Scented Daffodil Trial 2018
I am sorry to say that 2018 was a terrible year for many of the daffodils grown in the UK. The daffodils that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial experienced snow at the end of March, at a time when many of my trialled daffodil cultivars were grown, some of my daffodils stood poised and ready, just thinking about blossoming and coming into flower. The snow arrived late, falling just when the daffodils least wanted to be pulled down to the ground, where they were held and forced into submission by a freezing cold blanket of snow. In 2018, it was as if we experienced winter during our springtime, and then skipped spring and headed straight into the relentless heat of summer – it was winter one day and summer the next!
I am sure that 2019 will be a much better year for daffodils! I hope that the results from this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial will help you to find delightfully scented daffodils to plant this autumn, which will bring you joyful flowers and fragrance to savour next spring.
Here are the results of my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial:
Scented daffodils
All of the daffodil cultivars grown for my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial were chosen for this trial as they were described as being scented.
For my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, I chose 28 different daffodil cultivars, all of which were listed as being fragrant. 50 bulbs of each chosen daffodil cultivar were planted. I monitored the daffodils, noting down when each daffodil cultivar started flowering. I noted the number of flowering stems that each group of 50 bulbs produced, the lengths of the daffodils’ flowering stems, the number of flowers produced per stem, and when each group off daffodils finished flowering. All as part of my quest to find the most beautifully scented, long flowering daffodils and to share them with you.
I included the following daffodil cultivars in my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial:
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from H. W. Hyde & Son:
- Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’
- Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
- Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from Jacques Amand International:
- Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
- Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’
- Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
- Narcissus ‘Quail’
- Narcissus ‘Segovia’
- Narcissus ‘Sweetness’
- Narcissus ‘Thalia’
- Narcissus ‘White Lady’
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from J. Parker’s:
- Narcissus ‘Verdin’
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from Peter Nyssen:
- Narcissus ‘Actaea’
- Narcissus ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’
- Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
- Narcissus ‘Cragford’
- Narcissus ‘Elka’
- Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
- Narcissus ‘Lieke’
- Narcissus ‘Pipit’
- Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
- Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
- Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
- Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
- Narcissus ‘White Lion’
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from Sarah Raven:
- I ordered Narcissus ‘Keats’, but I received bulbs of Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
I purchased the following daffodil bulbs from Van Meuwen:
- Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
- I ordered Narcissus ‘Rose of May’, but I received bulbs of Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
Planting the daffodils
All of the daffodil bulbs included in my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were planted on the 21st October 2017, except for Narcissus ‘Verdin’, which was planted on the 18th November 2017.
The daffodil bulbs grown for this trial were planted directly in the soil. 50 bulbs of each trialled daffodil cultivar were planted. Below you can see photographs of one of each of the 50 bulbs that were planted for each daffodil cultivar that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. I have placed a British Fifty-Pence-Piece alongside each bulb to try to more accurately display the size of each bulb.
Dalefoot Composts Double Strength Wool Compost
This Scented Daffodil Trial means such a lot to me, the investment of both time and money spent to undertake this trial is huge, as I am committed to do all I can to make my trials be as full and as useful as possible. With such an expenditure of energy given unto this work, I would only consider using the best compost to enhance the conditions my daffodils experienced during their year of growth, during this trial. The only brand of compost I would have considered using for this trial was Dalefoot Composts. Dalefoot Composts have won every one of the Compost Trials I have run over the past four years or so, it’s important to me to use the best products for my trials, I am so glad to have found Dalefoot Compost and grateful to have used this compost to provide the best conditions for the daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trials.
Dalefoot Composts Double Strength Wool Compost was added as a mulch over the trials area where the daffodils were planted. Dalefoot Composts Double Strength Wool Compost is a highly concentrated compost, made from a powerful blend of natural, peat free ingredients. This superb compost can be used in many different ways – combining double strength compost with spent compost can create a viable growing medium – in the past I have successfully grown high quality vegetables in a mix of 50% Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost, and 50% spent compost. When this same spent compost was used alone, it was unable to sustain vegetable growth much beyond germination. Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost is ideal for top dressing containers. This compost is also a great choice for using as a mulch in beds and borders, where it will add nutrients and help to improve the soil. Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost works as a magnificent ingredient as part of a personalised compost blend.
For my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost was used as a mulch: a 2.5cm (1 inch) layer of this compost was spread over the soil surface where the daffodils were planted. This mulch of Dalefoot Composts Double Strength Wool Compost suppressed weed growth, increased the moisture holding capacity of the soil, and added extra nutrients to the soil. As Dalefoot Double Strength Wool Compost was used to mulch the ground where the bulbs were planted, I didn’t need to apply any additional feed or fertiliser to the daffodils, as the compost provided all the nutrients the plants required.
Flowering
The daffodil cultivars included in this trial usually flower from March to May each year. The weather was quite unusual in 2018, we experienced a prolonged and late winter, with snow falling at the end of March. This cold weather naturally delayed the flowering of the daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. I have listed the trialled daffodils in the order of their flowering, from the earliest to the latest flowering bulbs, as seen during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial:
Narcissus ‘Elka’
The first daffodil grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial to come into flower was Narcissus ‘Elka’, whose first flowers opened on the 28th March 2018. A number of Narcissus ‘Elka’ flowers opened in unison on this date, and all of the remaining flower buds opened in the following few days.
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
The second daffodil to come into flower was Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’, whose first flower opened on the 1st April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
The third daffodil to come into flower, opened its first flowers on the 4th April 2018, this was the daffodil that you can see pictured below. This daffodil was ordered as Narcissus ‘Rose of May’, but sadly I was sent the wrong cultivar, I received Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ instead.
