Daffodils Prolific breeding in the 19th century introduced masses of new daffodils, but many are now at risk of disappearing.

Taking on the mantle of her daffodil-breeding ancestors, Caroline Thomson bred this yet-to-be-named narcissus herself.

Prolific breeding in the 19th century introduced masses of new daffodils, but many of these historic cultivars are at risk of disappearing. Louise Curley meets their guardians

Up until the mid-19th century, all the daffodils growing in Britain would have been the wild species, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, immortalised by William Wordsworth. It was only in the mid-1800s, when botanists began to understand how hybridisation worked, that new forms of daffodils were created.

Daffodils weren’t popular garden plants at the time; the Victorians thought of them as wild flowers, and their dainty blooms couldn’t compete with the more exotic plants being introduced from abroad. There were, however, a couple of daffodil lovers who were also enthusiastic plant breeders.

Edward Leeds and William Backhouse began their hybridising in the mid-19th century, building up important collections, while the Reverend George Engleheart became known for his work breeding the poeticus species of daffodils. Peter Barr, a Scot who owned a nursery in London, was an early pioneer in cultivar conservation, raising the funds to purchase the bulb collections of Leeds and Backhouse when they died. Barr did much to popularise the daffodil as a garden bulb. He made perilous trips to remote parts of Spain and Portugal in search of wild daffodils and produced many new hybrids. Breeders in Cornwall were also spurred on by the booming cut flower trade, new daffodils with large trumpets proving popular. The International Daffodil Register lists over 30,000 daffodil cultivars, but most of these are no longer in commercial production, and many of the older cultivars have been lost over time. A shortage of labourers in the Cornish bulb fields during World War I resulted in what became known as the ‘Daffodil Plague’, when hundreds of acres of bulbs rotted due to a nematode infection, and World War II’s Dig for Victory campaign meant daffodil fields were turned over to food production. Other cultivars were simply dropped by nurseries in favour of new introductions. Many heritage varieties have disappeared forever, but others could still be out there in gardens, hedgerows and parks, waiting to be rediscovered. Today there are several Plant Heritage National Collections of daffodils, whose guardians catalogue what they have, track down cultivars believed to have been lost, look after the bulbs in their care and distribute any surplus, in the hope of preserving these spring beauties for future generations.

At the National Trust for Scotland’s Brodie Castle near Inverness, there is a National Collection of daffodils raised by Major Ian Brodie from 18991942. “We have 116 Brodie cultivars out of some 500 he raised,” explains head gardener Ed Walling. “Daffodils are a huge part of the history and heritage of Brodie Castle.” Major Brodie was one of the greatest pioneers in daffodil hybridisation in the first half of the 20th century. Since 1982, the Trust has been trying to gather together as many of the Brodiebred varieties as it can find, and they are still coming

Above With nodding flowers in pristine white, Narcissus ‘Niveth’, bred by Henry Backhouse, is a lovely choice for naturalising in meadows.

Top left Narcissus ‘Weardale Perfection’. Top right Bred by Brodie, Narcissus ‘Smyrna’. Centre Backhouse’s Narcissus ‘Emperor’. This image Narcissus ‘Mrs R.O. Backhouse’. Left Narcissus ‘Istria’, named by Major Brodie.

Six heritage daffodils with the pink and orange trumpets so coveted by narcissus breeders

A Backhouse cultivar with double primrose-yellow petals and a frilly orange centre.

A large-cupped daffodil bred by Sarah Dodgson, with creamy yellow petals and a short, orange-red trumpet.

Bred by William Ormston Backhouse, with golden yellow petals and a fiery orange trumpet.

This cultivar, bred by Sarah Elizabeth Dodgson, has creamy white petals and a large orange cup.

A pretty daffodil created by Robert Ormston Backhouse with creamy white petals and a fluted apricot trumpet.

The pure white petals and bright orange cup of this daffodil, bred by Major Brodie, make a striking contrast. to light. Some have come from local collections, and others from as far away as Australia where there are leads still worth pursuing. “It’s thought Brodie named daffodils such as ‘Istria’ and ‘Smyrna’, after places he visited during his military service,” says Ed. “He and his wife loved music, especially the opera, hence the daffodils ‘Salome’ and ‘Sarastro’, and there are several with names inspired by the local area, such as ‘Rosemarkie’ and ‘Invergordon’.”

