2013:The Year of Tete-a-Tete

Tete-a-Tete Miniature Daffodil

Tete-a-Tete is often named as the most popular daffodil in the world. I'm not sure if that claim comes from growers,retailers or a survey of gardeners but I don't doubt that it's true. A twitter friend asked me the other day which daffodil I would recommend to someone who could only grow one. My answer was Tete-a-Tete,an early bloomer introduced in 1949, because in my opinion it is one of the easiest to grow and most consistent daffodils on the market today. It grows well in the garden and in containers. It will grow in the Far North and in the Deep South. As long as it's not in standing water,this little daffodil is tolerant of a wide variety of soil conditions.

The Somewhat Mysterious Origins of Tete-a-Tete 

Because of its mixed parentage Tete-a-Tete is classified as a Division 12 miscellaneous daffodil of garden origin. According to an article on  BotanyBoy.org, Tete-a-Tete is an allotriploid hybrid,meaning it has more than two ancestral parents and an extra pair of chromosomes. N.'cyclataz',an heirloom hybrid of N.tazetta 'Grand Soleil D'or' and N. cyclamineus was revealed by testing to be the seed parent of Tete-a-Tete. Its pollen parent remains unknown because Tete-a-Tete was a happy accident rather than the result of an intentional cross by a daffodil breeder. Because its DNA reveals a lot of cyclamineus gene markers it seems likely that the pollen parent was also a cyclamineus type,either the species or a garden hybrid.

Tete-a-Tete definitely has the typical flower form of a cyclamineus daffodil with reflexed petals and long cups. Like its tazetta ancestors and unlike its cyclamineus parent Tete-a-Tete blooms in clusters, especially the first year after planting.

Tete-a-Tete is a Proven Garden Performer

I have grown Tete-a-Tete since 1999 and the original patch still blooms faithfully every year. It was the only daffodil to escape unscathed when my garden was pretty much destroyed by storms over the last few years. Three years ago I added another 100 bulbs to the front of the flower bed and they have also established nicely.

Tete-a-Tete Daffodils Planted In 1999

I decided to start a new daffodil garden last fall. The new spot is heavily wooded but receives bright sun all day from November to May. I believe this area will be perfect for early blooming daffodils. I planted 25 bulbs each of Tete-a-Tete,Carlton,Ice Follies,and Jetfire and ten bulbs of Dutch Master and all bloomed beautifully. Of course all flowering bulbs will bloom well the first year after planting but I know I can depend on Tete-a-Tete to return year after year even if I forget to divide or fertilize.

Tete-a-Tete is usually the first daffodil to bloom in my garden and 2013 was no exception. I was lucky enough to have this daffodil in bloom during the early ,mid-season and late blooming periods this year. Rainy,weather delayed my autumn bulb planting and many did not make it to the garden until a week before Christmas.The new bulbs bloomed a few weeks later than normal pushing the blooms well into the mid season.

In mid January I found a box of unidentified bulbs behind a book shelf. These were obviously leftovers from fall planting. There were about a dozen of them and they were all alive so I planted them in an old,unattractive plastic pot I had lying around. The bulbs turned out to be Ice Follies and Tete-a-Tete. They began blooming around the first of April. Cool conditions kept the flowers coming until April 20^th.

Tete-a-Tete Is A Foolproof Choice For the Daffodil Garden and Containers

If you are looking for a tough,enduring daffodil that is easy to establish,you can't make a better choice than Tete-a-Tete. Because of its popularity Tete-a-Tete is widely grown and can be found in large quantities at a reasonable price either locally or online.

Tete-a-Tete also performs beautifully as a container plant either alone or in a mixed planting with larger daffodils,tulips or hyacinths and smaller bulbs like crocus,iris reticulata and scilla. Pansies and violas also make great container mates for miniature daffodils.

Plant lots and lots of these little bulbs this fall and  and you will not be disappointed with the late winter show they will give you. Plant some a little later than the normal daffodil planting time to extend the Tete-a-Tete season.

Cold UK Winter Means Daffodil Shortage For Mother's Day

Fewer British mums will receive daffodils for Mother's Day this year due to a colder than normal winter. According to the British Daffodil Growers Association the frigid temperatures mean most of the early trumpet daffodils popular as Mother's Day gifts will simply not be in bloom in time for the holiday this weekend. Only 2,000 boxes of cut daffodils have been sent to florists this year,less than half the number sold in recent years. The prices for the narcissus flowers that do reach florists will be double what daffodils cost last year. You can read all the details on this developing story at the Telegraph of London.

The Early Season Has Arrived!

Thanks to some long periods of warm,rainy weather,the early season daffodils are already in bloom here in Zone 7b. The 2013 Earliest Daffodil award will be shared by Ice Follies and Tete-a-Tete.Both of these daffodils opened their first buds on February 6,slightly earlier than "normal."  

Ice Follies

Tete-a-Tete

There is nothing unusual about these two being the earliest bloomers.The early season is usually a three-way race between Ice Follies,Tete-a-Tete and Carlton.The old patch of Carlton went blind a couple of years ago so he unfortunately wasn't a contender this year. I did plant 25 bulbs in a new garden bed this year so maybe Carlton will regain the title in 2014.

Compare this to the non-winter of 2012 when Tete-a-Tete first bloomed on February 13th and Ice Follies debuted on February18th. This was right on time despite the 75 degree temps. The earliest narcissus of 2012 bloomed on January 24th. It was (surprise!)Geranium, a Poetaz type that usually  blooms along with the jonquils in late March and early April. 

The early season trumpets,large cups and miniatures can be wildly variable in their bloom times, in my experience. If the weather is warm and sunny they are often in bloom in early February while snow and ice early in the winter seem to frighten them into waiting several weeks.

It will be interesting to see how the season progresses in 2013. The nights have been cold but a warm spell and a foot of rain in January and 6 inches so far in February are all that was needed to wake the garden. The leucojum has been blooming since December and the iris reticulata bloomed in January and I didn't even notice until after it was finished. All signs are pointing to an early spring but it's not time to celebrate yet. The coldest weather of the winter often comes in March. Stay tuned.