34 



The Garden Magazine, September, 1921 



color of the flowers more than compensates for mere numbers of 

 blooms. Will Scarlett, more than ordinarily well-named, is 

 most unusual and, though a somewhat loosely put together 

 flower, is, nevertheless, very handsome; it has a white perianth 

 and a large cup, elegantly frilled, of flaming orange-scarlet. This 

 flower, with the possible exception of the largest Trumpets, 

 attracts more attention from the casual observer than any 

 other in my collection. 



Perhaps the most daintily finished and perfectly formed of 

 the newer varieties, and entirely unlike any other Daffodil, is 

 Incognita, a Barrii of rare beauty, with marvelous almond- 

 shaped petals and an oddly formed cup of apricot. Castile 

 resembles it slightly, but the petals are much more starry. 



Among other remarkably good sorts are Queen of the North, 

 Czarina, White Queen, Great Warley, King Alfred, Lord 

 Kitchener, Masterpiece, Circlet, Bedouin, Mermaid, and Cleo- 

 patra; and among the Poeticus, Thelma and Epic, as well as 

 Mrs. Chester J. Hunt, which, though a Barrii, approaches the 

 Poeticus type. In fact, among the many Daffodils catalogued 

 by our best dealers scarcely one has given my roseate expecta- 

 tions a set-back. 



Anyone Can Grow Them 



THE culture of Narcissus is very simple. 1 plant my bulbs 

 as early as obtainable, usually late in September, covering 

 them with about five inches of earth, although some growers 

 advocate more shallow 

 planting. The bulbs are 

 perfectly hardy, although 

 benefited by a mulch of 

 leaves or litter which should 

 be removed in March, and 

 do not seem particular, as a 

 rule, about soil. I use only 

 bone meal as a fertilizer; 

 stable manure placed near 

 the roots of the bulbs will 

 cause them to rot. The 

 rarer varieties, which are 

 grown in the borders, 1 

 mulch the first winter. 



So, I repeat, let those who 

 have seen the lordly Holly- 

 hock fall victim to rust; the 

 queenly Rose sulk and grow 

 anaemic; the gaudy Tulip 

 refuse even to appear above 

 the soil; and the Lilac buds 

 succumb to "an envious 

 sneaping frost that bites the 

 first-born infants of the 

 spring," take heart again 

 and listen to the cheery 

 note from the trumpet of 

 the Daffodil — the flower of 

 joy! 



HE SAVED THE POETS' NARCISSUS 



AM reminded of a little bit of Daffodil history "that is 

 worth recording at this time. The association arises 

 through the news of the death of Mr. John K. M. L. 

 Farquhar, the progressive seedsman and nurseryman 

 of Boston, coming just as we are thinking of Daffodil planting 

 time. The facts in the case are probably known to very few ; 

 and it was only recently that they were recounted to me by my 

 late friend — and he had many such stories to tell. 



John Farquhar was at the Chiswick Gardens of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society some forty years ago, as assistant to my 

 father, A. F. Barron, who was then Superintendent. The place 

 was rich in a vast variety of plants of all kinds that had been 

 brought together from all parts of the earth for study and com- 

 parison, for the R. H. S. had been a great pioneer in plant knowl- 

 edge. Fortune's pioneer Chinese collections were distributed 

 from there and I myself recall some of the originals standing 

 there a few years ago. They are all gone now, every last 

 trace of them, for I went over the spot this summer. There 

 were also many interesting monuments of other collectors such 

 as the old original Wisteria all of which are gone — the Wisteria 

 covered a whole house side. It was ruthlessly cut down even 

 though the wall on which it grew still stands as part of a good 

 garden ! 



But to my story of the True Poets' Narcissus: Peter Barr 

 was reviving the Daffodil and collecting obscure or "lost" 



varieties, and it is to his 

 great enthusiasm at that 

 time we owe our present- 

 day worship. Naturally he 

 culled over the collections 

 at Chiswick, and had ex- 

 hausted them, as hethought. 

 John Farquhar had ob- 

 served an obscure small 

 clump of Narcissus that 

 seemed backward but, keep- 

 ing it under observation,' 

 at last saw a few flowers 

 open. Calling my father's 

 attention to its lateness, he 

 was advised to take a bloom 

 to Mr. Barr, who at once, 

 and with characteristic en- 

 thusiasm, recognized the 

 then considered lost True 

 Poets' Narcissus, N. poeti- 

 cus poetarum. Thus was 

 this splendid form recovered 

 to our gardens, and I lay 

 this tribute of honor to a 

 man whose enthusiasm for 

 gardening in general in any 

 form has really done much 

 for us. 



L. B. 



THE POETS' NARCISSUS 



One of the most satisfactory of all the popular bulbs, not high priced, growing well in average conditions, fragrant and pleasing 

 in color, — dazzling white with shallow scarlet edged cup of light yellow. Of the several common forms Ornatus comes earliest, 

 is somewhat slender, with flat spreading flower; Poetarum, late, sturdy, has reflexing petals of great substance (shown above) 