Caroline Thomson, a direct descendant of William Backhouse, is the custodian of her ancestors’ Narcissus cultivars at the Backhouse Rossie Estate in Fife. “Several members of the Backhouse family were bankers and botanists from the North East of England,” says Caroline. “William was born in 1807, and his hobby from an early age was hybridising plants, with his lasting legacy being N. ‘Emperor’, N. ‘Empress’ and N. ‘Weardale Perfection’. His sons Henry and Robert also took an interest: Henry registered his own cultivars including N. ‘Niveth’. Robert married Sarah Elizabeth Dodgson, who was also a talented plant breeder, creating lilies, colchicums and some extraordinary daffodils, such as the pink-cupped ‘Mrs R. O. Backhouse’, which is still very popular today.

“When my family moved back to Fife, we restored the walled garden and I wanted to connect our horticultural heritage with the rich history of the area. That’s when my mum said someone in the family should gather together what remains of the plants our ancestors created. She was worried the history and the plants were disappearing. I agreed, not realising I was taking on a lifetime commitment. The Backhouses created 956 cultivars, of which only 13 were still commercially available in 2008.”

Caroline visited relatives, gathering bulbs from their gardens; spent a year researching plant catalogues and studying photographs and botanical paintings at the RHS and Kew libraries; and delved into the family history at the archives in Darlington where the family was originally from. “Serendipity has played a part, too,” she notes. “I went to visit a friend in Cornwall and I spotted a flower in her garden that looked like a Backhouse daffodil. She did a bit of research and discovered a member of the Backhouse family had, at one point, lived there.”

Some daffodils have proved very difficult to find. “The breeding process for the red trumpet daffodils created by William Ormston Backhouse, took years and required multiple crosses, which created an instability in some cultivars – they don’t bulk up quickly, which is possibly why they weren’t a commercial success. We do have three red-trumpet cultivars though, including Narcissus ‘Desert Fox’.”

Meeting botanist and daffodil expert Dr David Willis was pivotal. “He rediscovered N. ‘Weardale Perfection’, bred by William Backhouse, and propagated it so it is now widely distributed, not

Caroline Thomson explains the technique of ‘chipping’ to propagate precious bulbs

A good way to bulk up a favourite daffodil that you might not know the name of or be able to find in plant catalogues is by vegetative propagation of the bulbs, which is known as chipping.

At the end of summer, carefully lift a bulb from the soil.

Trim any roots and remove the bulb’s papery outer skin.

Divide the bulb into six equal pieces using a sharp knife, ensuring that each piece has a portion of the bulb’s basal plate.

Dust each piece with sulphur to prevent fungal infections.

Place in a clear plastic bag on a bed of moist vermiculite, seal and keep in a warm dark place such as an airing cupboard for about 12 weeks. Each section should develop bulblets.

Pot up the sections into seed trays or 9cm pots and put in a coldframe to grow on.

Left Narcissus ‘Empress’, only in the village a grandparent to many where William lived in modern-day daffodils. Above Major Brodie’s Narcissus ‘Rosemarkie’. County Durham, but in other gardens as well,” Caroline explains.

The Backhouse daffodil collection has been accredited by Plant Heritage and contains 82 identified cultivars, with others still under review. Continuing the family tradition, Caroline has turned her hand to breeding, registering a new cultivar named after her mum, who passed away in 2020. The family also holds Scotland’s National Daffodil Festival every April, when visitors to the estate can enjoy the spectacular sight of over 20,000 daffodils.

Caroline is dedicated to curating and creating a relevant future for her family’s horticultural legacy, but growing heritage varieties goes deeper than a link with our past. They contain irreplaceable genetic material and, with the ever-increasing risk of pests and diseases and a changing climate, preserving plant collections like these may well be crucial for future generations. n

Brodie Castle, Forres, Moray IV36 2TE. Tel: +44 (0)1309 641371; nts.org.uk. Backhouse Rossie Estate, Fife KY15 7UZ. Tel: +44 (0)844 414 5803; backhouserossie.co.uk.

Croft 16 Tel: +44 (0)1445 781717; croft16daffodils.co.uk Thomas Etty Tel: +44 (0)1460 298249; thomasetty.co.uk

Scamp’s Daffodils Tel: +44 (0)7826 067175; qualitydaffodils.com

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