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
The fourth daffodil grown for this trial to come into flower was Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’, whose first flower opened on the 5th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’
The fifth daffodil in this Scented Daffodil Trial to flower was Narcissus ‘Sweetness’, whose first flower opened on the 6th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Three different daffodil cultivars grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial opened their first flowers on the 7th April 2018, all tying for sixth place! The first Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ flower opened on the 7th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Cragford’
Also tying for sixth place, was Narcissus ‘Cragford’, whose first flower opened on the 7th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
The third daffodil tying for sixth position was Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’, whose first flower opened on the 7th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Quail
In seventh position, the first Narcissus ‘Quail flower opened on the 8th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
In joint eighth position was Narcissus ‘Thalia’, whose first flowered opened on the 11th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
Narcissus ‘White Lady’ tied for eighth position, this daffodil cultivar’s first flower opened on the 11th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘White Lion’
In ninth position, the first flower of the Narcissus ‘White Lion’ plants that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, opened on the 13th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Actaea’
Tying for tenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Actaea’ flower opened on the 16th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
Tying for tenth position, Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ opened its first flower on the 16th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Segovia’
Tying for tenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Segovia’ flower opened on the 16th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ also tied for tenth place. This daffodil cultivar’s first flower opened on the 16th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
In joint eleventh place, the next daffodil cultivar to open during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial was Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’, whose first daffodil flower opened on the 17th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Pipit’
In joint eleventh place, the next daffodil cultivar to open during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial was Narcissus ‘Pipit’, whose first daffodil flower opened on the 17th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Verdin’
In joint eleventh place, the next daffodil cultivar to open during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial was Narcissus ‘Verdin’, whose first daffodil flower opened on the 17th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’
In twelfth place, the first Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’ flower opened on the 18th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
Tying for thirteenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ flowers opened on the 19th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
Also tying for thirteenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ flower opened on the 19th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
Also tying for thirteenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ flower opened on the 19th April 2018.
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
In fourteenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ daffodil flower opened on the 20th April 2018. I ordered this daffodil as Narcissus ‘Keats’ but I received these daffodil bulbs instead.
Narcissus ‘Lieke’
In fifteenth place, the first Narcissus ‘Lieke’ flower opened on the 21st April 2018.
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
In sixteenth place, the first Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flower opened on the 6th May 2018. Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus was the last of the daffodil cultivars grown for my Scented Daffodil Trial to come into flower.
Non-flowering daffodil cultivars
In this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial there were two non-flowering daffodil cultivars:
Narcissus ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’
Sadly, not one of the 50 Narcissus ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’ bulbs that were planted for this Scented Daffodil Trial flowered.
Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’
Unfortunately, the 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’, the top performing daffodil cultivar from my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial, were infected with a virus, so these bulbs had to be lifted and destroyed before the plants flowered.
Weather
None of the scented daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial received any protection from the weather, however warm, cold, snowy, wet, or windy it was outdoors.
Daffodils prone to collapsing after heavy rain and inclement weather
Many daffodil cultivars that produce large, showy flowers have the tendency of their flowering stems bending, breaking, or snapping in the wind. Sometimes these single flowered daffodils’ stems just break under the weight of their large flowers, which become very heavy after rainfall.
For my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial, I chose to only trial daffodils that I felt had a greater resistance to collapsing after heavy rain or strong winds and inclement weather. None of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial collapsed during my 2017 Trial. However, for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, I have included daffodils that are not resistant to the weather alongside daffodils that have weather resistance. I left all of the plants that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial unsupported until they fell over, then the plants were simply supported in a manner that prevented them falling onto their neighbour, so I could see if the plants were able to resurrect themselves following their collapse.
Following a rainstorm, which arrived complete with thunder and lightening, delivering a long night of particularly heavy rainfall, on the 21st April 2018, a number of the daffodils that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were knocked over.
I dislike seeing collapsed daffodils splayed hopelessly about in a helpless state, their flowers muddied and stems bent under the weight of their rain soaked flowers. I do not favour growing the type of daffodil that is prone to collapsing. If you also want to steer clear of daffodils that are prone to collapse, then here are some daffodil cultivars to avoid:
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
The first daffodil cultivar grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial to collapse following heavy rain, was was Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’. Of all of the daffodils grown for my 2018 Trial, this one had the least resistance. If you plan to grow this daffodil cultivar, I would strongly recommend that you provide some supports for your plants and install your support network early in the growing season. Simple supports made with hazel or birch look attractive and are very effective too.
Narcissus ‘Segovia’
The Narcissus ‘Segovia’ flowers that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial collapsed following a bought of heavy rain on the 21st April 2018. These daffodils did not regain their composure, so the Narcissus ‘Segovia’ plants spent the remainder of this trial laying sprawled across the soil.
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ was another daffodil that showed little resilience to the weather during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, as a consequence this daffodil spent much of its time laying horizontally across the ground.
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ produces large, double, frilly flowers which are more weather resistant than I expected but after a while quite a number, if not all, of this daffodil’s flowering stems were knocked over during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus has a rather lax growing habit, this plant is never seen standing to attention, this daffodil has a much more relaxed, somewhat sprawling growth habit. Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus is prone to being knocked over by the weather, these daffodils were visibly damaged by the elements during this trial.
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ is a tall daffodil cultivar that produces very large, single flowers. Tall flowered daffodils, such as this can be very prone to collapse. I have found that Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ is not knocked down anywhere near as readily as many daffodils of this type, but this daffodil is still one that is likely to to fall over in the wind and weather. During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ collapsed but then recovered itself.
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
During this trial, Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ was prone to collapse, but thankfully this daffodil was able to right itself and the plants regained an upright position again, within a day or two, without any assistance.
Narcissus ‘Actaea’
During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial Narcissus ‘Actaea’ was affected by the weather, on a few occasions daffodils from this group had partially collapsed but the plants were able to right themselves within a day or two.
Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
The Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ plants that were grown for my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial remained upright at every stage throughout the trial. However, the Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, produced a few plants that collapsed following the heavy rain on the 21st April 2018. Happily all of these Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ plants had resurrected themselves (no assistance or supports were added) by the following day and these daffodils remained standing throughout the rest of this trial.
Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
The group of Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ daffodils that were grown for this trial were often found to be leaning in the direction of the wind – this is not a daffodil cultivar that stands bolt upright. At times the Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ daffodils had more of a lean than others, but these daffodils were never knocked down by the wind and rain.
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ is another rather lax daffodil cultivar. Although these daffodils didn’t collapse during this trial, Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ was often leaning and the flowers themselves naturally nod and look away from their visitors. This is a very floriferous daffodil cultivar, the mass of flowers that this daffodil cultivar produces adds weight to each flower stem.
