Past Successes

Wild Daffodils Narcissus pseudonarcisus will grow in a wide variety of habitats. If it wasn't for their inability to disperse their seeds properly, they would probably be as common as Daisies.

The sites here illustrated were planted on year 6/7 (spring 07/08), some of them under newly planted woodland, the others along and under a hedge and bank.

They are quite happy in semi saturated ground also along dry wall tops, in fields or deciduous woodland. They will not grow if there is no leaf mold from any near by trees or shrubs, they most defiantly will not survive underneath conifers, nor will they thrive under plantations of just Beech, but will be fine in a mixed woods containing Beech.

They seem to like Hawthorn and Oak most of all. These Daffs are on their 3rd year of growth after planting (photographed last spring), now they are beginning to form clumps and look established, although it is still too early to notice if they have set any seeds yet, as they apparently take about 7 years to flower from seed. Some commercial varieties can take up to 18 years, I am told.

The first year I did this, I planted small amounts in different locations and then monitored their progress over the following years. Finding out that they didn't like Beech trees was a bit of a painful lesson, but a necessary one.

Up here, above 400 metres everything is at least a month behind and instead of flowering in March, my Daffs flower in April. Some of the cultivated varieties go on into May & there was one exceptionally cold year where I still had a few flowering in my front garden in the Beginning of June.

Incidentally; these Daffs go on for the entire length of the road, between my village and a near by hamlet, about three quaters of a mile, I think. Although Devon sign-posts are seldom accurate.