Chriss:
I have been very lucky with doubles. I grew Heck for the first time last year (I get it from Elise Havens), and was bowled over by its beauty and quality. For me, it seems to be consistently beautiful, and impressively full and regular. However, I surely chose my best exemplar for the Quinn in Murphys, and was assisted in the selection by Jan Moyers, an old hand at such judgements. Two other doubles that do exceedingly well in California are Muster and Duration, both (like Heck) by David Jackson of Tasmania. Muster and Duration are both even less likely than Heck to bunch up in the center. A fourth Jackson double that was much admired in my exhibits this year was Kidson. Kidson is interesting in that it often has a quite-visible pistil or stamen, which my eye does not expect in a double, but which of course is not a defect. Of course Crackington, from D.A. Lloyd in England, is completely reliable and durable. One issue I have with Heck is that the stems are somewhat shorter than I’d prefer, but they are long enough to show successfully.
I think I feed my daffodils more than most people do. I’ve taken to heart information on fertilizing that Roger Braithwaite has kindly supplied from his successful program. I grow in pots, as our soil is so horrible. I try to water 2 inches per week during growing season, or more. I let them sit on the plant till they really mature, which I judge by the back set of petals becoming somewhat reflexed.
I attach two photos of my first Heck bloom from 2008, one in face view and one 3/4 profile.
I find it very satisfying to grow doubles, and hope you will find something helpful in the foregoing that will allow you that satisfaction as well, but it may just be that the temperature profile in my yard provides what they need, and surely neither of us has control over that.
Melissa
A At 01:10 PM 3/24/2009, Chriss Rainey wrote:
The flower that stood out for me in Melissa Reading’s Quinn entry at the Murphys show was ‘Heck’ 4W-Y bred by David Jackson. There are no photos of it on Daffseek. I hope Kirby has one he can contribute.
What I like about this flower is that it appears to swirl and the petals all seem to be broad and rounded and not bent or bunched in the center as is the case with so many doubles once you get past the two back rows of perianth petals.
I have a pretty sour grapes attitude about most doubles since they do so badly for me, but this is one I’d like to give a try.
Tell us, Melissa, is it a good flower all the time, or did you get lucky with this bloom? With four other Div. 4’s in your entry, you obvioulsy have mastered the knack for producing good results. ….whatever that might be that has escaped me so far.
Chriss Rainey