Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving day in the USA. I know not everyone in the world celebrates the holiday but I just want to thank you for reading All About Daffodils. Don't forget to count your blessings!

Narcissus Jonquilla:The True Jonquil

Narcissus Jonquilla is the true jonquil and is the 7th of the 13 Divisions of daffodils.Although they are listed as hardy from USDA Zones 5-9 they are most at home in areas with wet springs and hot,dry summers.

Jonquils have been popular in the South since colonial times and old types like Texas Star,Campernelle, and Louisiana Jonquil can still be found growing at old homesteads and cemeteries and along country roadsides.

Even though they have naturalized and escaped from gardens all over the southern states jonquils are European. Narcissus jonquilla is native to Spain and Portugal which has a similar climate to the warmer areas of the US.

Jonquils have several flowers per stem and are the most fragrant of all narcissus. Some of the newer hybrids have been bred to be larger but jonquils are naturally a small plant,no more than 8-10 inches tall.

Jonquils usually have wide, bell-shaped cups that are sometimes ruffled. Newer types may have much larger flowers and white petaled types with pink cups are becoming more popular.

The most distinguishing characteristic of narcissus jonquilla is its round blue-green leaves. Many newer hybrid jonquils have been crossed with tazetta type daffodils and may have the typical,wide,flat leaves of a daffodil. Almost all of the older garden jonquils have the round,rush-like leaves and small flowers.

Bell Song,the jonquil in the picture above is one of the newer types that has been crossed with another type of narcissus,probably a tazetta. If you look closely you can see that the leaves are wide and flat and not round like a true jonquil.

Jonquils Will Also Grow In Northern Gardens

Even though narcissus jonquilla is a southern favorite,gardeners in other regions can also grow jonquils successfully if certain simple steps are taken. Jonquil bulbs are planted just like any other daffodil.

In the desert or other areas with dry winters and springs you will need to make sure your bulbs get supplemental water during their growing season.

Jonquils should not be watered in the summer. They like to be in hot and dry soil during their dormant period so make sure they aren't planted a wet area.

In northern areas plant your bulbs as early as you can in an area of your yard that gets full sun during the spring and apply a thick mulch. If you're not sure if jonquils will do well in your garden try planting a few bulbs to see how they perform. If they do well you can always plant more next fall.

Jonquillas are generally late blooming and some of them will bloom for several weeks.

New Baby Jonquilla Daffodil

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Daffodil, Narcissus, or Jonquil: Is There A Difference?

I tend to throw the terms daffodil,narcissus and jonquil around on this blog quite a bit. This may have led to some confusion among newbie gardeners who are unfamiliar with daffodil lingo. Is a daffodil the same as a narcissus?

This is the official answer from the American Daffodil Society website:

The two words are synonyms. Narcissus is the Latin or botanical name for all daffodils, just as ilex is for hollies. Daffodil is the common name for all members of the genus Narcissus, and its use is recommended by the ADS at all times other than in scientific writing.

So,the short answer is "yes." All daffodils are members of the narcissus genus. Narcissus is the proper name and daffodil is the common name. Especially in North America,all types of narcissus flowers are usually called daffodils except for regional differences.

As far as the common names used for members of the narcissus family in different regions, the official explanation doesn't explain the confusion. Many people until the early 20th century (and sometimes even now) only referred to yellow trumpet or large cupped narcissi as daffodils. Everything else,and particularly any white flowered types were called narcissus.

So What About Jonquils? Are They Daffodils?

The answer on this one is again "yes." All jonquils are properly called daffodils. But here's where it gets tricky. Not all daffodils are jonquils. Here's the official word from the Daffodil Society FAQ:

In some parts of the country any yellow daffodil is called a jonquil, usually incorrectly. As a rule, but not always, jonquil species and hybrids are characterized by several yellow flowers, strong scent, and rounded foliage. The hybrids are confined to Division 7 and the term "jonquil" should be applied only to daffodils in Division 7 or species in Division 13 known to belong to the jonquil group.

I grew up hearing older people in the south refer to yellow trumpet daffodils as jonquils and I still hear that every now and then. But the true jonquil has several smaller flowers per cluster and is usually fragrant. This cultivar called "New Baby" is a very good example of a true jonquil:

So,just to clarify,a narcissus and a daffodil are the same. Jonquils (narcissus jonquilla) are daffodils,too but not all daffodils are jonquils. Hope that clears it up.