Narcissus ‘Cragford’
The Narcissus ‘Cragford’ daffodils that were grown for this trial were fairly resilient to the weather, it was only the daffodils that were growing at the front of this group that were damaged by the elements. These daffodils in the front rows, were prone to being knocked down in very bad weather, but within a day or so they were standing tall again. You may want to avoid growing this particular daffodil in the front of an exposed raised bed or border, but I am certain that this multi-headed daffodil cultivar will prove to be resilient in slightly more sheltered locations, for most gardeners.
Narcissus ‘White Lion’
Narcissus ‘White Lion’ is a tall daffodil cultivar that produces large, double flowers, the flowers when wet become heavy and can weigh the daffodil stems down, so I was surprised at how resilient this daffodil cultivar was during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. This daffodil swayed and the flowers lent forwards, but the flower stems did not break and the plants did not collapse in their entirety. If you’re thinking of growing this daffodil cultivar, look for a sheltered location to plant your bulbs.
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
The Narcissus ‘White Lady’ daffodils that were grown for this trial had a distinctive lean, but the plants never collapsed, they just swayed, with a bias to one side! This is a truly lovely daffodil that is best suited to a slightly sheltered spot.
Narcissus ‘Pipit’
The Narcissus ‘Pipit’ daffodils that were grown for this trial display a definite lean in whichever direction the wind was blowing, but these daffodils never collapsed.
Weather resistant daffodils
Although a lot of the daffodils that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were prone to collapse, thankfully there were some weather resistant daffodils, hooray! Hooray for these strong, resilient daffodils!
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ is an amazingly weather resistant daffodil cultivar! Every Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ daffodil that was grown for this trial remained standing tall throughout my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, however windy or rainy the weather was. I’d say that Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ was definitely the most weather resistant daffodil cultivar that featured in this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Elka’
Narcissus ‘Elka’ held up to the weather during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, this daffodil cultivar’s flowers opened during the wettest period of the trial, yet not one of this daffodil’s flowering stems was knocked over. This is a smaller sized daffodil, which offers great weather resistance.
These daffodils were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
The tiny flowers of dear little Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ naturally hold up very well to the weather. During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial not one of this daffodil cultivar’s flowering stems was knocked over, which is what you would expect, given the diminutive size of Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ and its flowers!
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ is a fairly sturdy, weather resistant daffodil cultivar, which remained standing throughout my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Lieke’
I found Narcissus ‘Lieke’ to be a resilient daffodil cultivar, which remained standing tall during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Quail’
During this trial, I found Narcissus ‘Quail’ to be a weather resistant daffodil, which stood up to the weather.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
I found Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’ to be quite a weather resistant daffodil. During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, the plants displayed a gentle lean to whichever direction the wind was blowing in, but these daffodils were never knocked over by the wind or rain.
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is a graceful daffodil cultivar, which is resilient and was not overly affected by the weather during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. These daffodils remained standing throughout this trial.
Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’
The Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’ daffodils that were grown for this trial displayed somewhat of a sway and a lean at times, but these daffodils never collapsed, and they were never knocked down by the weather.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
The Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ daffodils that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial showed themselves to be a resilient cultivar, which was not damaged or knocked over by the weather.
Narcissus ‘Verdin’
The Narcissus ‘Verdin’ daffodils that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were not overly affected by the weather. These daffodils were not standing bolt upright to attention at all times during the trial, but neither were they splayed out over the soil.
If you’re looking for more details of weather resistant daffodil cultivars, you may be interested to read the results of my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial, as all of the daffodils that were trialled stood up to the weather.
Colour Changing Daffodils
The flowers of many daffodil cultivars change in colour as they age. Here are photographs of the daffodil cultivars, which were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial that produce colour changing blooms:
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
Narcissus ‘White Lion’
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
Newly opened Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ flowers feature orange-yellow coronas, which are surrounded by petals that are gently washed with the same colour tone. After opening, the outer petals very quickly fade to white, while the coronas fade to yellow, before aging to a soft shade of antique ivory.
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
Narcissus ‘Elka’
Narcissus ‘Elka’ produces really rather sweet flowers, which open displaying lemon yellow coronas, or trumpets, and white petals. As the flowers of Narcissus ‘Elka’ age, the corona, or trumpet, fades from lemon yellow to creamy yellow, and then finally the trumpet fades to a classy ivory shade. The flowers produced by Narcissus ‘Elka’ are beautiful at all stages of their development.
Narcissus ‘Pipit’
Narcissus ‘Verdin’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
Daffodils for bees and other pollinating insects
I’d love to tell you that bees, hoverflies, and other pollinating insects were constantly buzzing happily around the daffodils that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, but sadly I only observed a few bees visiting the daffodils that were grown for this trial, and these bees did not stay for long while I was there.
I would say that out of all of the daffodils grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial, the daffodils that I saw bees visit most often were: Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’, Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’, Narcissus ‘Cragford’, and Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’, but there were many times that I viewed the daffodils that were grown for this trial when I did not observe any bees, hoverflies, butterflies, or pollinating insects.
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Narcissus ‘Cragford’
The Narcissus ‘Cragford’ flowers that were grown for this Scented Daffodil trial were still attractive to bees when the flowers were faded and almost over, which should serve to remind us all not to be too hasty when deadheading our daffodils.
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
Butterflies
I just spotted one butterfly feeding from the daffodil flowers grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial – the Peacock butterfly you see in my photographs below. It’s entirely possible that many other butterflies visited the daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, but this was the only butterfly I saw.
Hoverflies
Sadly, I didn’t see nearly as many hoverflies as I had hoped to during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, this was the only hoverfly I photographed.
Daffodils which do not benefit bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects
If you want to grow daffodils to provide pollen and nectar for bees and other pollinating insects then it’s best to avoid all of the double flowered daffodil cultivars, from Division 4 of the RHS Daffodil Classification System, such as Narcissus ‘White Lion’, as these daffodil flowers do not provide accessible pollen or nectar for insects.
