I have made a lot of N. jonquil crosses over the years and kept the crosses hoping beyond hope that one of them will turn out a winner. I just about run myself out of planting space by having so many jonquil crosses that are not show anything exciting. This year I gave up and since I didn’t have even one of my jonquil crosses that was show worthy, I decided to send them to file 13 or the nearest Garden Club that will have them.
Just before the rain began yesterday I finished digging my miniature beds, and have a bushel of hybrid jonquil bulbs. I hope the local Garden Clubs will be happy with them. I like the name of one of them (Garden Clubs), “Barnegat Bay”, would also make a good registered daffodil name.
It looks like we are going to be subject to about a week of rain every day, with storms coming us the eastern seaboard from the areas around and south of Florida. I had hoped to get the dug daffodil beds back into shape for the summer, however, with the rain that will have to wait.
Later I will put out a list of daffodil bulbs that are available and offer them to anyone that wants them. I really am determined this year to cut back on the amount of daffodils that I have. I know, I’ve said it before, but I’m serious this time I’m cutting back. My experience in this springs shows has taught me that I’m not sixty any more.
Clay
I received quite the look the other day as I laid out 7 more rows at the farm. My intent is not to add numbers under cultivation but to provide new space to grow out the seedlings. It seems that Clay has had not as promising results from some N jonquilla crosses. I remember Steve Vinisky mentioning this as an issue in posts a decade past. I recall that he did have some improvements, but it took a lot of growing out stocks. I recall Brent Heath wanting several plants in the open pollinated regions of Bob Spotts yard the year Murphys convention drew us to California.
My current goal is to reduce numbers of bulbs planted back by 80% each time. This keeps me at about the same amount planted back. 30 crates dug so far another 3 rows to go. I hope to be done before the 4th of July. Then to concentrate on putting in watering lines at the farm to be ready for Fall planting.
I am still collecting seed and hope to complete that about the time that bulb digging is completed. I have 15 crosses collected so far and have one grex of miniatures particularly good at producing seed. These were successful with N. dubius, red cupped poets, rimmed miniature poets and my Fanray seeding 8 W-O with 8 mm florets. I also crossed my grex of honey pink X Windsong
I have harvested some quite nice turn around bulbs from John Hunter, Graham Phillips, Grame and Faith Miller, David Adams and John Mclennan. I will have excess bulbs available for the auction. Including in those rows dug are the last of the selections from David Karnstedt and my last order received from John Reed directly with his last notes on favorite seedlings.
Hi Clay,
My guess is that your hybrids are sterile triploids. Rather than treat them as all or nothing plants I think it is important to look closely at ones that have some good qualities, check to see it they have some pollen fertility, and then put the pollen onto fertile tetraploids in the Limequilla/Hillstar/Quick Step group, or my Viriquilla if you have it. The reverse cross can also work even with things that have never set seed. You may have a precious resource for breeding a diversity of fertile hybrids.
Thanks Michael and Lawrence,
However, I think I may have been misunderstood. Miniatures have been my concentration over the last 15 or so years. I have had success in jonquils that are standards, and have registered a couple. It was however, my miniatures that I’m not happy with, I’ve tried just about ever N. jonquilla cross one can think of and have produced a lot of Twinkling Yellow look alikes. I want something more and have not found it.
I did get one of my hybrids, ‘Suzy Q’ 10Y-Y (with deep substance) that has won several mini Gold Ribbons from a cross of N. bulbocodium X N. fernandesii. I just haven’t gotten anything thing else from my crosses that I consider worthy.
As for setting seeds, just about all my miniature N. jonquilla crosses set too many seeds.
Thanks for your comments.
Clay
Hi Clay,
Thanks for the clarification. I have selected hundreds of jonquilla over the years, almost all fertile and wonderfully scented but I find them uncompetitive on the show bench against the apodanthi. They have to have some other quality for me to keep them. I have a couple of hybrids between the two groups, jonquilla and apodanthi, that have some fertility. They have produced some interesting seeds, maybe, as pollen parents, but none that I dream about.
Your Suzy Q looks fully fertile and like a pure bulbocodium. Are you sure it is true to pedigree? I had an exchange on Daffnet ages ago about finding these two groups incompatible. I think the comment was that there were no wild hybrids between these two groups. The only bulbocodium jonquil hybrids I have are through the inter-sectional hybrid Goldstep?
