A Different Kind of Daffodil
Cynthia Druckenbrod
N. Sunny Girlfriend
Daffodils (Narcissus) aren’t just yellow or white, nor are they only known as ‘King Alfred’ trumpet types. In fact, The American Daffodil Society classifies daffodils into 13 divisions based on their flower shape and heritage. One of my favorite types are the showy split corona daffodils- division 11. In this division, the cup or corona is split into segments and spreads back against the petals (or perianth). The corona can be smooth, but more often it’s frilly and wavy. You grow split corona daffodils just like any other daffodil— give at least 8 hours of sun, good drainage, and planting depth of bulbs in Oct is 3X the height of the bulb. Please don’t wrap the green leaves with a rubber band to make them look tidy after flowering. Doing that will not let the leaves get the necessary sunlight to put more energy back into the bulb and you risk ultimately weakening your daffodils. Instead, plant daffodils among perennials that will cover the yellowing foliage. Once the leaves turn brown, remove them. Some of my favorite cultivars are Cassata, Drama Queen, Electrus, Pink Wonder, Sovereign, and Sunny Girlfriend. Look online at Brent and Becky’s or Breck’s. Enjoy these fabulously fancy daffodils!
Cynthia with some of her daffodils. Note several are split collar types!