The Scottish daffodil without a name
For six years I’ve been trying to identify this sophisticated double daffodil with the shredded, egg yolk-yellow centre. I found it growing just outside the walled garden of my mother-in-law’s house in Mull, off the west coast of Scotland.
The helpful David Wong of Plantedd has suggested it looks something like Narcissus “Glowing Phoenix,” and it may well be, but I’m going to have another look when it flowers this year and compare it against the Phoenix pictures. My mystery bulb also resembles Narcissus Eystettensis, which has the same shredded centre but is one colour throughout.
I like to imagine a romantic past for this unique flower: maybe it joined the other spring flowering bulbs that I know this Scottish garden used to provide to the ancient abbey on the island of Iona, about an hour away.
I’m really keen to identify this flower for my mother-in-law. If you are (or know) a narcissus connoisseur or other bulb expert, I’d be grateful for your help.
An update! Thank you to the wonderfully skilled Duncan and Kate Donald from Croft 16 in Wester Ross in Scotland. Duncan writes, “We are sure that your plant is ‘Feu de Joie’, raised – like so many other double daffodils – by W.F.M. Copeland some time before 1927.”
Duncan mentions that this daffodil illustrated an article on their collection in The Garden in March 2011.
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