Miniature narcissus recommendations

I love unusual plants and want to bulb up a garden near our summer porch. Any suggestions for minis especially whites, lemon yellows, or pink cups to go with the rugosas in back (may not be blooming that early so yellows may work but not oranges just in case). Think "special." Any great small company catalogs besides the big bulb people?

True species are usually small. Most hybrids have been bred up in size, e.g. Narcissus jonquila is only 5" tall.
Brent and Becky's Bulbs has a nice selection.
Colorblends had Alladin's Carpet. It contains six species of little Tulips and a couple of other small species, including Narcissus.

Most bulb companies do not specify which ones return every year and which ones have to be dug and dried.

Spring blooming Croci are fine. My favorite is Pickwick. Fall blooming Croci may flower first and the flower gets knocked over. Some get leaves first and there is support for the flower. Again catalogs do not specify. A couple of the fall blooming species are fickle and can go either way

It's just plain old yellow, but Tete-a-Tete is very reliable, comes back every year and spreads nicely. It's my absolute favorite of the miniature daffs.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/48947/

Thanks for the recs!

Rip van Winkle is gorgeous, it increases and the foliage looks good for a long time. They take snow too! I started with two about 9 years ago, besides these I have planted a few in other places. This was 23rd March.

Flowers

Thalia starts mid March and is in full flush by the end of March here, it's very good for naturalising. I had 10 bulbs, 3 in each spot and they have clumped up over a few years nicely.

Wonderful! I planted lots of Thalias in my last garden but never saw it in it's peak.

Jack Snipe is among my favorite miniiatures. I don't think Tete-aTete can be beat for floriferousness.

Anyone interested in more Iris? http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/900799/

I just bought 25 Sailboat, WP Milner, and Snipe from Colorblends.

Here's a link. http://www.colorblends.com/Daffodils-By-Variety/

I just found this thread. I got Sailboat last year and just loved it this spring. The blooms lasted very well. I also like "Minnow". It's tiny and so are the blooms, but it's early and I think totally adorable!

I just found Minnow locally! Suzybell, do you have Segovia?

Oh cool, you'll like it! I don't have Segovia, but I looked it up in PF-looks lovely!

Boojum, nice choices. I love the little ones too. 'Segovia' is a wonderful one. I love a sweet pale one called 'Gipsy Queen' which is a division 1 YYW-WWY that has a soft yellow cup that turns white and was about 6" tall in my garden. I also always love 'Hawera'. Another favorite is 'Lemon Silk' which you would love for its pale yellow color. Last year was a first for a tiny one called 'Small talk' that was very very dear but all yellow. I have many that I adore. Oh I love 'Pipit', 'Dickcissel' and Martinette which is tall, very tall, but has a tiny flower head, with a fragrance that is amazing. However it is bright yellow and orange. Too many choices. Here are some of the ones that I have that are the softer colors that you might be looking for, though many are not miniature. I have a bunch of new ones to plant this fall. Many whites. Is spring almost here? Patti

Patti, what is the one second to bottom row, right edge? I think these smaller ones are becoming my favorites, too.

Patti, I had no idea you had such an extensive collection! I love that bottom right one!
I used to have Hawera ages ago. I'll hafta find Lemon Silk. Is it one of the pics?

I "THINK" which might be dangerous, that the one on the right in the next to the bottom row is 'Bahama Beach' and the one below it is 'Segovia'. Patti

Boojum and Suzybell. I have many, and by this time of the year I am sort of like Mother Hubbard and can't remember all of their names. Here are some of them that I just quickly put in a slide show. Some duplicates, sorry. Now I need to clean this up and get the rest entered with their names and in alphabetical order and with bloom times. But that will be much later in the winter. Patti

http://picasaweb.google.com/bbrookrd/Narcissus?authkey=XSUdijfpafM#

Well, that does it, must get Segovia!

So many beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing those! There are lots more different ones than I'd realized.

