Review: Daffodils

Even someone with zero gardening experience is likely to recognise daffodils. They are one of our most familiar flowers and a firm favourite with many – including me. I’ve long loved them for their cheerful demeanour and as a sign that spring has arrived. There are several different varieties in my garden and, reading Naomi Slade’s new book on them, my shopping list has just got bigger!

(I was given a review copy but am not paid.)

She admits to being obsessed by them – a passion that dates back to a “childhood peppered with plants accumulated by my elders”. Since then, she has tried to plant something new every year and there’s plenty of choice!

While the all yellow, large daffodil might be the first you think of, the family is wide, ranging from dainty multi-headed varieties through to bold daffodils with trumpets equal in length to their petals.

Colours are also changing as tastes evolve. To the usual yellow, white or a mix of both, breeders are now adding daffodils with a decidedly pink edge, such as ‘Pink Charm’ with its salmon pink trumpet, and ‘Pinkie Lee’ whose petals are also infused with pink.

And as for shape, double and split-corona varieties are a complete contrast to the simplicity of straightforward trumpet and petal daffodils.

Daffodils begins by outlining the history and botany of the flowers, including a breakdown of the different classifications – essential if you are planning to put your blooms on a show bench.

There is then a look at some of Naomi’s top picks, arranged under ‘Charming and Cheerful’, ‘Ruffled and Fluttering’, ‘Demure and Delicate’, and ‘Glorious and Glowing’.

We learn about the green-yellow ‘Mesa Verde’, ‘Falconet’ with its “orange juice on a sunny morning” appearance, and the perennial popular ‘Tête-à-tête’, which has an “air of indestructability and absolute enthusiasm for life”.

As with all Naomi’s books on flower families, the text is lively. The flowers of ‘White Marvel’ are likened to “the skirt of a Disney princess twirling around the dance floor on her wedding day”, ‘Rip van Winkle’ looks like “a demented dandelion”, while ‘Petit Four’ is a “tasty mess of lemon curd, apricot, peach and whipped cream”.

Stunning photography by Georgianna Lane adds to the sumptuous feel – and temptation to buy everything mentioned.

The book ends with problem solving – why daffodils come up blind – pests and diseases, and advice on everything from planting and propagation to showing and using as cut flowers. Who knew that giving a stiff drink to paperwhites while they are growing will shorten stems and make them less likely to flop.

If you want to expand your knowledge – and display – of daffodils then this is the book for you. Just be prepared for severe temptation.

Daffodils by Naomi Slade with photography by Georgianna Lane is published by Pavilion with an RRP of £25. You can buy it from Naomi’s website here priced at £20

You can also buy it here for £19.97. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Alternatively, you may wish to buy from an independent bookseller here. All prices correct at time of publication of this post.

Enjoyed this? You can read more of my gardening and garden-related book reviews here.

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