The Emerald Sea hybrids are now in full swing. This one is fairly typical of what one gets if Emerald Sea is selfed but the perianth is better than most. This one is to be selected for future assessment.
The first of the season from Habit (1Y-Y) by Emerald Sea, below. Emerald Sea is able to really shorten the corona. The corona opens fairly green but I suspect it will eventually go to 2W-Y. There are many in this group and despite their ultra-long necks, courtesy of N. viridiflorus, I have not thrown any out but now that space is at a premium I suppose most will have to go. None of my attempts at crossing any trumpet directly to N. viridiflorus has produced anything. I wonder if Theo or Lawrence have had any success with those types of crosses.
The label on this has to be incorrect Emerald Sea x (Gloriosus x N. elegans), as I detect no tazetta in it at all. The flowers are simply way too large. This is a first bloom seedling, but it might be useful for getting broader yellow-green perianths.
Lastly is Lima’s Green Joy. There is a row of this but it is rather a slow increaser.
Harold
Harold,
Your well colored seedling ‘Emerald Sea selfed’ should give still better descendants from different crosses than Emerald Sea.
I combined successfully one white and two white-red garden daffodils with a short corona with N. viridiflorus. Furthermore I have two seedlings from N. viridiflorus pollen given on Reference point (Daydream x Creagh Dubh) a 2YYW-Y with a trumpetlike corona. I always got few seeds only from these crosses which were grown up outdoors.
Theo
Hi Harold,
I remember that some years ago Fred Silcock complaining that he could not get viridiflorus pollen to take on trumpets. I know he has hybrids of his own. I assume they are not from trumpets. I understand there will be an article of his in an upcoming ADS journal on the subject. That should be interesting.
This year I discarded a yellow/green small cup viridiflorus hybrid but not before flowering some scarcely better seedlings from it. I have had little success with viridiflorus onto anything, far less trumpets. My strongest hope is that I have some viridiflorus hybrids on the way from my green rimmed Limey Circle x Flash Affair. I won’t hold my breath. Failing that I may some seedlings coming from a Limey Circle hybrid crossed with tetraploid jonquilla, but again I won’t be holding my breath. I think these are projects for places with warmer winters than here.
As one who just marvels at the new hybrid daffodils, I wonder what answers would evolve if hybridizers and eexhibitors were asked to nominate the five most influential parents in recent daffodil years? I would certainly think ‘Emerald Sea’ would rank right up there with the leaders.
As a gardener who had ‘Limey Circle’ from Eve Robertson when it was just a number, I am most fascinated with Lawrence’s notes on his hybrids in the note just above. And, yes, the March 2014 issue of the ADS Daffodil Journal will contain a most perceptive article by Fred Silcock. Sometimes these “over the transom” pieces are the most valuable.
Loyce McKenzie