The Fall Daffodils

It is that season between Halloween and Thanksgiving, when so many of the bulbs that waited patiently over the summer sense the return of cooler temperatures and the promise of rain. They flower now, so the seeds can germinate in the early Winter and be large enough to survive the Summer when it arrives.

Narcissus serotinus

The first of these for me is Narcissus serotinus.

The flower is less than an inch across held on a six inch stem. It grows into clumps that flower profusely this time of year, at least when it likes the growing conditions. In the wild, it grows largely on the Atlantic coast of Spain and Portugal, with another population across Gibraltar in Morocco. There has been confusion with some of the other Fall flowering species, such as Narcissus obsoletus - in fact, this appears to have been a cryptic species complex rather than a single species until recent studies clarified the situation. The photo above is the "true" species. There are several sources online for seeds or bulbs - both should be ordered in the Summer or late Summer. The flowers come up and add a spot of fragrance and brightness to the cooling days! I grow them in pots that are 3" square and 8" deep - I order from Struewe and Sons in Oregon (not an affiliate link - I just buy from them https://stuewe.com/). See the Growing section further below. If you hand pollinate them, you are likely to get seeds that can be planted immediately (see growing section below). Capsules that are developing look like this (wedding band for scale is 7mm wide):

Narcissus viridiflorus

The famed Green Daffodil! It flowers a week or so after Narcissus serotinus for me, in the years it decides to flower. Some years all the mature bulbs flower, some years none of them, and some years it is more mixed. I haven't figured out the pattern and how it relates to the weather.

The plants are short, perhaps to 8" tall. They tend to put up a leaf or a flower stalk - the two look almost identical at first. The flowers are fragrant, almost to an extreme, in a manner that reminds me of the much more common Paperwhite daffodils. If pollinated, they tend to set seeds, though in my experience they need pollination assistance. I use a tiny paintbrush, and work the bristles very gently into the tube of the flower. Then, repeat with the next flower, and so on.

Narcissus miniatus

These are in the middle of a taxonomic controversy. I side with Dr. Koopowitz that this is a very morphologically distinct plant. That said, you will encounter folks that believe this is a synonym of N. obsoletus (the name of that taxon references its lack of a floral cup... this plant clearly has one). It is a delightful tiny plant, one of the smallest of the daffodils. The discussion and original description as a species is here.

Growing

These plants are from Mediterranean climates - climates that are warm and dry in Summer, cool (not really cold - frost, not heavy freezes and snow) and moist in the late Fall through Spring. That means they grow well in similar places, such as around the Mediterranean, coastal California, the Cape of South Africa, and places with similar climates. In other places, they are going to need a bit more support.

Pots

These benefit from deep pots. They don't need a lot of side-to-side space, so a 3" square pot is fine - especially if it is 8" deep or so. Pots used for forestry seedlings seem to be the most readily available that are deep and narrow (and reasonably priced and durable). The problem with these sorts of pots is that they don't make great retail sales pots, as they tend to fall over if not supported in a socketed tray. Think of the trays and the pots as a coupled and necessary system. I use the 3x8 apple tree pots and the 20 socket trays (not an affiliate link).

Trays and Sun Protection of Pots

Pots can overheat in the sun very, very quickly. This can kill roots and stunt growth or even kill the plants. I've had pots in the sun more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the air. That means that the sides of the pots should be protected from direct sun. If they are packed into trays, the pots protect each other, except at the edges of the trays. In these locations I cut strips of bender board (used for edging lawn areas) and clip them to the pots - see the brown strips held on with clothespins in the photo below.

Soil

I have gone from being a purist, making my own soil from purchased materials that are very clean an standardized, to a slightly more pragmatic person. The soil needs to never go sour (or anaerobic - it has to drain well and aerate well, which are different attributes). These days I tend to use a commercial cactus or palm tree soil, which I then use as 1 part cactus soil to 3 parts pearlite. I also tend to add bone meal and organic bulb food and mix it into the soil. I do use a small concrete mixer for ease (I can't seem to find the warranty paperwork for my back or my knees, so mixing by hand has beome less fun). The result is a very open soil that drains fast but retains some moisture.

