The narcissus, St. Patrick’s Day, has never let me down before. It has always flowered on March 17th, St. Patrick’s day, no matter what the weather has been like. This is how it was this year, tight bud.
It took a good week for it to open up and flower properly on March 24th.
Don’t understand it really, the last couple of winters have been extremely cold, yet it flowered on time, Maybe the snow the previous winter acted like a huge duvet, but the winter before that we didn’t have any snow to speak about, just lots of frost.
Checking the other clumps, I found that they were all at the same stage of development, all just starting to come out at the same time.
Now that it is here, I wanted to share it with you, a really lovely colour, much paler than Tete-a-tete, more the colour of primroses.
We are having such a warm spell at the moment, temperatures more like the middle of summer and likely to stay this way for another week, so I hope this doesn’t mean that all our spring bulbs are going to be over far too soon. Already I am having to dead head all the little Tete-a-tete daffodils, they have finished flowering for this year. So, St.Patrick, I will enjoy you while I can and hope that you stay around for a few weeks, I will also look forward to March 17th 2013 and hope that you turn up on time!!
Hi Pauline,
Lovely photos; I don’t have many different species of Daffs/Narcissi, but I’m beginning to understand just how useful they can be at this time of year to add colour when all else is brown or green!
We have lots of daffodils Liz, bur not many varieties. They certainly bring spring into the garden and if you have early flowering, like tete-a-tete, followed by yellow and white, like Jack Snipe and then bring up the rear with white Thalia, you can have them in flower for a good 3 months. This is of course, as long as the hot weather doesn’t finish them off early !!
Very nice pale yellow! Could they be late because of the lack of rain? I see mine start growing and flowering as soon as I watered them.
Never thought of that Alberto, yes, that could well be the answer, thanks!!
Late or not, they are absolutely gorgeous.
And thanks to your post I’ve just realised the identity of one of my mystery daffodils, or I think I have. It was your description of the colour – I don’t think there’s a daff quite like it, so thanks very much!
Glad to have been of help Kate, it is a lovely colour isn’t it, not a strident yellow at all. With all the hot weather that we have been having, I hope they are not going to be over too soon!
Hi Pauline, Love the soft shade of yellow of your St. Patrick’s Day. I think Alberto is on to something. We have had lots of fine weather and a distinct lack of rain. A spring garden really needs rain as much as sun. My daffodils are out now as well.
Yes, Jennifer, Alberto has the right idea, never thought I would have to water daffodils in the winter!! We have had such a dry winter here, lots of the country has drought conditions with hose pipe bans looming. England is renowned for its rain, but not at the moment!!