Yellow, as I’ve mentioned before, is a colour that’s as polarising in the world of gardening as it is in so many other areas of life.
For some, it’s the hue of warmth and happiness, a squeal of joy in an increasingly grey world. But for others, it’s both attention-seeking and unflattering, a lone wolf, a bilious shade that dominates at the expense of all others. The artist Van Gogh famously loved it, for example, but not his French counterpart Degas, who famously commented: “What a horrible thing yellow is.”
For gardeners who belong firmly in the latter camp, there’s a very good possibility that you long ago ruled out growing daffodils, solely on the basis of their famously cadmium-yellow flowers. If that’s the case, then it’s time to consider giving these typically easy-to-grow, hardy, spring-flowering, bulbous perennials, which so deeply adore our Irish climate, another chance.
Ideally suited to growing in a cool, moist but free-draining soil in a sunny or lightly-shaded spot where they can enjoy the seasonal shade of deciduous trees and shrubs as well as herbaceous perennials – the latter are brilliant for concealing daffodil foliage as it naturally dies back in late spring – now is an excellent time of year to take note of any areas of the garden where they can shine. The trick for xanthophobes lies in avoiding varieties that shine so brightly they make you wince.
This means steering clear of any of the innumerable varieties of daffodils (properly known as narcissus) with large golden petals and conspicuous yellow cups or trumpets – or coronas, to use the correct botanical term. Examples include Narcissus ‘King Alfred’, Narcissus ‘Rapture’, and Narcissus ‘Dutch Master’, whose big, bold (some would argue brash) blooms are guaranteed to set the hearts of xanthophiles aflutter.
The good news is that there are many other subtler varieties, with flowers that come in ghostly shades of cream, white and peach, that even the most yellow-hating among us will find it hard to resist. Don’t believe me? See below for some inspiration.
Ten daffodils for xanthophobes
Narcissus ‘Thalia’: The epitome of refinement, this late-flowering, heritage variety of triandrus-type daffodil is prized for its graceful, long-lasting, perfumed, pale cream flowers, with anywhere from two to four of them per slender stem. Vigorous, long-lived, pollinator-friendly, and very well-suited to naturalising in grass or a large border, it also makes a glorious cut flower.
Narcissus ‘Lady Madonna’: This is my first year growing this exquisite variety and I’m already completely smitten. Classed as a cyclamineus-type daffodil, its sculptural, buttermilk-coloured flowers have slim, stiff, beautifully fluted trumpets and the strongly backswept or ‘recurved’ petals that are typical of this group. Yellow only in bud, as they open and age, they fade to creamy white.
Narcissus ‘Sailboat’: if you’re flirting with the idea of introducing some very pale shades of barely-there yellow into your spring garden, then this Jonquil-type daffodil is an excellent choice. Starry white, sweptback petals surround a dainty, pale-lemon trumpet, with each flower stem carrying up to three perfumed flowers that slowly fade to creamy-white, offering an opportunity for even the sternest of yellow-phobics to celebrate their charm.
Narcissus ‘Winston Churchill’: This variety of narcissus defies any preconceptions one might have about daffodils. Its graceful clusters of intensely scented, ruffled flowers don’t have an obvious trumpet or corona like the more traditional types do, for example, while it’s also late-flowering, typically blooming in April. As for its colouring, it’s akin to a Cadbury’s creme egg, with lots of densely-grouped, creamy-white petals with a delicate smear of bright orange at the centre. Despite its delicate appearance, Narcissus ‘Winston Churchill’ is also long-lived, resilient and vigorous, and makes an excellent cut flower.
Narcissus ‘Androcles’: Imagine a daffodil that’s a cross between a gardenia and an orchid, with very large, heavy, intricately ruffled, ice-cream white, scented flowers, and you have ‘Androcles’, one of the most exotic-looking varieties out there. Perfect for container growing or the cut-flower patch where its opulent blooms look right at home, it’s best kept out of the wilder edges of the garden where it looks out of place.
Narcissus ‘Silver Chimes’: Another outstanding Tazetta-type daffodil with multiple pale, dainty, scented flowers per stem. True, each flower’s small, shallow, central cup or corona is in a shade of barely-there yellow. But think home-made lemonade rather than scrambled eggs.
Narcissus ‘Actaea’: One for naturalising beneath fruit trees, along the edge of a path or avenue, or in a wildflower meadow, with starry white petals arranged around a tiny, blood-orange corona, the poet’s daffodil is famed for its natural grace and scent as well as its ability to naturalise. Just make sure to source healthy bulbs of this heritage variety that are certified free of disease.
Narcissus ‘Petrel’: One for the ‘no-yellow-in-the-garden’ purists, and a variety of such outstanding beauty and charm that it should be much more widely grown, this miniature, late-flowering Triandrus-type daffodil has up to seven scented, long-lasting, ivory-white flowers per slender stem. Just glorious, whether grown in a container or flower bed on its own or combined with other spring-flowering species such as hellebore, crocus and hyacinths.
Narcissus ‘Stainless’: Another exquisite, pale-flowered daffodil without even a hint of yellow, its large, shallow, green-eyed, white cups are surrounded by rounded white petals. Tall stems also make this a great cutting variety.
Narcissus ‘Filly’: As plant breeders further explore the possibilities of the genus, a bewildering number of new varieties of narcissus continue to be introduced into cultivation, some with split petals and coronas, and many in mixed shades of pink, peach and apricot. Not all are lovely, and a few are hideous. But Narcissus ‘Filly’ is a Dutch-bred hybrid from the 1980s that could never be described as anything other than gorgeous, with white petals and a lightly frilled cup or corona that starts out pink but then slowly fades to pale apricot.
This week
Mark clumps of late winter and early-spring flowering bulbs with a label or stick to remind yourself and others not to accidentally mow or strim the foliage before it dies back over the coming months. At this time of year, the young, fast-growing stems of clematis need to be gently tied against a supporting structure of horizontal wires or wire netting, with the latter firmly secured in place so that it can take the weight of the plant in full bloom.
Dates for your diary
Saturday, April 5th, Cabinteely Community School, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18, D18VH72, the Alpine Garden Society Annual Show takes place with a range of plant exhibits, society plant sales, and commercial nursery plant stalls, see alpinegardensociety.ie. Saturday, May 3rd and Sunday, May 4th, Festival of Gardens and Nature, Ballintubbert Gardens and House, Stradbally, Co Laois, with a host of guest speakers including Nigel Slater, Fergus Garrett, Catherine FitzGerald, Andrea Brunsendorf, Rory O’Connell, Giuliana Furci, Amelia Raben, Charlie Harpur, Kitty Scully, Dominic West, Sally O’Halloran, Sean Pritchard, Sean Ronayne, Tom Stuart-Smith, Darina Allen, Diarmuid Gavin, and Jamie Walton; see festivalofgardensandnature.com for booking details.