Edit: Since I wrote this piece I found a great explanation of the differences between daffodils,jonquils and narcissus. Jerry Parsons, a retired Texas Extension agent, of Plant Answers.com explains narcissus nomenclature in an easy to understand way. Like many southerners he insists that only trumpet narcissus can truly be called a daffodil and he goes on to list the best narcissus for naturalizing in Texas.

Next, I'll tell you more about narcissus jonquilla,the true jonquil.

Cyclamineus Daffodils Of Garden Origin:Division 6|Narcissus Cyclamineus

Cyclamineus daffodils (Division 6) are some of the most unusual and interesting members of the narcissus family. Like the picture above illustrates these distinctive daffodils have highly reflexed petals that stream backward from slender trumpets.Narcissus cyclamineus flowers are often humorously described as looking like they have been in a windstorm but that is an accurate description of these garden daffodils.

Narcissus cyclamineus likes moist,woodland conditions. It thrives when planted near hardwood trees. Since it is the first hybrid daffodil to bloom this bulb will go dormant long before the trees leaf out in the spring.Cyclamineus likes sun and moisture during its growing period and cool shaded roots during the summer.

Most daffodils like heat and dry soil in the summer but this one doesn't like to get too dry during its dormant period. Although cyclamineus likes moisture it doesn't like to have "wet feet",in other words,it won't tolerate standing water.

Cyclamineus daffodil flowers can be yellow or white and often have contrasting trumpets of orange,red or apricot pink. Breeding with other types of daffodils sometimes causes the petals to be less reflexed. Narcissus cyclamineus plants grow 6-12 inches tall.

Cyclamineus Daffodil Rapture

Rapture has the classic form of a cyclamineus daffodil with its reflexed petals and one flower per stem. Like all daffodils in this division it blooms very early and may be the first daffodil to bloom in your garden.

Next in our series of articles on the 13 Divisions of daffodil bulbs: Division 7-Narcissus Jonquilla-The Jonquils.

Division 5 Daffodils: Narcissus Triandrus

Division 5 daffodils are the narcissus triandrus group. Triandrus daffodils have two or more flowers per stem. One of the popular names for triandrus daffodils is "Angel's Tears" which is a reference to the form of the flower rather than the name of a particular variety.The flowers are pendant meaning they face downward and appear to dangle from the stems.Wild narcissus triandrus flowers have highly reflexed,twisted petals.

Although wild or specie narcissus triandrus flowers are usually pale yellow like the Spanish wildflower above, most of today's popular garden hybrids are white. The white triandrus daffodils produce the crispest whites of any daffodils outside the poeticus division. Modern hybrids usually have petals that are less reflexed than the wild forms due to crossing with tazetta type daffodils.

Thalia, introduced in 1916, is still the most popular triandrus daffodil grown in gardens today. It is pleasantly fragrant and naturalizes well. This is the patch of Thalia that grows in my garden. It blooms in late March or early April in Zone 7.

Most narcissus  triandrus bulbs are mid season bloomers. They do very well here in the south and should perform well in other areas if they are given a sunny spot that drains well. They will not do well in a damp, shaded area.

Note: I have seen a couple of sources state that all hybrid triandrus daffodils are sterile which means they would not need to be deaheaded. I'm not totally certain on that although I have noticed that Thalia doesn't produce much of a seedhead and its double form Calgary  definitely doesn't produce seeds so it may be true that deadheading would not be required of any of the triandrus varieties.

White Daffodil Mixture
Triandrus daffodils seem to be in short supply this season but this mixture of white daffodils has a few triandrus specimens.

Next up: Narcissus cyclamineus,another near wild type of daffodil that, unlike Triandrus,does like a damper shadier area. 

*Narcissus triandrus photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

Double Daffodils Of Garden Origin

Double daffodils of garden origin is the 4th division of the 13 types of daffodils.The term "daffodils of garden origin" simply means that the flower is a hybrid of a narcissus flower that was bred in the garden as opposed to a wild form.

The daffodils in most of the other 12 divisions have double forms and new ones are being developed by breeders every year. However, since the parentage of so many of the double daffodils has been lost over time all of the double narcissus forms are now assigned to the same division.