What a great resource, Patti! Thanks!

Boojum, If you would just get on the Steamship next spring we could do a little digging. I have lots more that I haven't taken the time to label the pictures yet, so I left those off. Plus I have some (oops...many) choice new ones coming.

Poet's Narcissus Felindre
Double Daffodil Cheerfulness
Hoop-Petticoat Daffodil Conspicuus
Daffodil Amore
Tazetta Daffodil Martinette
Large-cupped Daffodil Fragrant Breeze
Apodanthus Daffodil Quail
Large-cupped Daffodil Rainbow
Large-cupped Daffodil Red Devon
Small-cupped Daffodil Seagull
Double Daffodil Sir Winston Churchill
Trumpet Daffodil Spellbinder
Butterfly Narcissus Tripartite
Small-cupped Daffodil Mint Julep
Large-cupped Daffodil Pineapple Prince
Small-cupped Daffodil Princess Zaide
Double Daffodil Sherborne
Miniature Jonquilla Daffodil Pipit (more)
Apodanthus Daffodil Smiling Twin
Narcissus medioluteus Twin Sisters
Minature Daffodil Fairy Chimes
Miniature Daffodil Kokopelli
Bulbocodium Hybrid Narcissus diamond ring
Apodanthus Daffodil wateri
Large-cupped Daffodil Accent
double daffodil Double Fashion
double daffodil wave
double daffodil white medal
Miniature Daffodil Baby Moon (more)
large cup Largo
large cup Mary Bohannon
split cup Dolly Mollinger
Butterfly Narcissus Mondragon
Historic Daffodil Lucifer
Butterfly Daffodil Tiritomba
double mini daffodil pencrebar
double mini daffodil rip van winkle (more)
Double Daffodil Texas
Trumpet Narcissus Empress of Ireland
Trumpet Daffodil Lemon Glow (more)
Large-cupped Daffodil Monal
Large-cupped Daffodil Limbo
Cyclamen Daffodil Jumblie
Apodanthus Daffodil Kedron
Apodanthus Daffodil Sugarbush
Tazetta Daffodil Chinita
Heirloom Narcissus Insulinde
Trumpet Daffodil King Alfred
Jonquilla Daffodil Lintie
large cup narcissus louise de coligny
Small-cupped Daffodil Mrs. Langtry
large cup narcissus marjorie hine
double narcissus shirley temple

Holy Narcissus, Batman!

Wow! Looks like you're going to have a veeery busy fall....hope you've got a bulb drill!

Susybell, And I am blessed with a DH that like to use one. He is a drilling fool. I am just the buying fool! Or just plan daffy. Patti

LOL, all hail drilling fools! I'm more on your side,though, the buying fool, but Daffy is certainly appropriate in this case! :)

Tete-a-tete, Minnow, and Rip van Winkle are definite favorites of mine. I put in several other varieties last year, but need at least one more spring to evaluate them for multiplying & staying power... 'Jenny', 'Sun Dial', gaah, I know there were a couple others, LOL.

I've been considering 'Topolino'... anybody tried it? The photo from Van Engelen makes it look like it's relatively upward facing rather than nodding like some of the minis... I like the idea of being able to see its "face" a bit better. (Well, not really upward facing, just more outward than downward)

I figure it will give me a good reason to roll around on the ground.
I just bought Segovia and Elka and some Chionodoxa and tricolor crocus for contrast color.

Boojum, I have been eying 'Elka' and I love chionodoxa too. Here is 'Lemon Silk' with bi color Muscari latifolium which I adore and Tete-a-Tete on April 30th and what I assume is 'giant blue' ( I ordered chionodoxa alba ). I now will order the white again for another spot that needs "socks" around some narcissus. Also in another part of the bed pictured is 'Hawera', 'Sailboat' and 'Hillstar' and soon to added will be 'Mint Julep' and hopefully some Anemone blanda ' White Splendour' will appear which I planted last year. I have had that one not show up for the first year.

