Last week I introduced you to some good looking oldies among the Tulips. But for the real old monkeys you need to take a look at the Daffodils, the workhorses among the flower bulbs.
Meet a few of them am allow them to amaze you by their everlasting youth.
What do you think, for example, about the famous and oh so elegant Daffodil Thalia? I know you will give me a surprised look when I tell you that this daffodil, which after all these years, still gets planted by the hundred thousands, counts no less than 105 years.
And Rip van Winkle, if you plant her in a spot in your garden where she will have a half day of sunlight, she will come back for years. Gardeners were quick to find this out when she was introduced 137 years ago.
Or the lesser known Daffodil Tenuior, one of my favourite daffodils, I was shocked myself when I read that she had been around for 224 years.
The super strong Carlton is also worth mentioning, she is going well in the direction of 100. When she flowers next spring, she will be 95. Until this day she one of the most dependable Daffodils for rewilding.
The Compressus is a Daffodil which could easily blend in with the youngsters. It would be a difficult assignment to find a Daffodil that comes close to her beauty. For 140 years she has been delighting gardeners with her fresh colours and sultry scents.
And the Actaea, 102 years old. What did you say? Yes, 102! I dare you to find a better one.
I could carry on like this for quite a while; the famous Geranium is 91. Or the Hawera, which everyone knows; 93. What I am meaning to say is that we shouldn’t write off the oldies, there is no need to send them to the flower bulb retirement home Hortus Bulborum in Limmen, with the promising view on a cemetery. No, many of the oldies are in for a lot more flowery garden parties.
Kind regards,
Carlos van der Veek