778 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 12, 1912 



DOUBLE DAFFODILS* 



Jently 



ed the double forms, as he 



figured several and wrote, " The double 



Double flowers of any and every kind yellow Daffodil hath small, smooth, narrow 



are anathema to 



people, but, usually, 



those who declaim against the development 

 of double blooms at the hands of the florists 

 are generally found to have a weakness 

 tor at least some one kitid of double blos- 

 sf)ms. It may be the carnation appeals to 

 them, or the bi^ ehrysanthemum arrests 

 thcif att*'nti(»n. or the brilliance of double 

 l)t'<^()iiia^ (lazzli's them. Time and again one 

 has heard folks objecting to double daffo- 

 dils, and pouring out scorn upon the old 



leaves, of a darke green colour; among 

 which riseth up a naked hollow stalk of 

 two hands high, bearing at the top a faire 

 and beautiful yellow floure, of a pleasant 



sweet smell." 



It is probably not generally understood 

 that there are about two dozen distinct 

 doiibbv daffodils, varying in size from the 

 little minor pleiuis, or Rip Van AVinkle, up 

 to tlu^ largt^ and bold Phoenix varieties. The 

 colour, t(H), ranges from the pure white 



- 4 



NARCISSUS PRIMROSE PHCEXIX. 

 beautiful, bright primrose-yellow double daffodil. 



double yellow Telamonius plenus; but when 



shown tine tlowers of Ai-gent, Inglescombe, 



Plenipo, Aprirot. Phoenix, or Priiinost^ 



Phoenix, then they have to confess that 



there are good points about double daffo- 

 dils. 



AH this goes to show that tastes are as 

 different as temperaments among the 



flower-lovin*; public, anrl that raisrrs sliould 

 not be too < i)ii.s*M \ ative in th<Mr estimate of 

 tlnral fa-liion. DoiihU^ daffodils have h*MMi 

 with US {uv so lon.j; a tinir that th^'ir posi- 

 tion IS a^surrd, f^ven though thev muy not 

 universally liked. QUI Gerard" evi- 



of the double Poet's daffodil, through 

 shades of cream, primrose, and yellow, to 

 the deep orange-scarlet hue foimd in the 

 centre of the new Volcano. All the double 

 dattodds are useful for pot or bowl culture, 

 some of the smaller sorts are suitable for 

 the rm-k garden, and most are valuable for 

 naturahsmg. though at present some are 



too^valuahle for use in this wav. 



Volcano is the most *'xpensive double daf. 

 todd now bemg offered, and it carries ver v 

 hvrge, soft yellow flowers, each with an 

 orange-coloure<l centre; it is a fine, bold 

 variety. Another newcomer is Inglescombe 



and, like other things that bear this name 

 it is good ; here, also, the flowers are large 

 and very double, but in no sense coarse 

 and the colouring is a distinct shade of 

 very bright primrose-yellow. Not so new 

 and therefore less expensive, is Primrose 

 Phoenix, and its character may be gathered 

 from the accompanying illustration; the 

 flowers are very shapely and large, and 

 the colour shade is rich primrose-yellow. 

 This variety is a very strong grower, often 

 rising to a height of twenty inches. 



Argent is a particular favourite of mine ■ 

 it is not so double as the rest, but its rich 

 yellow central petals, surrounded by broad 

 creamy-white ones, render it very attrac- 

 tive everywhere. This variety, as well as 

 Plenipo and Dubloon, have been raised by 

 crossing the old Telamonius plenus with 

 Poeticus or Poeticus ornatus, Plenipo is a 

 sturdy grower, and its large double blooms 

 are very attractive in their garb of white, 

 primrose, and yellow. Dubloon 

 yellow, with dark yellow centre, 

 good grower. 



Using Gerard's language, 

 these former there are foure or five double 

 yellow dafi'odils, which I cannot pass over 

 in silence." For instance, the beautiful 



its ''"^ 



is bright 

 and is a 



Besides 



buff-ooloured Apricot Phoenix, its colour 

 paling almost to white at the circumfer- 



ence, is a great beauty ; 

 trifle high yet. Butt/e 

 cream, is well within th. 



but its price is a 



flv, yellow and 



./k, and is quite 

 a dozen bulbs. 



good at about half a cr 

 Then there are the good old sorts, Butter 

 and Eggs, yellow and orange; Codlins and 

 Cream, white and sulphur-yellow ; and 

 Eggs and Bacon, whit^ and orange-j'ellow. 

 The last two are also knoAvn respecti^-ely as 

 Sulphur Phoenix and Orange Phoenix. The 

 late flowering, fragrant, white, and beau- 

 tiful double Poeticus occupies a forem.ost 

 position among double daffodils; it is a 

 fine garden plant, charming for indoor de- 

 coration, and is grown by the million in 

 market gardens all up and down the coun- 

 try. The little Irish Capax plenus, with 

 its lemon-vellow flowers, and Cernuus 

 plenus, a native donble white variety, iine 

 for every purpovse, are two others that f'^^' 

 not be lightly regarded by those who wish 

 to cultivate the very best of daffodils. 

 Which of the double Jonquils is the best 

 is not an easy matter to decide. All three 

 are first-rate pot plants, and so there o^^J^ 

 be no mistake in growine: Jonquilla fl^re 



odorus Ha ni na u p1 1 a r»l en us, and 



pleno, 

 odorus plenus. 



Campanella 



C. 



H. Curtis. 



Cleaning Orchids. — After the 



houses have been thoroughly cleaned, ana 

 are dry, the plants should also be thorouehly 

 examined. The cleaning of orchids is often 

 considered a difficult matter, and undoubtedly 

 under the old regime of sponge and clean 

 water this was the case. There is no reason 

 why orchids should not be cleaned with in- 

 secticides like other plants, providing it 

 done intelligently, and with proper precau- 

 tions. If any plants are infested with in- 

 sect posts, I never hesitate to have theni 

 dipped overhead in a solution of insecticiae 

 mixed up to the proper standard. Tins 

 always used in a fairly warm state, i 

 can say without liesitation orchids will stano 

 water much hotter than is anticipated witn* 

 out doing them any harm. If one can k^P 

 the hands comfortably in the hot water the 

 thick-leaved orchids, such as laelias, catt- 

 tleyas, cypripediums, and others, will stan» 

 it without any harm resulting. As most 

 "orchid growers obtaining plants from 

 ferent sources will meet with sonic tliat 

 are infested with pests of some description, 

 and as it is not always possible to 

 them, it is a wise precaution to thorougm: 

 clean them before allowing them to 

 placed witli the general stock. As plants in- 

 fested with parasites cannot thrive, cleanli- 

 ness is essential. — J. T. 13. 