Daffodil flowering stem lengths
The shortest daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ and Narcissus ‘Elka’, whose flowers had an average stem length of 17cm (6.6 inches). While the Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ and Narcissus ‘White Lion’ flowers had an average height of 60cm (23.6inches) making these the tallest of all of the daffodil cultivars grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Number of flowering stems produced by each group of 50 daffodil bulbs
During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ produced the most flowering stems, this group of 50 daffodil bulbs produced 173 flowering stems! In second place, the 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ that were grown for this trial produced 160 flowering stems. While in joint third place, the 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ and of Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ both produced 100 flowering stems.
At the opposite end of the scale, the Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’ bulbs that were grown for this trial were suffering from a virus and had to be lifted and destroyed before they flowered, so this cultivar did not feature in this Scented Daffodil Trial (However you can if you wish see how this daffodil performed in my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial). Sadly, although they produced leaves, none of the 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’ that were grown for this trial produced a single flowering stem. While the 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced 32 flowering stems
Daffodil flowering periods – which daffodil flowered for the longest time?
During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ flowered for 40 days, making it the longest flowered cultivar in this trial, by quite some margin. In second place, Narcissus ‘Quail’ flowered for 31 days. While in joint third place, Narcissus ‘Lieke’ and Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’, both flowered for 29 days.
At the other end of the scale, the joint shortest flowered daffodil cultivars in this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were Narcissus ‘Thalia’ and Narcissus ‘Segovia’, which both flowered for 15 days. While in second place, Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flowered for 16 days and Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ and Narcissus ‘Actaea’ both flowered for 18 days.
Comparing similar looking daffodil cultivars
Some of the daffodil cultivars grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced similar looking flowers. By comparing the results from my trial, I can show you which of these similar looking cultivars flowered earlier or later, or flowered for longer, or produced more flowers during my trial, to help you to select the best performing daffodil cultivars for your garden!
NB. Please don’t forget to check my notes elsewhere in this trial report to discover each of the trialled daffodil cultivars’ fragrances, and the weather resistance of the trialled daffodil cultivars before making your decisions and placing your orders!
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ and Narcissus ‘White Lion’
These two double daffodil cultivars are somewhat similar, both in their appearance and in their performance. The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘White Lion’ produced 57 flowering stems, as opposed to the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Petit Four’, which produced 32 flowering stems during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’, Narcissus ‘Lieke’, and Narcissus ‘White Lady
It is very interesting to look at the performance of these similar three daffodil cultivars, the longest flowered daffodil of the three, Narcissus ‘Lancaster’, flowered for 40 days, which just over double the flowering period of Narcissus ‘White Lady’, which flowered for only 19 days during this Scented Daffodil Trial, while Narcissus ‘Lieke’ flowered for 29 days. The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Lieke’ that were planted for this trial produced 93 flowering stems – the most of these three cultivars – Narcissus ‘White Lady’ produced 78 flowering stems, and Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ produced 70 flowering stems. The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Lieke’, being a multi-flowered jonquilla daffodil, produced 186 flowers between them, while Narcissus ‘White Lady’ produced 78 flowers, and Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ produced 70 flowers.
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ and Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Of the fifty bulbs that were planted of these two similar daffodil cultivars, Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ produced the most flowers and most flowering stems, delivering 72 flowers and flowering stems to this trial, while Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ produced 57 flowers, held by 57 flowering stems. These two daffodil cultivars also differed in their resilience and ability to withstand the weather, and in their fragrance, with Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ being the more fragrant and more upstanding of the two – you’ll find more information of these qualities in the relevant sections of this trials report.
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus and Narcissus ‘Actaea’
These two daffodil cultivars performed very similarly during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, with the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Actaea’ producing 43 flowering stems, which held 43 flowers, that lasted for 18 days, while the fifty bulbs of Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus produced 43 flowering stems, holding 43 flowers, which lasted for 16 days. Again these daffodil cultivars differ in the fragrances and in their ability to withstand the weather, so it is worth looking at these sections for each cultivar if you’re deciding between them. I found Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus to be far more fragrant than Narcissus ‘Actaea’.
Narcissus ‘Pipit’ and Narcissus ‘Verdin’
The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Verdin’ that were planted for this trial produced 75 flowering stems, which held 150 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 24 days, whereas the fifty Narcissus ‘Pipit’ bulbs produced 61 flowering stems, which held a total of 122 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 23 days.
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ and Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ and Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’ are not so very similar, you may prefer one more than another, in which case you have your perfect daffodil cultivar decided on, but if you’re looking for something similar, you may be interested to know that the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ produced 72 flowering stems, which held 144 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 24 days. While the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’ produced 75 flowering stems, which held 150 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 28 days.
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ and Narcissus ‘Quail’
The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Quail’ that were grown for this trial produced 79 flowering stems, holding 158 flowers, this floral display lasted for a total of 31 days. Whereas the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ produced 61 flowering stems, holding 122 flowers, that bloomed for 26 days. These daffodils varied in the scent and in their popularity, with visitors to the trial tending to favour Narcissus ‘Sweetness’.
Narcissus ‘Thalia’, Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’, Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’, and Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
There’s quite a difference in the performance of these four fairly similar looking daffodil cultivars, as you can see in the table above. The fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ produced 160 flowering stems, which held an amazing 640 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 21 days! While, the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ produced 100 flowering stems, which held 300 flowers, for 29 days. Whereas the fifty bulbs of Narcissus ‘Thalia’ produced 61 flowering stems, holding 122 flowers for just 15 days – which is less than half as many flowers, than the blooms produced by Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’, and just one fifth of the blooms produced by Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’. Narcissus ‘Thalia’ also had a much shorter flowering period, this daffodil cultivar’s flowers lasted almost half as long as the flowers produced by Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ during this trial. But if Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is your favourite daffodil, there is no reason to grow any other!
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’, Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’, and Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
As you can see, in this table comparing the daffodils from daffodil breeders, Brent and Becky Heath’s ‘Sensation Series’, of these three daffodil cultivars, Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ produced the most flowers, the fifty bulbs that were grown for this trial produced an incredible 640 blooms! While, Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ produced 173 flowering stems, which was the most flowering stems of all of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this Trial. Although not the longest flowered daffodil in this trial, of these three cultivars, Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ flowered for the longest time, being in bloom for 29 days.