It is so helpful to be looking at my old photos now as the bulb boxes are piling up for the mid to late Oct planting frenzy that DH (birthday boy) and I will be having here. I can see what I want to add and where. I do try to have a planned spot for each plan as I order it, but that often changes as I look back through my photos. I found a few in an order that arrived this week that I had forgotten to enter in my journal that I am planting this year including Narcissus 'Delnashaugh', 'golden dawn', 'passionale' 'thalia' and 'kissproof', but no miniature ones. Patti

This message was edited Sep 27, 2008 9:16 AM

Some other "socks" that I like with narcissus and tulips are Geranium tuberosum and Puschkinia libanotica. Here they are with 'Tete-a-Tete', though just a plan yellow, I find so cheery.

Todd Boland has written some great articles about the "minor" bulbs that I have found very helpful. I am a fan of muscari scilla and crocus. The more the better. I will be waiting for the big late Nov sales to gobble up more when they are way cheap and easy to dibble in the still not too frozen earth. Of course I am passionate about all Fritillaria and one particular bulb known as a Roman Hyacinthus or Hyacinthus orientalis var. albulus which I got from Buggy Crazy. I have added to my batch again this year. Can't get enough of it.

Today Todd has a great article about another favorite that I have been adding armies of in our beds, the little species and "botanical" tulips. My most favorite, and of course the most pricey is, T. acuminata. I am adding 5 more this year. Patti

Here is that sweet little 'Hillstar' on May 23rd with a bleeding heart. 'Hillstar' started out yellow then develops this nice white. It looks a lot like Pipit. . I can't tell them apart in my photos so I am going to have to really compare them next year. 'Hillstar' is on the top, 'Pipit' is on the bottom. Pictures take mid to late May here. Patti

I have t. turkestanica all over. My fav. Happy Day to Pren!!!!!!!!! Mine is end of Oct. Fall babies. I love your combo pics, Patti! Off to read Todd's article.

I'm hoping to bump into Pipit in my travels! I may go to the Newfane GH today and I think they have it in the Hadley Garden Center. I hate shipping charges!

Boojum, Say hey to the people at Newfane. Stay out of that left front corner. Betcha can't. Get some apples at Dutton's. I don't like the 'Williams' one for eating, but love most of theirs. We got a new one with a strange name that was great, but of course I can't remember the name. Crisp and medium tart. Pren will be up next weekend. He has a rowing regatta in Hartford. I think I have a wedding to go to here, so can't come up. Perhaps the following week. I need some fall color and more apples. I think I am going to buy a special Japanese Maple for the birthday boy today. Here are my latest blooming mini ones 'New Moon' and 'Lemon Drops' on June 2 with the sweet woodruff in bloom. Patti

Hey, bbrookrd, I am a great fan of the "french roman" hyacinths. I bought a few several years ago, all peach pink, and have been able to divide them almost every year. This year I bought blue--hyacinth for the soul. Of course, blue completely recedes into the background, but I know it's there. It's a good excuse to get out there and weed. Maybe next year I'll get white. They're expensive but well worth it.

quiltjean, I ordered something similar called Brimeura amethystina or Hyacinthus amethystinus which looks like a winner. I do have some of the Multi-flowered Hyacinthus from Brent and Becky, but not nearly as lovely IMO, but still a fan. Patti

My favourite miniature narcissi which are all very reliable are Beryl, Jenny, Little Witch and Segovia. For species the absolute best is cyclamineus but it getting very hard to acquire. There are literally hundreds to choose from. Broadleigh Bulbs has an execllent selection and a good web site.

Galanthophile, I will be looking for Beryl and Little witch and of course the true species Cyclamineus. I may order "mite' which is close as is 'rapture', but I would love the real thing. I wish we could order from Broadleigh, but they don't ship to us. Thanks, Patti