Once you are able to identify all the different types of narcissus flowers you can usually figure out which family a double daffodil comes from. For example, the double form of a trumpet daffodil flower will still have one large flower to a stem. Double tazetta daffodils will have a cluster of smaller blossoms.

Double Daffodil Probems

Some gardeners don't bother with double daffodils because they can be somewhat fussy to grow and the flowers often fall victim to spring weather extremes. Indeed,they can be challenging to grow,especially where spring weather tends to be warm and rainy.

For the most part double daffodils are late blooming and this is where much of the difficulty in growing them occurs. The flowers of the large double varieties tend to be to heavy for their stems and will fall over in the slightest rain or wind.

Double daffodil flowers are also susceptible to a problem known as blasting. This basically means the flowers dry up before they've had a chance to open. This problem is usually weather related and more common in late blooming double daffodils. For more information about the problems of growing double daffodils see my spring posts What Causes Daffodil Flower Blasting? and The Trouble With Double Daffodil Flowers.

Choosing The Best Double Daffodil For Your Garden

The good news is that if you choose carefully you can probably find at least one double daffodil that will grow and bloom in your garden. In general late blooming doubles will fare better in Northern gardens and earlier blooming doubles are better for the south.

If you'd like to try some of the fancier large double daffodils you may want to use some type of support to keep them from falling over in harsh spring weather. Stakes or circular grid supports that the plants can grow through will work fine.

For southern gardens,the late blooming double daffodils with large flowers are not the best choice. For hot climates choose early bloomers like Bridal Crown,which has clusters of small flowers and blooms early.

Northerners will do better growing the late blooming large doubles and if your budget allows you can try some of the more expensive bulbs like Rose of May(a very old double poeticus) or Golden Ducat(a double yellow trumpet).

Double Daffodil Mixture
This mixture of double daffodil bulbs is a good sampler of late blooming types. If you'd like to grow double daffodils but can't decide on a variety,this would be a good choice. If you live south of USDA Zone 6 the narcissus bulbs below would be a better choice for your garden.

Yellow Cheerfulness Double Daffodil
Cheerfulness has been sold by name since the 1920s and is one of the ancient types of daffodils called "poetaz,"meaning they are a hybrid of narcissus tazetta and narcissus poeticus. Cheerfulness also comes in a white form which is thought to be very old but wasn't registered by the name of Cheerfulness until the 1920s. Yellow Cheerfulness was introduced in 1937. It does well through Zone 8 and some coastal gardeners have claimed success with this lovely late blooming double daffodil.

Stay tuned for Division 5.

Small-Cupped Daffodils Of Garden Origin: Division 3

Small-cupped daffodils,also called short-cupped daffodils are perhaps the most  hybridized type of narcissus grown in gardens today.Small cups are some of the most beautiful daffodils and are also generally the most expensive type of daffodil bulbs to buy.

Like their trumpet and large-cupped cousins,this type of daffodil will produce one flower per stem.Short-cupped daffodils by definition have a cup that is less than one-third the length of the petals. But the most popular small-cupped narcissus flowers have cups that are much smaller than this.

Most of the Division 3 daffodils have narcissus poeticus(Division 9) parentage which explains the tiny "eyes" of this type. Poeticus daffodils are also called "Pheasant's Eye" because their tiny coronas resemble a bird's eye. The most common form has a green center surrounded by yellow band with a red ring around the outside.

Because most small-cupped daffodils are late blooming they are not the best type for southern gardens. They prefer the cooler spring weather of the northeastern U.S. and the Mid-Atlantic States. If you still want to try to grow short-cupped daffodils in the deep south try to find an early-mid season blooming variety.

If you need just a few daffodil bulbs to to plant in a formal flower bed and you're willing to pay a little more, a small-cupped daffodil could be one of the best specimens to choose. If you plant these bulbs make sure to plant them where the flowers can be seen and smelled. Small-cupped daffodils are special and deserve to be appreciated.

Small Cupped Daffodil Green Pearl

The Green Pearl small-cupped daffodil is a sport of Actaea, a very old variety of poeticus daffodil. Green Pearl blooms in mid season and has the typical spicy fragrance of a Pheasant's Eye narcissus.