Daffodils for impact
Daffodils are beautiful, but some daffodil cultivars give more of a visual impact to the garden than others. If you’re looking for daffodils to add a real punch to your planting and to create a wow factor in your garden, then you might like to consider planting daffodil cultivars that produce a greater number of flowering stems and flowers. To help you to select the best daffodils for impact, I have ranked each of the trialled daffodil cultivars, rating each one for their floral display, weather resilience, and flowering period and listing the daffodil cultivars in order, starting first with the daffodils that offered the least impact, working all the way up to the daffodils which brought the most impact to this Scented Daffodil Trial.
To calculate the impact score, I took:
a = the total number of flowering days
b = the maximum number of flowering stems.
c = a ‘stability score’ of 1-5 (5 being the highest score for varieties that didn’t collapse at all)
The overall impact score per cultivar was calculated as:
impact = (a x b x c) / 100
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ bulbs that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced 32 flowering stems, holding a display of 32 flowers, which lasted for 18 days.
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, I found the flowers of Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ to have little weather resistance once their flower buds had reached full size and were about to open, as the extra weight of these large flowers once they had been pelted and soaked by the rain was too much for the Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ flower stems to bear, so they lay sprawled about in a lax and unattractive untidy state. For me, this lack of weather resistance totally spoils this daffodil’s impact in the garden.
The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil trial produced 57 flowering stems, which between them held 57 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 21 days.
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
The 50 Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus bulbs that were planted for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced 43 flowering stems, which held 43 flowers, creating a floral display that lasted for 16 days.
Narcissus ‘Segovia’
The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Segovia’ that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 97 flowering stems, which between them held 97 flowers, producing a display which lasted for 15 days.
This pretty daffodil’s impact and appearance for me was spoilt by this daffodil cultivar’s lack of weather resistance, meaning this daffodil spent the majority of the flowering season laying flat across the soil.
Narcissus ‘Actaea’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Actaea’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 43 flowering stems, which held 43 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 18 days.
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ is a very tall daffodil cultivar, the length of each flowering stem combined with the large size of this daffodil cultivar’s flowers mean that this daffodil can be prone to collapsing in wet or windy weather, so I would advise supporting this daffodil cultivar early in the season if you plan on growing it yourself.
The 50 Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 72 flowering stems, which each held a single flower, therefore these bulbs provided 72 flowers, creating a floral display that lasted for 20 days. The large size of this daffodil cultivar’s flowers certainly increases the plant’s impact in the garden!
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced a total of 100 flowering stems, which held a total of 300 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 29 days.
For me, Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’s appearance is blighted by the weakness of its flowering stems and their inability to stand up to the worst of the weather. The fact that these daffodil flowers spent so much time laying horizontally over the soil certainly reduces their attraction. If you plan to grow this daffodil cultivar, I would recommend that you provide support for your flowers early in the growing season.
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ was by far the most diminutive daffodil that featured in my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. I had planned to grow this dainty daffodil for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Container Trial, but the container that I had planned to use was broken, so as I had ordered 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’, I included this daffodil in this particular Scented Daffodil Trial instead. Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ is a darling of a daffodil, its foliage is fine and grasslike, this would make a superb container daffodil plant.
The 50 Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 38 flowering stems, which between them held 76 tiny flowers. The Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ plants that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial flowered for 20 days.
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Thalia’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 61 flowering stems, which held 122 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 15 days.
Narcissus ‘Cragford’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Cragford’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 50 flowering stems, which held 250 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 23 days.
Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 70 flowering stems, which held 280 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 22 days.
Narcissus ‘Elka’
Narcissus ‘Elka’ is a dwarf, single flowered daffodil. Although Narcissus ‘Elka’ looked very pretty planted in the ground, I think this cultivar would also be a great choice of daffodil for a container daffodil, or as a daffodil to be used on a raised area of ground. Narcissus ‘Elka’ produces pretty and rather dainty daffodil flowers, which are held on short flowering stems. The flowers distinctly hang their heads forwards in a rather demure, slightly shy manner, which means that the passerby receives a restricted, limited view of their flowers, which limits their impact to a degree. Having said this, the one fact that counts in the favour of Narcissus ‘Elka’ in terms of this daffodil cultivar’s impact is that the Narcissus ‘Elka’ flowers all opened within a few days of each other, which undoubtedly increased the effect that this group of daffodils bestowed on the area of ground they were planted in.
The 50 Narcissus ‘Elka’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 45 flowering stems, each which held one flower to a stem, so these daffodils produced 45 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 21 days.
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 72 flowering stems, which held 144 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 24 days.
Narcissus ‘White Lion’
The 50 Narcissus ‘White Lion’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 57 flowering stems, holding 57 flowers, creating a display which lasted for 19 days.
Narcissus ‘Pipit’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Pipit’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 61 flowering stems, these daffodils produced 122 flowers between them, creating a display that lasted for 23 days.
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
The 50 Narcissus ‘White Lady’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 78 flowering stems, holding 78 flowers, creating a display which lasted for 19 days.
Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’ bulbs that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced a total of 83 flowering stems, which held 166 flowers, creating a floral display which lasted for 21 days.
Narcissus ‘Verdin’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Verdin’ bulbs that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced a total of 75 flowering stems, which held 150 flowers, creating a floral display which lasted for 24 days.
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ bulbs that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 80 flowering stems, which held 80 flowers between them. Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ is a strong and resilient daffodil cultivar, which flowered for 26 days, during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’ bulbs that were planted for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 75 flowering stems, which held a total of 150 flowers, creating a floral display that lasted for 28 days.
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ bulbs that were planted for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 100 flowering stems, which held a total of 200 flowers, creating a floral display that lasted for 23 days.
Narcissus ‘Quail’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Quail’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 79 flowering stems, which held 158 flowers, creating a floral display that lasted for 31 days.
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced a total of 160 flowering stems, which held a total of 640 flowers between them, this created a fabulous display, which lasted for 21 days.
Narcissus ‘Lieke’
The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Lieke’ that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 93 flowering stems, which held a total of 186 flowers, creating a display that lasted for 29 days.
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ that were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced 70 flowering stems, which each held a single flower to produce a 70 flower strong floral display, which lasted for 40 days.
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ is a strong and resilient daffodil cultivar, which produces large, single fragrant flowers that benefit bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects. Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ also provides the gardener with the advantage of its long flowering period.
Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
The 50 Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ bulbs that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced a total of 173 flowering stems, which held a total of 519 flowers between them, creating a floral display that lasted for 25 days.
Scented daffodils
Fragrant daffodils deliver an uplifting joy and bring an unadulterated cheer into the spring garden; these scented daffodils can brighten your view and gladden your heart. Many daffodil cultivars are listed as being scented, but some daffodil cultivars are more perfumed and more pleasing than others. All of the daffodil cultivars that were chosen for this trial were selected because they were listed as being scented. Sadly, some daffodil cultivars were less fragrant than others.
Fragrance can be subjective, as we each detect different scent notes and have differing preferences. The fragrances of many flowers develop and become more pronounced in warmer weather, as the heat helps to release the perfumed oils the plants produce. In warmer temperatures, pollinating insects can be found in greater numbers, these insects are more likely to discover the flowers which produce a powerful scent.
A scent which is pleasurable to some, can be offensive to others. It’s also true that the fragrances of many flowers change as the flowers age and develop, so the scent that radiates from a young flower may be entirely different from the fragrance which an older flower of the same variety exudes.
I have listed the daffodil cultivars in ascending order – starting with the daffodil cultivars which had no detectable fragrance, following the unscented daffodils, I have listed the daffodils that produced light fragrances, and working up towards the daffodil cultivars that produced the most powerful fragrances, with my interpretation of each scent listed for each cultivar. I have graded each daffodil’s scent strength from 0 = no detectable fragrance, to 1 = the lightest fragrance, all the way up to 10 = the strongest fragrance.
Daffodils that produced no detectable fragrance
Narcissus ‘Elka’
Narcissus ‘Elka’, which produced no detectable fragrance, despite a great many checks and close encounters. Scent level 0
Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ produced no detectable fragrance, despite a great many checks and close encounters. Scent level 0
Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’
Narcissus ‘Elvin’s Voice’ produced no detectable fragrance, despite a great many checks and close encounters. Scent level 0
Daffodils that produced a light to medium fragrance
Narcissus ‘Verdin’
The flowers of Narcissus ‘Verdin’ produce a very light fragrance, which can only be detected during a very close encounter, on a warm day. Narcissus ‘Verdin’ flowers produce a very light scent, one which is similar to how you would expect a traditional trumpet daffodil to smell. This daffodil’s faint, fresh perfume also has fragrance notes of banana, herbs, and emulsion paint! Scent level 1
Narcissus ‘Quail’
Narcissus ‘Quail’ produces a light fragrance, which has a traditional daffodil scent character – akin to the scent produced by the large yellow trumpet daffodils that are frequently found in parks and gardens, with an added hint of citrus. You’ll need a close encounter to discover this daffodil’s light perfume. Scent level 2
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ produces a light, fresh scent, which has a floral tone, having said that I must state that this daffodil’s perfume is not particularly sweet – there is an underlying tone of crushed flowering stems. Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ smells a little like a florist’s shop, but as this scent is very light, you’ll have to get up close to this daffodil cultivar’s flowers to discover its fragrance for yourself. Scent level 2.
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’ produces a light fragrance, I needed to have a close encounter to experience this daffodil’s perfume for myself. This daffodil’s fragrance was rather earthy in its character, it produced a scent which was like the garden after the rain, but with just a hint of soap and lemon! Scent Level: 2
Narcissus ‘Segovia’
Narcissus Segovia flowers produced a light fragrance, which was only detectable during a close encounter. This daffodil’s fragrance is very sweet, it has a scent which is reminiscent of lemon sherbet sweets. Narcissus ‘Segovia’ flowers produce a fragrance which has scent notes of rose, freesia, lemon sherbet filled sweets, and is in some moments reminiscent of the scent of the yellow slices of bananas, which are coated in sugar and honey and dried – you know the bananas that you find in health food shops. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘White Lady’
Narcissus ‘White Lady’ produces a light perfume, which I found to display a distinct incense scent character, this is a light, musky fragrance, which has hints of lemon, lime, aniseed, peppermint, freesia, and apple. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ is a teeny, tiny daffodil cultivar, which produces flower fairy sized flowers, this daffodil is so much smaller than the other daffodil cultivars in this trial, Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ is ideal for containers or window boxes. Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’ flowers produce a very pleasing fragrance which is akin to Freesia, there is also a scent note which is reminiscent of children’s lemon sherbet sweets, and an under lying scent note of Robinson’s barley orange squash! Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’
Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ flowers produced a light fragrance, which is reminiscent of the traditional daffodil scent you expect to find in a daffodil, with a variety of different scent notes including Hypericum, bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Fuchsia, and spice. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘Pipit’
Narcissus ‘Pipit’ flowers produced a light, but unexpected fragrance, which was OK – I didn’t find this daffodil’s perfume to be unpleasant, but nether was it pleasing. I found that the Narcissus ‘Pipit’ flowers produced a scent which was a little bit like Ribes, but with a lemon scent note and a slight hint of ash! This daffodil produces a light scent, I needed to have my nose right next to the flower to take in its perfume. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘Actaea’
Narcissus ‘Actaea’ flowers produce a light, pleasing fragrance, which is a traditional daffodil type scent – the scent you look for in a daffodil, with a hint of added lemon and a touch of aniseed. Scent level: 3
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ produces a light, pleasing fragrance, which is reminiscent of freesia, with a hint of rose to its perfume. Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’ produces a perfume which is sweet and gentle, there’s a subtle hint of melon in this daffodil cultivar’s fragrance. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘Thalia’
The Narcissus ‘Thalia’ flowers produced a light, sweet fragrance, which was very floral and sweet, with hints of freesia and hyacinth. Scent level 3.
