We are having a cold spell currently but the current season has started early , thanks to a very warm June .The N Z weather summary for June was published last week and proved what the flowers had realized– most areas of N Z had the warmest June on record . The yellow trumpets from this area usually start mid May and slowly crawl through June and most areas start Malvern City from early – mid July .We have one grower in our area who has had a monopoly on the early yellows with a very big planting of one variety ( Yellow Gold ) who has already finished for the season .As there are no photos of this enterprise , I will post on it soon .Both Graham Phillips and I are well into the yellows and are starting on the market doubles . The early season has brought them forward , as with the yellows , – Graham started picking his first year down flowers about 3 weeks ago , about 10 days ahead of me .
Early Orbit is always the first – a big flower on a strong tall stem , – and first Year down , planted early April , still flowers usually from June onwards . The 1993 flowering that gave me E O and a range of other good early doubles , was surprising in that it a range of doubles all flowering about 3 -4 weeks earlier than either parent , – a most unexpected but very welcome trait . A very big bonus has been that they all have a reasonable degree of fertility and I am now flowering the third generation from the original 1988 cross .
August Ace is usually the second to flower , starting first Y D mid July and peaking early August .It is the tallest of the group , a smaller flower than E O . It has a very short , strong neck ; what I like in a heavy headed double .
07 – 3 is from the second generation , 88 – 23 ( very early 2 Y – O ) – x – Early Orbit . It is an interesting style of double , – the only extra petaloids are in the cup , – usually 3-4 layers of deep yellow petals and a neat doubled or fused orange cup .
Also noted is that it has about 20% pistils , – regularly shaped ( 3 lobes ) and is fertile . . Two pistils from 9 flowers in this planting , – pollinated with a sibling .
Lunar Probe is another that I registered from the original cross ; although later than the first mentioned , it is probably the neatest , show possibilities in late flowering areas , and is fertile both ways , only in bud here at present . Graham Phillips won the first double bragging rights this season when he sent me this photo of a Lunar Probe – x – F 76 – 3 seedling (2 Y – O ) photoed .22 June . It first flowered , early July , last season .My first ” new ” double , an August Ace sdlg , is currently just showing colour .Graham and I are currently making a lot of crosses with our best very early all yellows and early redcups . My consistently first all yellow , a 1996 sdlg , always flowers late May and I have quite a few seedlings from it , in the pipeline . My contention is that if we can flower yellow standards from May on , then given time ( and a little luck ) , we should be able to breed doubles that match the early dates .
We now have quite a lot of useful material to work with in the yellow backs but not quite as much for white backed doubles .I posted 07 – 42 last week ; it is my earliest white and fortunately it is seed fertile .I also have a range of early pink cups that are , by breeding , half doubles and should still pass on the doubling gene . 08 – 29 , 2 W – P is from Valley Dream – x – Peoples Princess ( 4 W – p ) and the cross gave some very nice , full , doubles .
Lawrence Trevanion mentioned in a recent comment that the viridiflorus early genes may be useful in helping with early doubles . John Hunter is the recognised Kiwi leader in this field and he very generously sent me , late last season , a good range of his viridiflorus and Emerald Sea seedlings from crosses with Doubles .He sent both yellow and white flowers , several with multihead doubles . I potted them last season and intentionally planted them late ( to time flowering with my doubles ) this season .They are just starting to flower ; this little (60mm) flower is from the cross 40 – 96 [ Tropic Isle – x – Fair Prospect ] — x — Emerald Sea . Note the small but regular pistil — it was pollinated today with pollen from 08 – 29 – shown above . John expects that there is still fertility in this generation from viridiflorus .I do feel that this line offers exciting potential for both earliness and also multiheaded doubles .
Wow John, You are doing incredible things in your breeding programme. Ultimately all the daffodil world will benefit from your work. Thank you from us all.
Dave
Thanks John for this account. I’m very impressed.
It is my expectation that you will get better and more regular fertility if you cross the first generation viridiflorus hybrids with each other and with flowers like Limequilla rather than with main division flowers. I understand, for example, that Mesa Verde has poor fertility, and if you look at the descendants of Hillstar and Quick Step on Daffseek you can see that most of the ongoing fertility is from selfing or crosses with each other. Crossing your early doubles with viridiflorus directly might be worthwhile but you seem to be getting earlier flowers without the help (and difficulties) of viridiflorus.
Love Lunar Probe, John, is filled trumpet inside the doubled petals and perianth is very unusual. I spotted an expensive bunch of flowers outside a florist shop in Nelson today which had 5 very well formed doubles in it. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if they were Early Orbit or one of your other similar doubles. They were in great condition and wouldn’t have looked out of place on the show bench.
Regards, Denise.