Viewing comments posted by jmorth

Brent and Becky's comment:

This is a GREAT new garden daffodil for us with amazing substance and form, which also makes it suitable and lovely enough for the show bench. Pure snow white and long lasting! Mid-Late Spring, 12/15cm, 18" - 24".

Hope to force this division 2, large cupped beauty this winter.


Successfully forced, blooming in March.

Common name of Ironweed comes from the rusty color of the seed head (Ironweed refers to the wild Vernonia).

A vining, toxic plant introduced from Eurasia as a cultivated ornamental. Used in some folk remedies and to counteract witchcraft.
Any part of plant bruised, stinks. Clusters of bright red berries in the fall.

Burdock's burrs were the inspiration for Velcro.

According to the legend, a beautiful maiden refused the advances of the sun and as a result she was turned into a chicory flower that has to stare at the sun every day and also fades in the presence of the sun's might.
The flowers open in the morning and usually close by noon.

Tragopogon pratensis aka Oyster Plant or Goatsbeard is a fairly common wildflower in Illinois, found in fields and pastures, along roads and railroads, and in disturbed soil. It is a native of Europe, translocated to North America. It is a biennial plant with milky sap, growing to 2.5 feet. The smooth stem thickens just under the flower head. The leaves are alternate, and the leaf base clasps the stem. The flower head is yellow and about 3 inches wide with notable pointed green bracts that sometimes extend beyond the yellow ray flowers. The flowering period begins in May and goes to the end of September. The flowers close by noon on sunny days. The fruit looks like a giant dandelion and, similarly, is dispersed by wind.
The common name Oyster Plant arises from the taste of the edible roots harvested in the fall or winter and then boiled or roasted before consumption; the taste varies from parsnip-like to oyster-like. Young, tender leaves at stem's base can also be eaten, raw in salads or cooked as greens.
Tragopogon, the genus name, means goat's beard in Greek and is the source for the other common name.

Verbesina helianthoides, aka Yellow Crownbeard and Yellow Wingstem, is an Illinois wildflower found in prairies, open woodlands, and savannas, and near streams. It's a wildlife resource as its seeds are consumed by Bobtail Quail, songbirds, and small mammals.
6 to 15 yellow petal-like ray flowers surround a yellow disc making this a relatively large wildflower for it's 3.5-foot plant height. It blooms in June and July. Leaves up to 6 inches in length are alternate, toothed, and hairy (coarse on the top, soft underneath). Flaps of leaf tissue run down the stem and are the source of one of its common names: "Wingstem."

Lactuca canadensis is called Wild Lettuce around here (central Illinois). This wildflower/weed can grow up to 8 feet tall. It's a smooth-skinned biennial that has a milky tannish sap. It becomes multi-branched at the top, where numerous, small (less than a half-inch across) flower heads occur. Each head is composed of 15 to 22 yellow petal-like ray flowers surrounding a central disk. Flowers appear from July through September. The flower and seed heads look like diminutive dandelions. Seed distribution is wind borne, just like the dandelion. It can colonize densely.
Leaves are stalkless and arranged alternately. They may attain a length of 12 inches by 6 inches wide, though usually smaller, and vary from deeply lobed to rounded.
Habitats where found include dry open woodlands, savannas, prairies, pastures, and disturbed ground.
Native Indians used the milky sap to treat skin eruptions. Crushed leaves were used on insect bites. A root tea served to treat diarrhea, heart and lung problems, bleeding, and nausea, and as a pain reliever. A leaf tea was used to hasten milk flow after childbirth by both Indians and early settlers.

This late-blooming, historic, yellow dwarf Triandrus daffodil bred by Englishman Alex Grey and registered before WW II is marginally fertile. Small flowers are less than 2 inches across and present themselves 4 or 5 per stem. April Tears won several awards in the middle of the last century (1950's). It was awarded the RHS highest accolade, the Award of Garden Merit(AGM) in 1996, but that award was rescinded in 2012. At that time, the Royal Horticultural Society decided one of the criteria determining inclusion for the AGM wasn't met. For old daffodils, one such parameter resulting in withdrawal is availability of the cultivar.

This classic double daffodil is considered a great forcer. Other great double daffodils known to force well are 'Abba' and 'Erlicheer'.
Brent and Becky's think Bridal Crown is one of the best-looking daffodils for daffodils grown in pots. "Heavenly fragrance."

This 4-inch stunner is classified as a Division 2 (large cupped) daffodil despite the fact that it actually varies to some extent between Division 2 and Division 3 (small cupped) daffodils. Bred by West Coast hybridizer Grant Mitsch, it was registered in 1965, though it was first noted blooming a decade earlier.
It can be forced.

Hailed as the 1st yellow flowering Hosta. Foliage has wavy edges. Flowers have a nice, though light, fragrance. Grows to 16 inches tall. Sun to shade habitat. Adapts well to large containers.

Mr. Snooty is one strange-looking Div. 1 (Trumpet) daffodil. It's star shaped with 6 twisted lemon yellow petals around a long golden yellow cylindrical trumpet. One noted breeder of daffodils postulates Mr. Snotty may be the result of a "spontaneous" hybrid between 'Golden Spur' and 'Princeps' and calls it a "Spurceps."
Cultivar is susceptible to a lot of variation.

Lawrence Trevanion's quest here is to obtain a stable, fall-flowering, green Tazetta daffodil. Lawrence Trevanion is from Australia. There are some U.S. West Coast hybridizers who share a similar goal.

Rather unusual all-pink, large-cupped daffodil. There aren't too many all pink daffodils. The pink is a reddish-pink. A strong grower and of show quality. Bred in Michigan by Dr. John Reed and registered in 2014. Considered to be the most intense all-pink daffodil "to date."

White Heaven is an all-white (greenish-white), miniature, fall-flowering, hoop-petticoat type of hybrid daffodil bred on the West Coast by Walter J.M. Blom, first flowering in 2002. White Heaven was registered with the RHS in 2015. Flowers are overall star shaped, and they smell sweet.
All this makes for a rather unusual daffodil. Needless to say, it fetches a pretty price.

Brent and Becky's catalog description -
'Hardy Lee - a sport of King Alfred that one of our customers found and sent to us to have propagated; has a double row of petals and a double filled cup; quite unique; 14" to 18"; early-mid spring'.

Akuna was classified as a division 3 (small cupped daffodil) from 1956 (year of registration) till 1964 when the Royal Horicultural Society (RHS) re-classified it as a divison 2 (large cupped daffodil). The English RHS is considered the premier organization by daffodil people around the world.

Eye Spy is a small, winter blooming hoop petticoat type daffodil introduction from Glenbrook Bulb Farm in Tasmania, Australia at the turn of the century (2001). Eye Spy opens creamy white to creamy yellow and turns a glistening all white, with green eye as it matures. It's just over an inch (35 mm) in size.
Curious.

The name, Exquisite One, sums up the aspect of this cultivar from New Zealand well. It looks exquisite. Exquisite One was hybridized by Peter Ramsey in 1993, registered in 2005, and won an Award of Merit in New Zealand a year earlier. The flower form as a whole is rounded and measures just over three inches with a pleasing cup to petal ratio. I would like to try and force this one, but its accessibility is questionable as it dwells on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.