'Cragford' and 'Abba'

Continuing in the treatment of tazetta daffodils, today I have 'Cragford' and 'Abba' on display. 'Cragford' has relatively large white flowers with deep orange cups and a nice scent. The flowers were long-lasting and robust. I liked this one. 'Abba' is a double sport (chance mutation) of 'Cragford'. As I mentioned on this blog before, 'Abba' had some dead spots in the center of the flowers. I don't know if this was just a fluke or a common occurrence. In any case, 'Abba' is similar to the later-blooming 'Sir Winston Churchill'. I think I like 'Sir Winston Churchill' a little better so far.

'Abba'

'Abba'

'Cragford'

'Cragford'

The Daffseek database says 'Cragford' is usually sterile and I can say I don't think I'll have any seeds from it. Next year, I think I'll try growing 'Geranium'. It looks similar to 'Cragford', but may be better for breeding (also, 'Geranium' is the cultivar from which 'Sir Winston Churchill' came as a sport).

'Grand Primo'

'Grand Primo', also known as 'Grand Primo Citronière', is another historic tazetta daffodil. This one is actually growing in the woods around my dad's house, and under the ash tree behind my grandfather's old house. It's a Southern heirloom sometimes found on abandoned lots. It looks like a standard paperwhite, but it blooms a little later (although still early), the pollen is dark orange, and the corona color opens a delicate saffron color before fading to white. I really love this daffodil.

'Grand Primo'

'Grand Primo' 

'Grand Primo' in the sun

Family photo of my early-blooming potted plants. 'Grand Primo' is the tallest in the back. You can see it faded more to white after a few days. Others pictured: (back) 'Odoratus', 'Trevithian'; (middle) 'Sweetness', 'Abba', 'Cragford'; (front) Viola odorata 'Duchesse de Parme', 'Princeps', Narcissus x intermedius. 

'Odoratus'

'Odoratus' is one of the daffodils so old that it gets away with having a Latin cultivar name. Current horticultural convention prohibits Latin names, probably to ease confusion between man-made cultivars and natural varieties.

The Daffseek database says 'Odoratus' was found on the Isles of Scilly. I didn't know where that was, so I looked it up. They are southwest of England (northwest of France), and part of the United Kingdom.

'Odoratus' is a Tazetta daffodil with white petals and deep yellow or orange coronae. Unlike most other Tazettas, which I find to have a heady, almost spicy scent, 'Odoratus' smells like sweet, ripe apricots. The bulbs are huge and send up multiple stems.

I read that 'Odoratus' is seed and pollen fertile (on Daffseek), but after days of pollinating the flowers with just about every kind of daffodil pollen I could find, no seeds set. We'll have to wait to see if any pollen was able to fertilize other varieties.

'Odoratus'

'Odoratus' in the sun

'Odoratus' in cloudy weather

Another of 'Odoratus' in the sun for good measure

This was one of my favorite new daffodils. I hope it blooms as well next year.

As a bonus, from the same roll and same day as the sunny photos of 'Odoratus', a view from our lake house. The film is Ektar 100.

'Stella' and 'Sweetness'

After N. jonquilla var. henriquesii, next to bloom were 'Stella' and 'Sweetness'. By the way, we really need a shorter name for N. jonquilla var. henriquesii. Maybe "Henriques' jonquil". In any case, I was surprised by 'Stella'. It was my first time growing it. It has a nice fragrance reminiscent of large cup daffodils. 'Sweetness' is fragrant also, but more akin to a jonquil. Both are historic daffodil cultivars.

'Sweetness' has grown on me over the years. I've had it as long as 'Trevithian'. I bought six bulbs of each about ten years ago. While 'Trevithian' has gone from six bulbs to over a thousand and has a massive display every year, 'Sweetness' is a slow and steady increaser with a more modest display. I love 'Sweetness', though, because it blooms almost a month earlier; one of the first daffodils of spring always. 'Sweetness' and 'Trevitian' have similar flower size and fragrance, although 'Sweetness' is more narrow and elongated.

I tried pollinating both 'Sweetness' and 'Stella'. Both are likely sterile; no seeds set.

'Sweetness'

'Sweetness'

'Stella'

'Stella'

'Stella'

'Sweetness' with N. jonquilla var. henriquesii

'Stella' with 'Sweetness'

'Stella' is so graceful, and 'Sweetness' is so handsome. They make a fine couple.

Lent lilies

I didn't realize until this year that my grandfather's house has daffodils growing around it. Along the side are growing some lent lilies (Narcissus pseudonarcissus), a wild daffodil native to northwestern Europe and part of the parentage of many of the garden trumpet daffodils. They look like they've set seed, too, so I'll collect them.

Lent lilies (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Double Exposures

I tried out some double exposures with the Velvia 100 film I got recently.

Nunn-Winston House with flowering quince

Trumpet daffodil and flowering quince, both in the gardens around the Nunn-Winston house.

Snowflakes from my garden, on the same roll

My scanner had trouble with the double exposures. They were a little underexposed, and I think I just don't yet know how to scan them well yet. The actual slides look amazing. The scanner had no problem with the snowflakes. I'm loving Velvia 100 so far. I'll definitely keep shooting with it.

Lotion Recipe

I'm not a huge fan of lotion. I don't like slimy or sticky things on me, or anything that feels heavy. But, my hands and feet dry out a lot, especially in winter or when wearing sandals. For the most part, I've used oils instead of lotion. I now run a drop or two of argan oil through my hair and over my face after a shower. It absorbs quickly. I like coconut oil on my hands and feet. Recently, though, I experienced the wonders of glycerin. My heels were pretty severely cracked, and glycerin softened and smoothed them up in a week. My hands were cracking and peeling, too, after building spray guns at work. Glycerin cured that almost instantly. Another great thing I've come upon lately is squalane, a component of olive oil that has essentially the same properties as squalene, which skin produces naturally. I made a lotion recipe which I quite like. I put it in a little bottle that pumps a small amount at a time.

2 parts rose water glycerin mixture (You can buy this at stores, or alternatively dilute one part pure glycerin with two or three parts water.)

2 parts jojoba oil (a liquid wax)

1 part squalane

A few drops of argan oil or other plant oil

Shake bottle before each use until it forms a milky golden emulsion. Put a small amount in hands and rub together before applying. Allow to dry.