126 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



October, 1905 



180. The saucer-shaped type, the poet's narcis- 

 sus, the favorite for naturalizing. White, saucer saffron- 

 colored, red-edged. Bulbs cost $5 to $10 a thousand 



and best variety for naturalizing is the Pheas- 

 ant's Eye. Indeed it is the most important 

 plant for wild gardening now generally 

 available. Some of the most splendid floral 

 pictures that have been painted in America 

 in the last ten years have been made by plant- 

 ing these bulbs by the thousand. I expect 

 to see the day when people will make pilgri- 

 mages to New England to see the March and 

 April flower shows. Her gaunt old hillsides 

 will be suddenly transfigured by the appari- 

 tion of countless fragrant white flowers — 

 miles and miles of them — like the stars of the 

 Milky Way for multitude! 



The other flat-leaved narcissus with a 

 saucer-shaped crown is the polyanthus nar- 

 cissus (N. Tazetta), but instead of having a 

 single flower on a stalk it has four to twelve, 



182. The trumpet type. This is what most people 

 mean by " daffodil," and by narcissus, a flower with 

 a saucer-shaped crown, like that in Fig. 179 



whence it is often called the bunch-flowered 

 narcissus. It has no hardy form of impor- 

 tance, its main interest being in two varieties 

 that are universal favorites for window gar- 

 dens. The Paper White narcissus is doubt- 

 less the most popular bulb that is forced for 

 Christmas flowers. And the Chinese sacred 

 lily (N. Tazetta, var. orientalis) will make a 

 growth of twenty inches in forty days and 

 flower in four to six weeks, after being planted 

 in a shallow bowl of water. 



THE JONQUIL AND PEERLESS NARCISSUS 



Unlike the other saucer-crowned narcissi, 

 the jonquil (N. Jonquilla), has rush-like or 

 cylindrical leaves — not flat ones. It bears four 

 to six yellow flowers. The single form is the 

 best for outdoor planting. 



Of the cup-shaped or medium-crowned nar- 

 cissi (Fig. 181), the "peerless narcissus" (N. in- 

 comparabilis) is the most important type, in 

 spite of its lack of fragrance. It has an incred- 

 ible number of varieties, and they bloom from 

 March to May. Sir Watkin, a large golden 

 flower with a darker crown, is the favorite. 



THE TRUE DAFFODILS 



The daffodil (N. Pseudo-narcissus) is a 

 flat-leaved plant with a trumpet-shaped 

 flower, like Fig. 182. By common consent 

 the single, yellow daffodil is the most beauti- 

 ful member of the genus. This is the flower 

 Wordsworth referred to when he wrote: 



"Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 

 Tossing their heads in sprightly dance." 



But alas! such pictures are not often to be 

 duplicated in America. The cool, moist 

 summers of England are just right for daffo- 

 dils, but we cannot yet recommend them for 

 naturalizing in this country. 



Like all the other important types, the 

 varieties of daffodil can be thrown into three 

 groups, whites, yellows and "bicolors," the 

 last having a golden trumpet, with white or 

 primrose-colored petals. The whites are not 

 quite hardy, but some of them are cheap 

 enough to try. Of the yellows, Emperor is 

 probably the best hardy variety. Of the bi- 

 colors, the favorite white-petaled varieties are 

 Empress and Horsfieldii; white Princeps is 

 the best with primrose-colored petals. 



Double daffodils grow wild in great num- 

 bers near Florence, where the single form is 

 rare (the case is just reversed in England). 

 The common variety of old-fashioned gardens 

 is the Van Sion, which is also the best for 

 forcing and for the window garden. It is 

 not quite hardy in Canada, and from Virginia 

 south the flowers are likely to turn green after 

 a year or so in the garden. Many flowers are 

 ruined by doubling, but the Van Sion daffo- 

 dil is a complete success. It is the strongest 

 member of the genus in every way. Its 

 luxuriant foliage, sturdy stems and big, full 

 flowers (of a rich, strong, hearty, golden 

 color) light up a room in the dark days of 

 March like nothing else that grows. 



The shape of the hoop-petticoat daffodil 

 (N. Bulbocodium) may be imagined from the 

 name. It also differs from the common 

 daffodil in having rush-like leaves. It has 

 plenty of varieties, but nobody in this coun- 

 try seems to be much excited about them. I 



181. The cup-shaped type. Stella, a new variety 

 of the incomparabilis section, with long white petals 

 and primrose cup. True type at the left 



suspect that we do not consider their trumpets 

 as graceful as those of the common daffodil. 



AN INTERESTING NOVELTY 



Every year a man should try some new 

 kinds of narcissus. This fall I shall put 

 what money I can spare into bulbs of Poetaz 

 Elvira, said to be the product of a cross be- 

 tween the poet's and the polyanthus narcis- 

 sus or Chinese sacred lily. They claim to 

 have secured the hardiness and large-sized, 

 red-rimmed flower of the poet's narcissus, 

 while the other parent contributes a cluster 

 of three or four flowers and a colored saucer. 

 Also the odor is not so strong as in the Chinese 

 sacred lily. It sounds too good to be true. 



For the culture of daffodils and narcissi see 

 page 119. 



183. Van Sion, the only big double daffodil thai 

 will force: the others "come green." Sturdy stems, 

 lush foliage and rich golden flowers 





