[John]

This was the best site and the most impressive. Most were scattered through scrub

[Fermi]

Narcissus obsoletus (was N. serotinus) is the first autumn flowering one for us this year.
cheers
fermi

[Fermi]

Now the Narcissus viridflorus has started - and I didn't save pollen from the N. obsoletus
cheers
fermi

[Trevor Australis]

Must be time to see what mine are doing. That's a terrific stand. Were they a batch of seedlings or a few bulbs that have multiplied?

Gorging myself admiring Lachenalia viridiflora emerging. Will this be the year for flowers? Hope so.

[John]

Fermi it is a splendid clump of a great favorite of mine. I grew it many years ago with the intention of hybridising from it. I never did manage to but I know of several others that have now. I saw some images of those a Newzealand breeder has produced a couple of years ago and they were impressive. Why is it green and did it evolve from a white species? I know from experience that the scent is fabulous or at least this is my memory. Presumably this is effective enough to attract pollinators. There could be markings not visible to the human eye as well.

[Alisdair]

Thanks, Fermi, for those pictures of such a terrific stand of this mysterious plant!
(I've sown seed for the first time this year, and your photos are giving me encouragement for the next few years of waiting....)

[Fermi]

Thanks for your comments, guys,
this clump is from a few bulbs we got from Gordon Julian in Tasmania in 2002! My 3rd attempt at establishing them in the garden. They are planted in a raised bed/rock garden on the south side but still in pretty much full sun.
I try to avoid watering this area over summer and the flowers now come up through the superb little teucrium T. subspinosum which has spread to cover them.
I'm usually too concerned with other things to remember to collect pollen in time to save it for crossing with other daffs - I think other jonquills would be a possibility.
cheers
fermi

[Umbrian]

I have been reading posts about Narcissus recently since I am now the proud owner of a porcupine free garden and shall be able to indulge my passion for bulbs again . My immediate question is - I recently received a present of some "Hawera" bulbs grown in a tall glass pot with pebbles and water in the bottom - no compost. They are flowering beautifully but I am wondering what to do when the flowers have finished in order to retain the bulbs for planting?  Do I leave them in the glass pot or would they be better transfered to one with compost or even put directly into the ground?

[Trevor Australis]

I'd plant them out in the garden as soon as the flowers fade. To help the acclimatization/ adjustment process I'd mix some coarse sand and perlite in the soil before transferring the bulbs from the growing jar. Water carefully with a root stimulant such as kelp or seaweed extract and feed lightly with water soluble low nitrogen fertiliser every 2 weeks.
 

[Umbrian]

Thanks Trevor - will do - at least they will be going into good soil in the new garden unlike here where I battle with stony clay.

[Daisy]

I have been enjoying all these photos of narcissus. Thank-you all.
Umbrian, do you now have a new garden?
Please, please, please post some "before" photos.
Daisy

[John]

Yes a good ideas from Daisy to Umbrian. Difficult with all these names isn't it!

[Fermi]

Here are some narcissus flowering in our garden this morning,
A hybrid "hoop petticoat" - probably one of Glebrook Bulb Farm's "Detective series" 10WW
A Div 6 hybrid - Tracey
Another Div 6 -"Tatiana x N. cyclamineus
and some single and double tazettas 8WY
cheers
fermi

[Trevor Australis]

I'm going to be in Uruguay when a new sdlg Narc flowers and am very curious to know what I will miss. The seedlings are those of N. aleajandris? which I've never been able to attach to any image known to me, It looks like it will be a v sm jonquilla type. Any comments most welcome.

[Alisdair]

Trevor, you can find a good picture of this really lovely narcissus from northern Spain, taken by our forum member Rafa, by clicking here. It is a form of N. triandrus, and the current view seems to be that it is a hybrid of two of the subspecies, named in The Plant List as Narcissus x alejandrei.