Our wild flower daffodil is considered to be a native plant although it may have been introduced two thousand years ago by the Romans. In the late sixteenth century, John Gerard, the herbalist, regarded daffodils as growing throughout England. Today our wild daffodils only exist in scattered locations in Devon, the Black Mountains, along the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire border, the Sussex Wield, Yorkshire and the Lake District.

The name daffodil is very old deriving from the ‘asphodelus’ of Greek mythology, a plant that grew in the meadows of the underworld; throughout time the name has evolved through asphodilus and affodil into daffodil, the common name for a member of the Narcissus genus of plants. Other common names for the daffodil are Lent Rose and Lent Lilly, reflecting the flowering period.

Narcissus is the generic name for a large group of plants native to southern Europe. Spain and Portugal are home to many species including the dwarf daffodil, N. asturiensis found growing at an altitude of 4000-6000 feet. Narcissus hispanicus is the founder species of 99% of the yellow trumpet varieties of daffodil; the most important yellow trumpet variety of daffodil to be bred was ‘King Alfred’, this has become the best known and most widely grown of daffodils, plant breeders have produced over 25,000 varieties in shades of yellow, white, orange and peach-pink.

Ron Iremonger
Warden

I am everyone’s darling: the blackbird and starling
Are shouting about me from blossoming boughs;
For I the Lent Lily, the Daffy-Down-Dilly,
Have heard through the country the call to arouse.
The Orchards are ringing with voices a-singing
The praise of my petticoat, praise of my gown;
The Children are playing, and hark! they are saying
That Daffy-Down-Dilly has come up to town.

Cicely Mary Parker

The weather was perfect, we (my Mum and I) arrived just before a tour of the ‘Lady Berwick Garden’ was due to take place.  It was an opportunity not to be missed.

Warden, Ron Iremonger took us on the short walk to the garden.  Along the way we learned many interesting facts about the house, estate and gardens.  I will share some of them with you in due course, but for now enjoy the view from the ‘Lady Berwick Garden’ which is quite hidden.  I would never have thought to check out the path that lead there, but now I know

I will leave you with two pictures from the garden, they are taken from the snowy ground that you can see in the last photo of my previous post.