Miniatus x SNR 7
Cross was Autumn Sprite x SNR 7. May be Autumn Sprite selfing.
Seedling raised from Robert Spotts seed
Another seedling from Robert Spotts seed
Verdant Sparks
Autumn Colors seedling
Daffodils in bloom, Southaven, MS
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A discussion forum for daffodil enthusiasts around the world.
Very nice, Larry.
holy cow! That first one would look loverly in a Christmas flower arrangement! Can I order 2 dozen to be delivered in about three weeks? :)
The rest just make me sad to be up here in Indiana.
Suzy
So nice to see those blooms, Larry! I really love the colors of the ones from Bob’s seeds!
Thanks everyone for your nice comments. Pollen looks to be good on first plant from Bob’s seed. Rain washed away pollen on second. Saved pollen and will freeze it to try on a few things next spring. Selfed first one and applied its pollen to second, to see if they will set seed.
Hey Larry,
How are you growing your fall bloomers? You’re in Zone 7a, correct?
I know folks who are interested in trying fall daffs but are concerned how to protect them against winter cold. Are you growing them in pots and then taking them in during severe cold spells? Are you growing them in the ground but covering them heavily -?
Enquiring minds would love to know!
-Sara
Hello Sara,
Yes, I am in zone 7A but very close to the edge of 7B, just south of Memphis TN. I started out growing the fall daffodils in pots as I didn’t know how much cold they could take, and I have a greenhouse to protect them if temperatures were extreme. Over the years they have proved tougher than expected and now I place all pots close together and cover with a tarpaulin when temperatures fall to teens or single digits. I place bricks around the edges to prevent cold air from blowing under tarp. The heat from the ground and covered with tarp protect pots from freezing. Of course, the extremely cold temperatures only last a few days at a time here. They are uncovered then. Most will have already bloomed before January and early February cold temperatures arrive. I have some in the ground and I bend the foliage over and cover with some pieces of carpet to protect foliage from freezing. The top 4 daffodil photos are in the ground. Am trying Limas Green Road and Verdant Sparks in the ground with no protection, so far, they are doing fine. Limas Green Road usually is in bloom for Christmas, some buds showing now. Verdant Sparks is in bloom now. After foliage goes down in the spring in the pots, they are kept completely dry over the summer in a shaded area (on my porch). They are placed out about Sept.15 to Oct.1 and watered to start season over again. Soon after watering, some will begin to show foliage and start blooming such as miniatus and viridiflorus. Hope this helps and gives others some ideas how they may be able to extend their daffodil growing season.
Thank you Larry!
This is a big help. May I share your post with the Historics group? There are folks who wish to expand their daffodil horizons; I was thinking ‘Autumn Pearl’ and “Autumn Colors” would be good bulbs to start with as they’re readily available and proven robust garden flowers.
-Sara
Sara,
That sounds wonderful to try those Autumn bulbs up here in Georgia.! Would love to give them a try.
Paula K.
Of course, feel free to share that post to anyone you think might be interested. Autumn Pearl and Autumn Colors should be two good cultivars to try. They both bloom early in the fall season.
Hi there,
Those first two are incredible what parentage did SNR 7 have? In the coming years I expect revolutionary tazetta hybrids from my breeding program. I’m very happy to see more tazetta breeding and autumn varieties becoming popular.
Bradley,
Parentage for SNR 7 is unknown. It is a wild poet rescued from Shaw’s Nature Reserve in Missouri. Shaw’s Gift and Shaw’s Legacy are from there. Cynthia Haeffner has registered Shaw’s Journey from there also.
Sara, where is Autumn Colors available?
Hey Becky,
If memory serves, Edens Blooms (www.edensblooms.com) in Arizona bought Bill Welch’s stock; I would assume including Autumn Colors. I don’t know of anyone with a large stock of it currently. I have a few of an array of forms, and clumps of maybe three, at least one of which is turning out to be Autumn Pearl. For folks wanting to trial fall bloomers, Autumn Pearl may be the best one to go with, it’s as robust as they come…
-Sara
I am a little confused here. Some years ago I got seed from Bill Welch under the title Autumn Colors. I assumed that the seeds were collected from a random selection of Autumn flowering cultivars. Even if they did come from one named cultivar they would not be true to that named cultivar. Is there one true Autumn Colors cultivar? I have selected several from these seedlings for further growth. They all flower late winter.
Hey Dave,
You’re correct, almost. Bill was crossing all sorts of stuff he could collect, Autumn Yellows (1990s) then Autumn Colors are the seedling results. The more interesting crosses he sent the bulbs out for trials giving their specific parentage (he sent three to my father in 1999; one multiplied well the other two i don’t think did, i gave it all away last season). The yellow AC’s bloom first often as early as October, then they W-O’s and W-Ys, with paperwhites bringing up the rear. Over the years most of our AC collection of has been distributed out, but there’s still more than i expected out in the field. From the 1999-era set, the yellows and W-Os are still single bulbs, but what look like Autumn Pearl and a W-Y have grown into respectable clumps. Bradley McCarson has the same 8W-Y, a cute thing, in bloom now. The paperwhites are now all flushed out.
One of my burning questions is: why are the fall-blooming yellows not robust plants? Is it the north Florida (damp/wet) climate – are the wet/dry cycles at the wrong seasons? Is it the soil? Is it that the yellows are always “weak sisters”? I have a rescued heirloom 8Y-Y that bloomed before any of BIll’s, and it has set seed well… Are the yellows more geared to replicating by seed and so don’t bulk up? Enquiring minds….
-Sara
Bill sent Autumn Colors seed to many, really anyone who asked for them. The Autumn Colors seedling I posted in this post is from those seed. I had a lot more crowded in a pot, lost most of them, not sure why. I have a few more. I believe the seed he sent out were from various Autumn Colors seedlings but am not sure. We may have to call these various seedlings, Autumn Colors Group. Update, I just checked Daffseek and Bill registered this cross as Autumn Colors Group. Many different seedling photos are shown.
Thanks Sara and Larry for your considered comments. I don’t believe that we have an Äutumn Colors” cultivar but rather an Autumn Colors group. That group cannot be a grex because the seed may come from many parents. I have selected a few winter flowering ones, some all yellow, with nice form but only 3 – 4 florets per stem. Will try to remember photographing them next July.