Croft 16 Daffodils

'Holland's Glory'   4Y-Y    L. van Leeuwen & Son, pre-1913       £3.00 each
Double 'Emperor'. Outer petaloid segments well formed, resembling broadly ovate perianth segments, regularly arranged in at least two outer whorls; primrose-yellow with whitish midrib and mucro. Amount of doubling within trumpet can vary greatly. More...

'Orange Phoenix'   4W-O    Dutch origin?, pre-1731      £4.50 each
Flowers composed of shapely, cream-white, ovate petaloid segments, often densely arranged towards centre. Coronal segments much shorter, usually in a couple of continuous whorls of soft orange, darker at closely frilled rim. Known since the 1700s. More...

N. pseudonarcissus 'Plenus' hort.   4Y-Y   European origin?, pre-1629                                                                                                      £1.50 each
True double Lent lily would, one surmises, be smaller with straw white, not yellow (and green, if mycoplasmic), outer petaloid segments. Dwarfer and earlier than 'Van Sion' with a more western distribution in the U.K. More...

'Sulphur Phoenix'    4Y/W-Y   Unknown origin, pre-1820       £1.50 each
Of delicate appearance. Petaloid segments regularly arranged, primrose, becoming pale sulphur-yellow. At least two outer whorls resembling well-formed perianth segments; inner segments shorter, sometimes densely arranged, often slender and acute. More...

'Tresamble'   5W-W   P.D. Williams, pre-1930                     £1.00 each
A more hearty flower than the daintier 'Niveth' and 'Thalia, with spreading, sometimes rather oblong, ivory-white perianth segments and a more widely expanded, more ruffled corona of soft primrosy cream; closely crenate rim remains ivory-white. More...

'Little Witch'    6Y-Y   Mrs R.O. Backhouse, pre-1921      £1.00 each
A good choice for planters and informal drifts, this dwarf, sturdy cultivar has well-balanced, long-lasting flowers. The straight, rich yellow, fluted corona becomes paler with age but remains darker than the slender, recurving perianth segments. More...

'Golden Sceptre'    7Y-Y    de Graaff Bros, pre-1914    £3.50 each
An unusual Jonquil with a corona of almost trumpet proportions, gently flaring to a slightly crenate rim. A valuable link to seed parent, 1Y-Y 'Monarch', Barr pre-1891. Corona slightly longer and paler than in 'Sweetness', and without the deep ruffles. More...

'Lanarth'    7Y-O    P.D. Williams, pre-1907       £2.00 each
Often two, sometimes three, long-lasting, sweetly scented flowers per scape. Distinguished from other jonquils by a wide corona. Perianth segments broadly ovate, golden yellow; corona a shallow bowl, sparsely pleated, yellowish amber stained orange. More...

'Polnesk'    7Y-Y    P.D. Williams, pre-1927       £3.50 each
A softer yellow and shorter-cupped Jonquil than 'Golden Sceptre' and 'Sweetness', with recurving perianth segments; inner segments "slightly set forward, giving a cheerful, wide-awake expression"; corona "a prettily fluted short cup" (Bowles, 1934). More...

'Sweetness'    7Y-Y    R.V. Favell, pre-1936       £1.00 each
Bright golden yellow perianth segments held almost perpendicularly to the long, fluted corona of exceptionally rich, almost orange, yellow. Flowers beautifully sweetly scented; of robust substance and long-lasting. Vigorous. Although probably bred after 1930, offered here as one of the best jonquils. More...

'Avalanche'    8W-Y   T.A. Dorrien Smith, pre-1906      £1.50 each
1950s name for older cultivar. True Tazetta with about ten, small flowers per stem. Perianth segments short, broad, and well-overlapping, milk-white; corona shallow and straight-sided, strong lemon. Sweet scent. Surprisingly tough: survived -8° C here. More...

'Chinita'   8Y-YYR    F.H. Chapman, pre-1922      £1.00 each
Poetaz with two medium-sized flowers per stem. Perianth segments pale lemony primrose; becoming sulphur-white stained lemon at base. Corona very shallow, regularly pleated, mostly lemon-yellow; shading through orange to bright red at lightly ruffled rim. More...

'Geranium'    8W-O   J.B. van der Schoot, 1930      £1.00 each
Poetaz with up to six flowers per scape. Sweet, slightly cloying, long-lasting scent. Perianth segments rounded, clean white. Corona very shallow bowl-shaped, flanged; yellowish orange suffused stronger orange; rim irregularly ruffled. More...

'Medusa'   8W-O    P.D. Williams, pre-1907       £2.00 each
Usually twin-flowered; scented; similar to 'Geranium', but fewer, larger flowers per scape and corona usually becoming duller, darker orange. Perianth pure white, stained pale yellowish orange at base; corona a shallow bowl with few pleats; rim wavy. More...

'Sarchedon'    9W-GYR    G.H. Engleheart, pre-1910      £4.00 each
A vigorous, robust, large-flowered Poet with very broad, spreading, outer perianth segments and a closely pleated, tightly frilled, disc-shaped corona. A quirky choice of name as the eponymous King of Assyria (681-669 B.C.) suffered chronic ill-health. More...

'Stilton'    9W-YYR    E.B. Champernowne, pre-1909      £1.00 each
Perianth segments pure white, very rounded in upper half, tapering to claw towards base. Corona distinct: rather small and shallow, mostly muted saffron-yellow; eye smudged dull, pale moss-green; overlapping lobes of rim thinly outlined dark crimson. More...

N. radiiflorus var. poetarum   13W-OOR   A.H. Haworth 1831   £1.50 each
Perianth pure white, becoming gappy with age; stained strong lemon-yellow at base. Corona a very shallow saucer, burnt orange shading to dull red; minutely ruffled, dentate rim, with no yellow or thin line of white. Strongly scented. April-flowering. More...

N. radiiflorus aff. var. radiiflorus  13W-YYO/R   French origin, pre-1597                                                                                                       £3.50 each
Scented Poet with slender, unusually green leaves (N. angustifolius in Haworth's Monograph, 1831); a tiny cup narrowly margined "orange-red" (Barr and Son cat. 1884), and April-flowering (N. medio purpureus praecocissimus, Gerard's Herball, 1597). More...