Growing Area

These plants are usually found in the understory of shrubby hillsides. That means that they often have some shade, or filtering of the sunlight. They will definitely grow in full sun if the shrub cover is burned away or otherwise removed, however seedling establishment may be hindered (personal observation) during these periods until the shrubs or other plants provide some radiation protection of the bare ground. As such, I use an incomplete shade cloth cover if I not growing them under trees, such as in this setup. Provide protection for the midday and early afternoon sun, and allow direct sun in the mornings ideally, although it can work with some afternoon direct sun, especially if it is broken up into several relatively short periods of direct exposure.

Keep the pots and trays well above the ground. This prevents lateral movement of most pests and renders the pots harder to reach for many pests, such as slugs.

Irrigation

I use drip. Most of the time, it is about every 4 days for about 15 minutes in the early evening. Evening is best, as it gives a lot of time for water on the leaves to evaporate or be absorbed by morning. There is no drip tubing I've found that fits the pot spacing (3"), so I buy tubing with emitters every 6" and cut out 3" between emitters and rejoin the tubing. I make manifolds that fit a 4 pot by 5 pot tray. When bringing plants out of dormancy, water the pots once and then wait either several weeks before watering again, or until visible growth starts (there are exceptions - in some cases "dormant over summer" does not mean "dry over summer", and in some cases the first growth is a flower stalk that does not expect to be rained on until much later in the growing season, just for example). Once visible growth is underway, it is generally fine to go to an automated watering cycle.

Entering dormancy requires that most of these be dried out gradually - no baking in the California sun (those who recommend baking in the sun are often in cooler and/or more humid climates where things won't reliably dry out over a month of just being out in the shady air). I will remove watering by moving pots as needed out of the irrigated trays and into "going dormant" trays. These are often in the same light conditions, but unwatered or watered manually occasionally. Pick pots where there is yellowing of leaves or the starting of dieback for the season.

Summer Dormancy

These need a shady and airy place to sleep through their dormancy. Many of them start root growth in late summer, so having them in their pots from late summer onwards is beneficial. I keep these potted while dormant, unless there is a problem to attend to. I use a bit of polycarbonate roofing material (twin wall) attached to my fence with hinges (so they are light and easy to lift). The shelves are set up under these. Watch for rodents (rats and squirrels in my area) and figure out how to handle them if they appear to be problems.

I hope this helps you grow these little wonders on your own! Enjoy!

The Mockingbird and the Bulbine

Animals have opinions of things just like people do. Evidently we have a Northern Mockingbird that has it in for some plants we grow called Bulbine mesembryanthemoides. Bulbines are succulent lily relatives, with most of the ones we grow coming from the Winter rainfall regions of South Africa. They die back to the ground when the weather gets hot and dry. The ones we like a lot are also "picture leaf" succulents, with leaves that push their transparent tips above the sand and gravel, then most of the leaf is hidden in the ground, yet photosynthesis happens largely underground in the burried green part of the leaf. This is what they look like in cultivation with a bit more of the leaf exposed than is always the case in habitat:

However, the Mockingbird has reduced this to a "hopefully it will live" condition:

Another species is Bulbine haworthioides, which looks like this in cultivation for us:

It hasn't been pecked with the exuberance of some of the other species, yet has taken damage from our Mockingbrid:

Yet another species under attack is Bulbine bruynsi, this one shows light damage and is the least damaged photo I have from this year:

B. bryunsii after Mockingbird attack is a lot less photogenic, and I worry whether it will be able to set seeds:

Birds do not sit still and pose for my photography the way plants do, so the image quality of my photo of the culprit is a wee bit "Loch Ness Monster" quality:

I have questions: This bird and this plant have no natural range overlap - what is the bird getting from the plant? Is this medicine, or a treat, or something it feels some way about? Mockingbirds drink dewdrops, and one idea is that the plants with their crystalline looking leaves appear to be constantly covered in dewdrops. Once pecked, the leaves are clear gel much like from an Aloe vera leaf, so the bird gets a drink as it expects. Now to practical matters: Defense of the plants. I purchased a fistful of 3/16" diameter 3' long dowel rods. I cut them into bits that fit the tray length, and used the remainder of the 4 dowels as verticals. I cut four crosspieces from two more dowels (each about 12" long). I also bought a bag of wooden beads from a craft shop and used a drill press to turn them into vertices of the structure (3 holes at 90 degrees to each other). I assembled this into a rectangular frame that I could fit over the plants, and draped mesh over it. So far, it is working.

I'll update if this continues to work to protect these plants. With luck, they can set seeds successfully in here as well.