14 The Daffodil

It would be impossible to have a 'Flowering in my garden ' series, particularly at this time of year, without the Daffodil. I planted a whole new selection last autumn in my new bed so I had high hopes for this spring and they haven't been a disappointment (despite the slug onslaught!)

This is one of my favourites - Pipit, delicate in form and colour. The centre fades to almost pure white both front and back, and the scent is glorious. I have some in pots in the back garden and now some in the front in the my new bed. It's a later variety but it's in full flower in my pots and the new bed has been for a couple of weeks. It has been very free flowering and has multiple blooms on each stalk, and has benefited from flowering after I had got to grips with the slugs (sort of!)

This tiny daffodil has even stronger scent and outguns many larger and showier blooms, which makes it perfect for my pots by the back door. I have no idea what it is, I planted it a few years ago and it has never flowered as well as this year, so I didn't bother remembering its name. I wish I had now - I'd love some more!

This is another of my new daffodils - Jack Snipe - which was lovely, small and perfectly formed, and early flowering so largely flowered before the slugs had marshalled their attack!

This one was particularly popular with the slugs - Martinette. I have quite a lot of tall graceful stems with chewed yellow blobs on top that don't look anything like daffodils. Thankfully they have flowered profusely and I've managed to keep the blighters off some of the blooms as you can see and very lovely they are too!

This is tiny Tete-a-tete, always the first of the season and always so welcome at the end of the winter.

These two are established daffodils that I planted when we first moved to this house and were chosen mainly for the fact that they came in large bags and were probably on special offer! However they have done very well and I wouldn't be without them.

Which just leaves my new 'Cheerfulness' which should be flowering by now. I have just a couple of ragged flowers so I'm really hoping that they didn't get munched and I missed most of them. Perhaps all those non-daffodils weren't all Martinette! - I HATE SLUGS! 

But maybe Cheerfulness will win through and defy the slimy hoards - I can live in hope!