Narcissus ‘Petit Four’
The Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ flowers produced a fragrance which had a strong aniseed character. Scent level 3
Narcissus ‘White Lion’
Narcissus ‘White Lion’ flowers produce a fragrance which brings to mind a cross between inside of a florist’s shop and a garden filled with Rhododendrons and Azaleas. This is a complex fragrance, which has many characters, including Rhododendron, Azalea, and rose, with the underlying hint of crushed Chrysanthemum stems. Scent level 5
Daffodils that produce a powerful fragrance
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’
Narcissus ‘Sweetness’ flowers produce a scent which is sweet but more complex than you might expect, this is a predominantly fruity scent with scent notes of orange blossom, hyacinth, lemon, citrus, quince, pepper and spice. At times this daffodil’s perfume had a faint hint of tobacco to its fragrance. Scent level 6
Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
The flowers of the Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ daffodils produced a very pleasing scent which is subtle and gentle but somehow permeates through the garden. Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ flowers produce a soothing fragrance which features freesia, citrus, quince, and traditional daffodil scent notes. Scent level 6
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’
Narcissus ‘Blushing Lady’ flowers produce a pleasing floral fragrance, which is reminiscent of rose and freesia, with a subtle, underlying citrus scent note and a hint of sherbet. Scent level 6
Narcissus ‘Cragford’
Narcissus ‘Cragford’ flowers produce a fragrance which is dominated by citrus, this scent is fresh and sweet, it’s a very lemony scent, with a hint of lime and orange blossom. Lovely! Scent level 6
Narcissus ‘Lieke’
The flowers of Narcissus ‘Lieke’ produce a very floral fragrance, it’s rather like the standing near the freesias inside the best florist shop in town! I would describe this daffodil’s perfume as being very reminiscent of freesias, with a hint of lemon and rose. Delightful! Scent level 6
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’ flowers produce a sweet, floral fragrance, which is very pleasing. I detected prominent scent characters of freesia and rose, combined with lighter underlying scent notes of citrus, cucumber, and melon. Scent level 6
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus
The Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flowers that were grown for this trial produced a sweet, soothing, and uplifting perfume, which was never over powering, yet could be enjoyed in any part of the trials area and beyond! Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flowers produce a sweet, musky perfume, which I often found to be reminiscent of the perfume produced by Matthiola flowers, which are also known by their common name of stocks. Within Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flowers’ scent I also detected fragrance notes of clover and sweet hay. The fragrance produced by Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus flowers was delightful, it was always so pleasing and was welcomed at any time of day or night. Scent level 8
Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’
The perfume from the Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ flowers that were grown for this trial filled the air with their decedent fragrance. Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’ flowers produce a scent which is reminiscent of roses and freesias. I absolutely loved this daffodil’s fragrance, but it was not as popular with the visitors to my trial, with many stating that although they loved the scent, they did not want a daffodil to smell like a rose! Scent level 9
Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’
The flowers of Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ produce an absolutely fabulous, sweet and fruity fragrance! This is a highly perfumed daffodil, which produces a scent that is reminiscent of hyacinths, with an underlying fruity character; I detected fragrance notes of orange blossom, lemon, and citrus. Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ is a truly powerfully scented daffodil, for me this is such an uplifting, pleasing fragrance, which is warm and summery. The flowers of Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’ fill the garden with their delightful scent. Scent level 9
Popular daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial
I invited the visitors that came to see my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial with the opportunity to vote for their favourite daffodil, first by appearance, and then in an entirely separate vote, their favourite daffodil by scent. Here are the results of the voting:
Many visitors told me that they disliked the fragrance produced by Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’, despite enjoying this daffodil’s perfume, as they did not want their daffodil to smell like a rose!
Daffodil abnormalities and rogue daffodil flowers
Rogue daffodil bulbs can be really quite annoying! It is frustrating not to have received the daffodil cultivar that you have paid for, even if your order features just a few daffodil bulbs from a large order that were incorrectly included. Rogue daffodil bulbs can be particularly annoying if they spoil your display, an all white border may not be quite as pleasing as you would hope for if your order contains a number of daffodil bulbs which produce flowers that clash with your colour scheme. Many of the rogue daffodil bulbs that came with the bulbs I ordered for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial produced their flowers a little earlier or later which lessened the impact of my chosen daffodil cultivar. Some of the rogue daffodils produced blooms which were held on much taller flowering stems, which looked rather gangly in amongst the shorter flowering Narcissi, while other rogues produced shorter flowers which were lost amongst the foliage of my chosen daffodils.
A few rogue daffodil bulbs made it into my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial. These rogue daffodil bulbs made up one or two daffodils out of the 50 that were ordered, these rogue daffodils came with the bags of daffodil cultivars I ordered, but were not the correct daffodil cultivars that I was hoping for.
Rogue daffodil bulbs included with Narcissus ‘Keats’
There wasn’t a single Narcissus ‘Keats’ bulb included in the fifty bulbs I ordered from Sarah Raven, all of the bulbs I received were of other cultivars. Most of the daffodil bulbs I received in this order were of Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ bulbs, but there were a few of these very tall, traditional yellow trumpet daffodils included in my order.
Rogue daffodil bulbs included with Narcissus ‘Rose of May’
There wasn’t a single Narcissus ‘Rose of May’ bulb included in my order. All of the 50 daffodil bulbs that I was sent for my purchase of Narcissus ‘Rose of May’ turned out to be Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ instead.
Rogue daffodil bulbs included with Narcissus ‘Thalia’
Rogue daffodils included with Narcissus ‘Verdin’
Incorrect bulbs and Malformed daffodil flowers
Sadly I was sent an entirely different set of daffodil bulbs from the Narcissus ‘Rose of May’ bulbs that I ordered, so all of these 50 bulbs were incorrect, as I received Narcissus ‘Petit Four’ instead of Narcissus ‘Rose of May’. Of these incorrectly sent bulbs, some of these produced malformed flowers.
Pests and diseases
The daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial received no protection whatsoever from any pests and diseases.
Pests
Slugs and Snails
March 2018 was a cold, snowy, rainy, and occasionally sunny month for the daffodils grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial. Once the snow melted, we experienced an Easter where the plants experienced prolonged period of rain and inclement weather, which provided the slugs and snails with their favourite weather conditions! The daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial received no protection from slugs or snails at any time, if I spotted a slug or snail I left it where it was, I never once removed any of these mollusks, or indeed any pests, this allowed me to observe whether any particular daffodil cultivar was more or less attractive to slugs and snails. As a consequence, inevitably slugs and snails caused some damage to the daffodils grown for this trial.
Some of the daffodil cultivars that featured in my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial seemed to be less attractive to slugs and snails than others. Some of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this trial seemed to be more popular with slugs and snails, than other trialled daffodils.
