Growing Daffodils

Public preferences

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All,

I have found our bulb sales to be a very interesting gauge of public preferences for daffs.

Yes, the Dutch figured out some time ago that big bold and brash catches the public’s eye, esp. if you’re buying to plant in a public garden at the front of the subdivision entrance or some other place where a strong shot of color is in order.

At shows, the public likes one thing but tends to buy something else, to a point.
I cannot sell, and so have put my foot down about ordering for our annual sales, miniatures, cyclamineus, reverse bicolors, and to some degree triandrus and trumpets. They may love ’em at shows, but on tag on a bag they either don’t excite, or look to scary to a joe q. gardener. But they just sit.

Split cups get attraction at shows and are absolutely vacuumed up at our sales. Doubles go quickly too – big bold and a good bang fer yer buck. A frilly Div 2, oh yeah. There’s a growing demand for pinks. And whites… many folks with small yards in subdivisions are contending with half-day shade (from the house, surely ain’t from any trees), and at least in the South there is a strong contingent of “white only/no colors” gardeners. Also in old neighborhoods, tree shade precludes full-sun yellows.
Refined and poised I just can’t sell.

-s

4 comments for “Public preferences”

  1. Hi,

     I wasn’t going to get into this as it was debated at length on Daffnet a couple of years ago. However to iterate some of my arguments made then.

     There is a vast difference between the “public” and daffodil growers who wish to compete on the show benches. The latter group are (if they want to win) controlled by the Judging Manuals of the various societies. It is in relatively recent times that NZ prepared such a manual. It went out to all NDSNZ members for comment.  At the end of the process after considerable input from the members it was approved by our AGM. Last year members were asked again if they wanted any changes. Very few submissions (4 in fact) were received. The changes submitted were discussed by the NDSNZ Judging Subcommittee – some were rejected and others will go to this year’s AGM. The rejected ones may reappear at the AGM also. The basic conclusion was that an overwhelming majority of members were happy with the present manual.

    1. The Society has in the past conducted ballots at local shows to see what the public liked best. The results were inconclusive – while jonquillas, doubles and split coronas did come out on top in several shows, show varieties and yellow trumpets won in others. A survey of cut flower commercial growers was also conducted and while some reported a shift in preferences, especially to doubles, they maintained that the yellow trumpet was still preferred – indeed one stated categorically that he would go out of business if he did not grow yellows. See NDSNZ Annual 2010 for a full report.
    2. So what is this all about? – if we are trying to increase the numbers coming to shows then perhaps the decoratives (as the Australians term them) may have a place although I doubt that this would markedly increase the attendance. We already have floral artists who demonstrate all kind of ways to arrange daffodils which are integrated into our local shows. Or should the judging rules be changed to allow for the kinds of blooms David supports. As one (and David is another) who has worked within the current judging regulations in trying to make improvements I would not be very happy if this is really what is being mooted.. Some of the so called advances look remarkably like what was on the show benches fifty years ago!!! A gigantic step forward into the past!!

    So there it is – I will argue for the breeders like Wilson, Richardson, Lea, Duncan, Mitsch, Evans, Crotty to name but a few who were and are looking for new colours, better form (as defined in our present rules), size improved plant vigour, etc etc.

    This started as a brief item but I seem to have got a bit carried away – I guess as a compromise we could have classes for spider daffodils (as happens in the orchid world), powder puff daffodils etc etc.

     Cheers,

     Peter

     PS  The Editor of the NZ Gardener, NZ’s top circulation garden mag. attended the NDSZ National Show in Christchurch last year. She was so “blown away” (her words) by the advances in form, colour,size shapes etc that she is doing a six page centre spread on daffs in the upcoming issue of her magazine. Perhaps we are on the correct track after all!!

  2. Hi Peter
    Daffnet has been quiet lately so its good to get us going.
    For me, as a raiser of daffodils, I would much rather raise a perfect show winner than a decorative flower but then thats the culture that we joined and that we love.
    Dave
  3. Dave, I completely agree with you. The perfect show flower is what I am attempting to raise. I do, I admit, appreciate the historics as well. The idea that this is where the modern daffodil originated, is interesting to me, and I do enjoy history of any kind. The decorative flower is ok, but if I were to flower one in my breeding, I would dispose of it very soon. In fact, I have. I got into daffodils as a show flower. That has been my interest and with my limited time, I choose to concentrate on that, with just a side foray into the historics. I don’t apologise for not concerning myself with what the general public likes.
    Donna

  4. Donna, the old adage that one (wo)man’s trash is another man’s treasure couldn’t be more correct. Please post your disposals to my address, below.

    As a public horticulturist, daffodil grower and collector, especially of the decoratives, and as a Libra, I have to say that I appreciate both camps and recognize the need to have both exhibition and decorative flowers in my garden displays and breeding programs… the +/- 1,500 daffodil enthusiasts worldwide who prefer the refined flowers can support the exhibition aspect of the business, and the potential market within the 7.2 billion remaining people on the planet can support the decorative aspect…

    Jason

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