trumpet daffodils as Jonquils but this is technically incorrect. Jonquillas have blue-green tubular foliage and two or more sweetly scented flowers per stem. Baby Moon is the last narcissus to bloom in my garden. This variety is very close to the ancient wild jonquillas of the Mediterranean. Other great daffodils of this type are yellow flowered Quail and Bell Song which has white petals and a blush pink cup. Any narcissus bulbs in the jonquilla division are good choices for the South.

These jonquilla bulbs can be ordered now for delivery in the Autumn. Ordering early ensures that your favorites will be available.

Jonquilla Daffodil Quail

Quail is a heavily scented late blooming golden jonquil is that produces new flower stems for up to a month.

Jonquilla Baby Boom

Baby Boom is a new miniature jonquil for 2009.It closely resembles the wild narcissus jonquilla that is native to Spain and Portugal.

This cluster flowering narcissus is widely accepted by botanists to be the first types ever cultivated by humans.No matter where your hot weather garden is narcissus tazetta will not fail you. They will bloom without a chilling period so They are the top choice for frost free areas. Geranium, a heavenly smelling white type with tiny orange cups is my best performing tazetta. It is always listed in the catalogs as a mid season bloomer but it blooms in April in my garden. Early blooming Avalanche and miniature Minnow, both yellow cupped, are also good performers. You probably can't go wrong with any of the daffodils in this division.

The tazetta family also includes paperwhites which are usually grown indoors but can be grown outdoors as annuals in frost free areas. Paperwhites are the one type of narcissus that is not properly called a daffodil. Note: Some paperwhites have a strong musky odor that many people hate. This is due to a chemical called an indole which is similar to e. coli bacteria! If you don't like the scent of paperwhites try a variety called Grand Soleil D'or. It smells a lot like Geranium.

Geranium Tazetta Daffodil

Geranium is my absolute favorite tazetta daffodil. It has a sweet perfume that smells like jasmine with a touch of fruitiness. There is no hint of musk in its fragrance. Geranium and its double form, Sir Winston Churchill, are late bloomers that will perfume your whole yard on April evenings if you plant enough of them.

Thalia, a white-flowered narcissus triandrus hybrid that was introduced in 1916 is still the most popular daffodil of this type and it blooms reliably all over the Southern states.

Thalia Daffodil

Thalia is the most consistent triandrus daffodil in my garden

Tresamble is another good triandrus you can try. It blooms a few days later than Thalia and has larger flowers. Triandrus flowers are borne in clusters of 2-7 flowers that hang downward from the stem. The most common form is a group of 3 blooms that form a triangle. Most commercial varieties of this type have white flowers but there are a few yellow and pink ones on the market. Don't bother with double flowered triandrus hybrids. The blooms won't stand up to rain or heat.

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Bulbocodium or hoop petticoat daffodils are excellent for the deep South.This narcissus type has a huge bell shaped corona that is surrounded by tiny almost unnoticeable petals. It thrives in the hottest Summer areas. The most popular bulbocodium is the heavy flowering hybrid Golden Bells.

Cyclamineus daffodils are very early bloomers that have a prominent trumpet that juts straight out from petals that look as if they were blown backwards in a wind storm. February Gold and Peeping Tom are two well known types of this daffodil.Jetfire is another great performer in this division(see bellow.) Cyclamineus daffodils are not true miniatures and some of them have been highly hybridized but they have retained their wild looks so I included them here.

Jetfire Cyclamineus Daffodils

Update:Since I first wrote this I've been informed by a few other Southerners that narcissus cyclamineus varieties do not grow well in their gardens. They apparently like to have a moister soil in the summer. If your garden is dry in the summer you may want to try planting these in a bed where other plants are growing so they can get a little moisture when you water the other plants. I unintentionally planted my February Golds this way and they do fine.

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Two other varieties of note here are the unclassified Rip Van Winkle an early beauty from Ireland that has double dandelion-like flowers and Tete-a-Tete, a cluster flowering type that is the earliest narcissus to bloom in my garden.

Some members of the narcissus family actually need to be planted in soil that freezes or has snow cover for extended periods. Let's face it. That's not us. Let's stick with the bulbs that like our weather so we won't get discouraged and give up on our flowering friends.

One beautiful narcissus that is probably not worth the trouble is the famous and ancient Poet's Daffodil (poeticus recurvus), also known as Pheasant's Eye. I must admit that I do have a little patch of these in an out of the way corner of my garden but they only bloom every couple of years and heat or rain always cut the flowers down in their prime. They are obviously Yankee Flowers that dislike living below Mason and Dixon's line.(Sorry,I couldn't resist that little bit of Southern humor).

Note: Most daffodils in the small cupped division have Pheasant's Eye parentage which makes them undependable performers for the deep South. These are also the most expensive narcissus type. If You want to try this type choose early blooming varieties.Don't waste your money if you live south of Zone 7. The exception to this rule is the lovely Cheerfulness a late blooming poeticus/tazetta cross which comes in white and yellow and loves warm climates.

Spring rain and heat also make late, large double flowering types a general waste of time and garden space. Sir Winston Churchill,a double tazetta type that smells sweet and blooms just before the late jonquillas in my garden is a double that defies the rules.

Late blooming Split Corona types are poor performers in my yard but I have seen them in other gardens in my area so I'll leave you to your own judgement on these.

Don't be afraid to grow daffodils just because you live in a hot climate. When you choose the right varieties for your weather you will be rewarded with beautiful narcissus flowers for at least two months every Spring. Okay,what are you waiting for? It's time to get started.

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