During my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial some of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this trial were clearly more attractive and appetising to the slugs and snails that reside in my trials area than others. The daffodil cultivars that sustained the most damage during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were:
- Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’
- Narcissus ‘Lancaster’
- Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’
- Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’
- Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’
If you’re interested in protecting your daffodils, or indeed any of your garden plants from slugs or snails, you might be interested in the results from my Slug and Snail Trial, if so, please click here.
Thrips
I spotted thrips a few times on daffodil flowers grown for this trial. Thrips are such a small insect, so it’s very likely that I could have missed many more of these pests on the daffodils that were grown for this trial. I couldn’t find any particular daffodil cultivar to be any more, or less, attractive to thrips than any others.
Insects
I didn’t see as many insects as usual during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, this was perhaps on account of the prolonged period of cold weather that lasted until the end of March 2018. Here are some of the insects that I spotted during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial:
Pollen beetles
Shield bugs
Spiders
Many spiders were seen during my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, don’t worry though – I’ve only included two spider photographs!
Birds
A great many birds frequented the area where the daffodils were grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, during the time that the trial was in progress. Robins, blackbirds, dunnocks, gold finches, blue tits, long tailed tits, pigeons, and other birds, were often seen amongst the daffodils. The birds were often seen foraging for food among the plants, sometimes the birds were seen picking insects off the daffodil plants, other times the birds preyed upon slugs, snails, worms, or other creatures that were on, or in the soil.
Diseases
Narcissus Yellow Stripe Virus and other daffodil viruses
I was sorry to discover that some of the daffodils that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were infected with a virus, or viruses, and therefore had to be destroyed, so as to limit the spread of viruses to my other healthy plants. Sadly, the bulbs of Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’, the top performing daffodil in my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial suffered with a virus and had to be destroyed, which was a great shame, as I was so looking forward to seeing this daffodil in bloom. I had been keen to directly compare Narcissus ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’ with the daffodils grown for my 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial, so I was sorry to lose this opportunity.
I felt that the leaves of many of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial did not look as solid a green as I would have wished for, leading me to question whether or not they were suffering from a virus. The daffodils’ leaves could have looked less verdant a green due to the weather – the late snow certainly didn’t help anyone, least of all the daffodils that were grown for this trial!
Conclusions
- The most fragrant of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this 2018 Scented Daffodil Trial were Narcissus ‘Fragrant Breeze’, Narcissus ‘Golden Dawn’, and Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus.
- Sadly, not all of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial were obviously fragrant, despite the fact that every daffodil that was selected for this Trial was chosen as it was described as a fragrant daffodil cultivar.
- Narcissus ‘Lancaster’ flowered for 40 days, this was the longest flowering period experienced out of all of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial!
- The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Moonlight Sensation’ that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced 640 flowers – the most flowers of all of the daffodil cultivars grown for this Trial!
- The 50 bulbs of Narcissus ‘Sunlight Sensation’ that were grown for this Scented Daffodil Trial produced 173 flowering stems, the most flowering stems of all of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this Trial!
- Narcissus ‘Lancaster’, Narcissus ‘Elka’, Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’, Narcissus ‘Quail’, Narcissus ‘Sweetness’, Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’, Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’, and Narcissus ‘Lieke’, all proved to be resilient daffodil cultivars that were not prone to collapsing during periods of inclement weather.
- Of all of the daffodil cultivars that were grown for this trial, Narcissus ‘Butterfingers’ and Narcissus ‘Segovia’ were the most prone to collapsing during periods of wet or windy weather, if you wish to grow these daffodil cultivars, I would strongly advise you to provide support for your plants, early in the growing season.
- Narcissus ‘Sabrosa’, Narcissus ‘Lancaster’, Narcissus ‘Sweet Smiles’, Narcissus ‘Sweet Love’, and Narcissus ‘Starlight Sensation’, all proved to be more attractive to slugs and snails than the other trialled daffodil cultivars during this trial. If you intend to grow these daffodils, you may wish to see the results of my Slug and Snail Trial, to find a natural method of protecting your plants from slugs and snails..
Further Trials
You may be interested in some of the other trials I have conducted.
Compost Trial Reports
To see all of my Compost Trials, please click here.
To read advice on planting up containers, please click here.
Scented Daffodil Trial Reports
To read the results of my 2018 Scented Daffodil Container Trial, please click here.
To read the results of my 2017 Scented Daffodil Trial, please click here.
Slug and Snail Trials
To see the results of my Slug and Snail Trial and discover the best methods of protecting your plants from slugs and snails, please click here.
To read about using nematodes to protect your plants from slugs and snails, please click here.
Sweet Pea Trial Reports
To read the results of my 2017 Sweet Pea Trial, please click here.
To read the results of my 2016 Sweet Pea Trial, please click here.
To read the results of my 2015 Sweet Pea Trial, please click here.
Terrarium, Vivarium, and Orchidarium Trials
To see how my Orchidarium was created, please click here.
To see the design of my Rainforest Terrarium, please click here.
To read the first part of my White Orchid BiOrbAir Terrarium Trial, please click here.
To read the first part of my Madagascar BiOrbAir Terrarium Trial, please click here.
To read the first part of my Miniature Orchid BiOrbAir Terrarium Trial, please click here.
To see a planting list of ferns, orchids, and other plants that are perfectly suited to growing inside terrariums and bottle gardens, please click here.
To read about the general care I give to my orchids and terrarium plants, and the general maintenance I give to my BiOrbAir terrariums, please click here.
To read how I track the temperature, humidity, and light conditions inside my terrariums, please click here.
Tomato Trials
To read about my Trial of New Tomato Varieties, please click here.
Vegetable Trials
To see all of my Vegetable Trials, please click here.
Daffodil Articles
Daffodil Information
To learn more about daffodils, please click here.
For information about beautiful scented daffodil varieties, please click here.
For information on using daffodils as cut flowers, please click here.
For more information about daffodils and daffodil societies, please click here.
I have a whole section of my website dedicated to daffodils where you’ll find every daffodil article, here’s a link.
Buying Daffodils
For information on suppliers of daffodil bulbs, please click here.
For information on florists selling British grown, seasonal cut flowers including fragrant daffodils, please click here.
