Press Notices of BARR’S Gold Medal bafFodlls, id06. 
i 
Extract from “Country Life" of April 28th, 1906. 
"A visit to the daffodil grounds of MESSRS. Barr & Sons at Surditon at the present moment 
will be well repaid. This wonderful colleclion embraces almost every known funn of daffodil, from the 
tiny Narcissus cyci.aminhus to the splendid trumpet hybrid raised in these nurseries, and named after 
the founder of the firm — Peter BArr. This is one of the highest priced of all daffodils, each bulb 
tealising no less a sum than ;^3o, but it is one of the most distinct of the whole race. The flowers are 
large without any suggestion of coarseness, and almost white. It is called a white trumpet daffodil, but 
the colour is not of the same whiteness as, for instance, the Poet’s Narcissus of the Swiss upland pastures. 
“The many acres at Surbiton seem covered with flowers which glisten in the bright sunlight. . . . 
This nursery of dafl'odils forms a pretty A|iril picture, and it is interesting to notice the great variety of 
form and colour in the flowers — some intense yellow, such as the well-known Maximus, others of the 
daintiest shades, sulphur passing to creamy white. There seems to be no lessening of interest in this 
beautiful flower of spring, and it is due in a large measure to the firm’s enterprise and love for the narcissus 
that it occupies its proud position in the world of flowers to-day. 
“ Daffodil time at Surbiton should not be missed. It is one of the most interesting seasons of the 
year there, and no matter whether the visitor is a daffodil fancier or not, the fields of waving flowers will 
linger long in memory.” 
Extract from “The Gardener's Magazine” of April 28th, 1906. 
DAFFODILS AT SURBITON. 
“ Daffodil time at Surbiton is a season toward which many look eagerly for several dreary months, and 
when it arrives they pay homage to Queen Daffodil at Messrs. Barr & Sons' Suriiiton Nurseries. 
The daffodil connoisseur may go to spring shows innumerable, he or she may visit many parks and 
gardens, but will nevertheless not miss a visit to this famous Surrey bulb farm. 
“It is impossible to visit these Nurseries at daffodil time without being astonished at the immense 
amount of patient labour that has gone to make the improvements we now see, and the wonderful 
variations of form, colour, and time of flowering that all go to make our gardens beautiful in spring time. 
“ What a wonderful range of size there is also in daffodils, from the tiny Narcissus minimus and 
N. JUNCIFOLIUS up to such bold varieties as Peter Barr and Van Waveren’s Giant. In habit, too, 
there are variations from two or three inches high up to nearly three feet. The colour of the foliage varies 
from the palest green to the deepest, from grey-green to deep blue-green, and in form from thin rush-like 
leaves to thick blades an inch across. The flowers show all shades of colour from purest white up to 
vivid orange-scarlet, though the latter colour is as yet confined to the cup or corona of certain varieties ; 
and it must not be forgotten there is a green dafl'odil also. 
“To the Messrs. Barr & Sons must ever be given the credit for a vast amount of uphill pioneer 
work both in the introduction of species and raising of new varieties by inter-crossing. But the firm has 
not rested on its laurels, and each year seedlings of the highest merit are flowered at Surbiton. 
“.Among the daffodils that stand out as eminently superior to their brethren, Peter Barr, the 
King of White Trumpet Daffodils, must be first mentioned; it was offered last autumn at forty 
guineas a bulb. It has a big white flower, of fine form ; it has a splendid constitution, and flowers very 
freely ; nearly every bulb in a little colony at Surbiton producing from three to six blooms. C. II. Curtis 
is a bold trumpet daffodil with primrose perianth and golden trumpet, and is also a strong grower ; it is 
offered at i 8 s. a bulb. Henri Vilmorin, white; King Alfred, golden-yellow ; and Mrs. G. H. Barr, 
while, are other very fine new things that most of us must wait a few years for. 
“New varieties belonging to other sections than that having big trumpets are not less beautiful, and 
among these few are prettier than the Triandrus-Leedsii cross named Agnes Harvey ; this is a delightful 
drooping flower of the purest glistening white, save for the faintest tinge of apricot on the cup. Blood 
Orange has a vivid orange cup, while Goldeye is remarkable for its broad golden cup. Janet Image, 
finest of the Leedsii forms, and charming Maggie May, make a splendid pair. The Messrs. Barr are to 
be congratulated upon their fine new Giant Jonquil {Odorus rugulosus niaximus) , figured in the present 
issue : it is a splendid variety, fragrant, golden, large, and graceful. 
“ But while we admire and enjoy the finer, newer, and expensive daffodils, it is out in the fields, where 
the varieties are massed in their tens of thousands, that the fullest pleasure is felt, for here are daffodils 
that one may touch, nay, that one may even buy for a modest sum next autumn and consign to the brown 
earth, in the full assurance th.it the following spring will bring a harvest of bloom. A Peter Barr, a White 
Queen, or a Loveliness might cause sleepless nights, but not so such varieties as Sir Watkin, Emperor, 
ICmpress, Madame de Graaff, P. R. Barr, Poeticus, Grandee, Horsfieldii, Madame Plemp, Vietoria, Queen 
of Spain, Goliath, Duchess of Westminster, and many others of equal beauty. 
“ It may perhaps be useful as a guide to those who are at this season inspecting daffodils with a view 
to planting next autumn, if we give a list of the two dozen varieties that Messrs. Barr & Sons, as a result 
of long experience, regard as a particularly good collection for general purposes. These varieties are 
Almira, Ariadne, Bridesmaid, Barrii conspicuus. Beauty, Cassandra, Dorothy E. Wemyss, Duchess of 
Westminster, Eliza Turck, Emperor, Empress, Gloria Mundi, J. B. M. Camm, Katherine Spurrell, Mabel 
Cowan, Madame de Graaff, M. J. Berkeley, Mrs. Langtry, Queen of Spain, Ray Smith, Sir Watkin, Stella 
superba, Vesuvius, and Victoria. This set includes golden and bicolor Ajax varieties, Leedsii, Barrii, 
Incomparabilis, and Poeticus forms. The most expensive is Ariadne at Sr. 6 d. per bulb, and the cheapest 
is Barrii conspicuus at 30J. per thousand bulbs. 
“ Besides the daffodils there are many other things worth going to see at Surbiton ; the great sheets of 
Muscari Heavenly Blue are beautiful, the blue colouring surpassing that of the heavens, at least so far as 
we have seen them lately. Early tulips m.ake great splashes of colour, and the May-flowering varieties are 
vigorous and promising. The aubrietias, violas, polyanthuses, fritillarias, anemones, caithas, and other 
hardy plants of equal interest and beauty are here to be seen in quantity, both in beds and on the rock 
garden, or by the stream side.” 