Do Hawera, April Tears, Angels Whisper, Fairy Chimes, Mary Plumstead, etc, albeit sterile hybrids, fit into this conversation?
David,
I don’t have any seedlings from sterile miniatures. Angels Whisper or the Angels tri in which I have all, do not set seed for me. I’m not sure that they are fertile
Lawrence, I’ve looked at your last reply and we seem to have the same results that our miniature jonquil seedling just don’t compete. But what I found interesting in your statement was comments about apodanthi seedlings. I am not aware of any apadanthi miniatures. If anyone in the US has them, I’ve been left out. I would like to get a few apadanthi or their seedling.
Clay
On the Facebook Narcissus group there are some interesting photos of natural hybrids between N. bulbocodium and N. jonquilla that they call N. x abilioi.
I struggle using N. jonquilla as a seed parent and getting any seedling that looks different than N. jonquilla. One time I took a pot of N. jonquilla inside where, in a dim room and with light from my headlamp, I noticed that touching the flowers caused pollen to dislodge and float around in the air, even without a draft in the room. I was wondering if this could be one reason why it so easily self-pollinates.
Hi All,
Thanks for the correction Ross. I can’t work out how to find the exchange I was referring to. Don’t tell me I need to join facebook! Your comment about pollen is interesting. I kept a box of N.viridiflorus inside for a couple of weeks to protect it from frost and cross it with precious pollens – all failed I think. Attempts to de-anther it sent clouds of pollen into the air. Viridiflorus grains are unusually small for a tetraploid. It struck me that apart from economy it might be an adaption to wind pollination.
Clay, there are a few fertile apodanthi hybrids around. Maybe you can get hold of some or the species. Pequenita, Tawaki, Emma Groves, Panna Cotta Group, Spring Charm, Cunaris. Here I have found N. calcicola hybrids to be the most hardy. I don’t have my paddock anymore. There they were unbelievably hardy. I don’t find them easy in pots.
David, I think you could grow Hawera for a million years and not get a seed from it. Ironically, the last year I had the block at Yass 3 siblings of a complex jonquil/triandrus/+? set seed. Maybe they are near to the tetraploid Hawera type.
Thanks Lawrence. I guess I have to pay more attention to the pedigrees of some of the miniatures, I have Pequenita and didn’t know it was apodanthi, and will look for some of the others. I looked up Apodanthi in the ADS Show and Grow and now have a better understanding of what they are.
However, I have tried to grow N. calcicola several times and have always been disappointed in the fact they don’t come up the first year, or they are so weak they die out.I’ve got to figure that on out. I’ve looked into the growing history of some miniature species and changed to way I grow them and have had good luck in doing so. For instance I have found that N. rupicola likes drier clay soil, and N. rupicola subsp watieri are different in the watieri like more moist soil. I’ve got a couple of promising seedling from N. rupicola crosses. Here’s one of them from a cross with a Pink.
Unfortunately my N. rupicola didn’t like me dumping a load of topsoil on it during the summer dormant period and even when I had the soil removed before September, it didn’t come up again for me. I have to find a new source. Lesson learned the hard way. My watieri seeds don’t germinate.
Clay
Hi Lawrence,
How do you grow N. calciola? soil conditions, type soil, direct sunlight,
shade? I don’t do good in pots.
Clay
Thanks Lawrence. I guess I have to pay more attention to the pedigrees of some of the miniatures, I have Pequenita and didn’t know it was apodanthi, and will look for some of the others. I looked up Apodanthi in the ADS Show and Grow and now have a better understanding of what they are.
However, I have tried to grow N. calcicola several times and have always been disappointed in the fact they don’t come up the first year, or they are so weak they die out.I’ve got to figure that on out. I’ve looked into the growing history of some miniature species and changed to way I grow them and have had good luck in doing so. For instance I have found that N. rupicola likes drier clay soil, and N. rupicola subsp watieri are different in the watieri like more moist soil. I’ve got a couple of promising seedling from N. rupicola crosses. Here’s one of them from a cross with a Pink.
Unfortunately my N. rupicola didn’t like me dumping a load of topsoil on it during the summer dormant period and even when I had the soil removed before September, it didn’t come up again for me. I have to find a new source. Lesson learned the hard way. My watieri seeds don’t germinate.
Clay