I’m growing this flower for the first time this year, after drooling at winning show photos the past few years. When it came up, the entire flower was light yellow, with the trumpet being a little darker. As it aged, the trumpet did not darken, and a week out, the whole flower is a sort of café-au-lait color. It is planted in a bed with other show flowers, and the other neighboring daffs are all blooming true to form.
What happened? Does it need to acclimate to my soil? Should I have added shade or other protective measures?
Mike Kuduk
PS – A HUGE thanks to all of you who have made Daffseek the premiere flower database on the internet. I cannot tell you how much time it has saved me, and if I ever decide to start hybridizing, the feature where images of the parents appear is wonderful.
Mike,
I think where you live could be a problem or perhaps the amount of sun the flower received after it opened. The orange corona on Magic Lantern will fade in the sun. It also wouldn’t like a bunch of heat. For best results I would suggest picking it when it is young and putting it in the frig. I can elaborate on that in another email if you are not familiar with refigeration methods. The cool temperatures in the frig will allow the bloom to mature and have good color. I have noticed over the years that orange cups, red cups, and pinks all intensify when kept in the frig. Dafs just prefer the cooler, moister climates found in parts other than where you and I live.
Kathy Welsh, Virginia
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Mike,
I’d like to take what Kathy said just a step further, I grow my daffodils in Coastal NE North Carolina. I have Magic Lantern in two different microclimates. One location is with no watering and looks like the one that you described. The other location is in my watered beds, and looks according to the pictures. It’s been colder than normal and wet down here, however, I’ve been growing them for about three years and that has been my experience.
Clay
Clay Higgins