Friends, I have received the inquiry below and have been given permission to re-post it to Daffnet. If you can provide feedback or helpful information, please respond direct.
Jaydee Atkins Ager, ADS Executive Director
Hello,
I recently came across the website of the American Daffodil Society, as the list of historic varieties contains one by Katherine Spurrell, a relative of mine. I’m currently writing a book about the house in England where Katherine grew up, and the Royal Horticultural Society in the UK has provided me with a full list of Katherine’s daffodils, including one named for her by another hybridizer. I’d be happy to share this list with you if you are interested, although I don’t know how many of these varieties made it to the States.
I was born in England but last year moved to rural Maryland and have since discovered the joys of gardening. I was thinking about planting some bulbs in the coming weeks and then wondered if I could get my hands on any of Katherine Spurrell’s varieties. I don’t know of any commercially available in England and there may not be any over here, but if there are, I thought perhaps you would be a good place to start. Do you know if any members of the ADS grow these daffodils?
Thanks very much in advance for your help.
Kind regards,
Jonathan Spurrell
860-672-5156
AND HERE IS THE LIST JONATHAN PROVIDED:
I don’t know if this is useful, but it’s the description the RHS gave me of ‘Katherine Spurrell’:
‘Katherine Spurrell’ 3 W-Y (b)
(E. Leeds, pre-1877)
Syn. Leedsii `Katherine Spurrell’, Leedsii `Vincenti Katherine Spurrell’
Fl. large; perianth segments broadly ovate or oblong, prominently mucronate, spreading, of good substance, overlapping one-third; the inner segments more nearly ovate, a little inflexed, with margins wavy, recurved at base; corona cup-shaped, ribbed, soft canary yellow, mouth straight, wavy, rim crenate
Katherine was born in 1852, so Edward Leeds named this daffodil for her while she was fairly young. Perhaps she had shown an interest in breeding daffodils, or perhaps this gift sparked her interest. I see on one website that Edward Leeds’s father came from Norwich, which was close to where Katherine lived, so perhaps she knew the Leeds family.
This is the list of Katherine’s own daffodils that the RHS gave me. Many are named for her family or friends. She died in 1919, so in fact they are all pre-1919.
Pre-1901 Major Spurrell (fl broad; perianth segments snowy white; corona expanded, yellow, with a broad band of dark reddish orange at rim)
Pre-1902 Agnes Harvey
Pre-1903 Caroline Carver
Pre-1906 A Fifth Lancer
Lady Jane Jodrell
Pre-1907 Aide-de-Camp
Bessingham Bouquet
Charles E Hammond
Clara Herring
Gertrude S Mott
Helen Gay
May Start
Moth
White Dove
Pre-1908 Marcus Allen
Mrs Frank Barclay
Susani
Pre-1910 Mrs E Harvey
Pre-1923 F C J Spurrell
Henry Blake
Lady Ogilvy Dalgleish
Pre-1927 Cottage Maid