Daffodil Types, Historics, Non-Daffodil, Publications and Resources

Bulb book

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I have been enjoying a book from the library, Bulb by Anna Pavord, first published in the UK in 2009. There is a good section of about 40 pages on our favorite flower with photos and descriptions of classics, historics, and a few species. The book has tons of really nice photographs. I might have to find a copy to keep. Here is a fun excerpt after the mention of the number of daffodil species:
“With so many building blocks available, it is not surprising that breeders have been busy and that daffodils have become phenomenally popular as show flowers, with growers gathering from Australia, America, and Europe to stage blooms of terrifying size and substance in world-class competitions.”
I like the “terrifying size and substance” part. What daffodils terrify you?
Becky Fox Matthews that daffy girl near Nashville
— Becky Fox Matthews 1st Vice President American Daffodil Society, Inc.

9 comments for “Bulb book”

  1. Anna did a book signing at MBG this spring, promoting Bulb. What a program! Becky, you couldn’t have picked a better book to read: It is beautiful and highly informative with enough real literature and story telling to captivate even the non-gardener.  And what photos!  This is definitely not your ordinary reference guide.  

     

    Bulb is still available online and possibly in stores, but it is already out-of-print so act soon! For bookworms, collectors, and gift givers, http://www.abebooks.com is my favorite resource not only for books but also botanical plates, documents, old catalogs, etc.  They offer an exceptionally extensive online list of rare, out of print, and antiquarian books on gardening and fine arts subjects, and their pricing always seems to be the lowest (even when same item from same dealer is listed on alibris.com and amazon.com—perhaps these sites require higher fees?).  Never been dissatisfied with a product, and they do have Bulb, both the UK and US versions http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=pavord&sts=t&tn=bulb&x=0&y=0

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    Enough endorsements from me for one day, I promise!

    Melting in STL,

    J

    —-

  2. Friends,
    “Terrifying size and substance?”  How about ‘Fortissimo’ 2 Y-O?  Brian Duncan’s ‘Doctor Huge’; uh. . . ‘Doctor Hugh’ 3 W-GOO?  When you visit my daffodil planting on tour day of the 2011 ADS Convention, perhaps you will see ‘Fortissimo’ blooming in my border, floppy perianth segments, huge corona and all.  Nonetheless, you can see ‘Fortissimo’ in bloom several hundred feet away from my sun room (enclosed porch).  As for ‘Doctor Hugh’ it will not grow for me here in the Deep South.  In fact, I have had almost no success whatever in growing 3’s, particulalry those having a poet ancestry, since I left Nashville thirty years ago. However, I have had great success with early blooming cultivars of divisions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12. You should see all of these blooming in my daffodil planting on March 12, 2011.
    I hope to see all of you at the 2011 ADS Convention, March 11 – 13, 2011, at the Hilton Jackson.  We are doing our best to make this convention an enjoyable one.  You will find a very good article by Becky Fox Matthews about the Jackson 2011 ADS Convention in the September issue of The Daffodil Journal.
    Ted
    Theodore E. Snazelle, Ph.D.

    101 Water Oaks Drive

    Clinton MS 39056-9733

    —

  3. Becky: They all terrify me. I am really scared that I cannot grow every variety out there and I am always scared that the ones I buy will probably die within a couple of years X;{. And I am really frightened that only the very best seedlings die young! Harold
    At 05:28 AM 8/4/2010, Becky Fox Matthews wrote:

  5. Hi Everyone,

    Pleased that little New Zealand rate a mention in Anna Pavord’s book. None of our blooms are terrifying, they are warm and welcoming!!! Find out for yourselves in 2012 at the World Daffodil in Dunedin.

    Cheers, Peter (whose best flower so far didn’t terrify the slug who ate three inches of it, leaving only five for me).

  6. For those of us who live in NZ, we can buy this book through ‘Fishpond’ if we wish; Hardcover copies are available to order on line.
    Cheers
    Margaret Seconi (whose first flowers came out this week – self sown ‘tete e tete’ peeping out from a dense bed of Italian parsley along with some lovely deep blue hyacinths. They look lovely together and smell as though Spring is nearly here).

  7. Dear Anna,
    I don’t know if you have seen the attached e-mail. It has prompted a lot of discussion on Daffnet – and a lot of promotion for your book. Now I need to buy the book. But just imagine – saying my hybrids are terrifying!!
    I have your earlier and excellent ‘Tulips’ in which I note you picture some terrifyingly bizarre Parrot tulips and dangerous looking Fringed Double tulips, not to mention the frighteningly virused specimens on inside cover pictures!!! I joke of course – but maybe tulip breeders are just as bad, or imaginative, as daffodil breeders in seeking to provide for ‘garish bad taste’ in the gardening fraternity. Of course I exclude refined exhibition daffodils from this category where perfection of form and clarity of colour are paramount!
    I hope I am slightly redeemed by also loving the species as much as the hybrids?
    I hope you will not mind that I have copied this note to Daffnet.
    Hope you are well and look forward to continuing the leg-pull at our next meeting.
    Brian

  8. Yesterday, I found a copy in a brand new book store near where I live. Once I picked it up and looked at it, I was unable to put it back on the shelf. Thanks Becky for bringing this book to my attention. I think it will make wonderful winter reading material.

    Kathy Andrews
    Virginia

  9. Dear all………….Amazon had lots of copies, both used and new. I just ordered one yesterday. Thanks for telling us Becky1
    Watching the mail in Corvallis, OR. Barbara

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