Seasonable Weather Returns

Back in the middle of January the Narcissus were growing rapidly and it looked as though we were going to have a very early spring here in central North Carolina. Some Narcissus in the garden, such as 'February Gold', got off to an early start, others, such as 'Jetfire' and 'Ice Follies', had scapes grow to full height and would have begun blooming in a few more days had the weather remained mild.

But that's not what happened, the weather turned much colder on January 17th and we had our first snowfall of the winter, less than an inch, on January 18th. For the next four weeks winter stuck around and we had temperatures below average for much of that time, including a second minor snowfall on February 1st and an overnight low of 15°F on February 6th.

Narcissus 'February Gold' were at peak bloom when the cold weather arrived and they were able to take the frigid temperatures and snow without noticeable damage. The Narcissus 'Ice Follies' scapes nearing bloom were not damaged either, but a few of the Narcissus 'Jetfire' scapes nearing bloom collapsed during the severe cold. Finally more seasonable weather has arrived and the Narcissus have begun to show signs of life again. Here are a few pictures I took of them last week.

Here's Narcissus 'Tête-à-tête', a petite yellow early bloomer that's been extremely reliable in the garden, blooming well every year and increasing through offsets. It's one of my favorite miniature Narcissus.

Next is Narcissus 'Jetfire', another small one, but larger than 'Tête-à-tête'. It's also been very reliable in the garden, blooming and increasing well. When the flowers first open the color is nearly uniform yellow, but as they age the cup deepens to a rich orange. The swept back look of its flowers comes from the Narcissus cyclamineus in its ancestry.

Next are two photos of the first large Narcissus to bloom in the garden, the very vigorous and popular Narcissus 'Ice Follies'. This has a wide flat cup that starts out medium yellow, but unlike 'Jetfire' which darkens, this one fades with age resulting in a uniformly colored pale yellow flower. 'Ice Follies' has been an exceptional performer in the garden, blooming and increasing well every year.

The continuation of seasonable temperatures this week should coax Narcissus 'Pinza', 'Ceylon', 'Carlton', and 'Saint Keverne' into bloom. I'll try to get some pictures and will post the better ones here. As Narcissus season really gets underway in March there will be dozens of new varieties coming into bloom each week. I'll try to keep up.