Pretty, prettier, prettiest times three hundred and fifty-one
It’s finally time, they are ready to be ordered: the special Daffodils from our own nursery. Take a moment to be delighted by everything this year has to offer—the Daffodil has so much to show you!
Even if you are not planning to order anything, I hope you want to have a look at this year’s collection. Maybe I do have some secret hope that simply seeing everything we have to offer will have you reconsider getting a few Daffodils for yourself, but you really don’t have to. I am certain simply looking at the pictures will bring you joy.
Many of our customers ask us why the Fluwel Special Narcissus collection goes online this early in the year. That is, like many things in the world, because of the British. Or maybe also a little bit because of the Americans. Let me explain. My Special Narcissus collection is, at least in part, something I inherited from Frankie Charlton. Insiders know Frankie is one of Great Britain’s Daffodil Kings, and there, he used to run two web shops: Choice Bulbs and Miniature Bulbs. Until about three years ago, the assortments those shops offered were only available in the UK. Most of them came from us in The Netherlands, however, and in turn, Frankie supplied the best new varieties that were created in the UK.
How a collection of miniature Daffodils arrives at a Daffodil show.
Frankie sold most Daffodils to English customers. Usually, they were people who wanted to show the flowers at Daffodil shows in the spring. These shows are visited by people from all over the world, and there is nothing quite like them. There are many prizes to be won, and it is also an amazing gathering of enthusiasts who all share the same hobby.
The hands of Roger Braithwaite, who is the David Beckham of Daffodil shows.
And if you thought the prizes must be large if they attract people from all over the world, I’d have to disappoint you. It’s mostly ribbons, or a Blue Ribbon, as they call them, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll get the name of your winning Daffodil engraved on a whiskey glass. We’re truly doing it for the love of the game, and to see our fellow Daffodil-enthusiast friends at the shows. My favourite part is definitely all the Daffodil talk you get to do with all the other people who’ll never tire of it, and once the jury has decided—and everyone has gossiped enough about their decisions—it’s all about the gin-tonic and pint-shaped things the British produce.
Daffodil shows, and all of the other English Flower Shows, are mostly social gatherings, like a club meeting for you and all your friends. And I say that with much respect: they’re well-organised and everything looks beautiful, the perfect environment to have a great time.
All participants have their own special ways of transporting the flowers to the shows.
But I was talking about why the collection goes online this early in the year. Well, just like everyone, my friend Frankie gets a year older just about every year, and his wife Joyce figured that it was about time he should transfer his business over to us, as we were always one of his biggest suppliers.
At English flower shows, there is so much more to see than Daffodils. But my favourite part of the early shows is that the main course is flower bulbs.
So that’s how we got here, with all of those Daffodils that are now available on our web site. Frankie always made sure to have the collections ready and available as soon as the English shows started, so all participants could order what they saw right away. Many of Frankies buyers are now our customers, and that is why we want to stick to the programme they’re used to.
Joyce and Frankie preparing their Daffodils for the show.
There are also surprised reactions to some of the pricing of the special varieties. Twenty-five euros for a single bulb? Are you out of your mind? But that too I learned from Frankie. I am more of a ‘trader’ myself, I always tended to grow a variety to a large number before I started selling, so I could try and keep the cost down as much as possible. I usually prefer making 100 people happy with a 5-euro bulb than 20 people with a 25-euro one, but Frankie told me to get over that when it comes to the truly special varieties. He made me understand that some of the real enthusiasts, who spend years working towards every single show, don’t mind paying more if that means they can get the bulb as soon as possible. They will use the bulbs in their shows when they are brand new, and by the time I have finally grown my variety enough to sell a decent number of them, all of our early customers will have made sure it’s well-known and people actually want to have it. It sometimes almost feels like a little bit of marketing in exchange for early access, and seeing how happy everyone is to see the varieties makes it worth the amount of energy you have to spend on offering just a handful of bulbs.
Brian Duncan with a suitcase full of flowers he has transported from Northern Ireland to England.
There are also varieties that don’t come from our own nursery. I am not the only one of my kind, believe it or not. I have a few good friends with the same affliction who also offer a few of their most beloved varieties. They are happy to have this opportunity to display their own favourites in a web shop, which is something that is usually very difficult, or practically impossible, to do
Instead of trying to sell you a Begonia or a Dahlia, I’d like to tell you a little more about the Daffodils. It’s too cold to go out and garden anyway, and our Fluwel Special Narcissus assortment is the best it’s ever been. We have new varieties from Germany, America, and even Australia and New-Zealand. Before, many of the Special Daffodils-market was focused primarily on the UK, but we have noticed interest from Europe and other parts of the world as well. This growing enthusiasm and curiosity makes me extremely happy, and I hope you all have a lovely time picking out your (first?) special Daffodils.
Kind regards,
Carlos van der Veek
