Are you sometimes mislead by the names of plants? Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ grows taller than Nepeta ‘Six Hills Giant’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ (Small Silver Spider) will grow into a very bulky grass in just a few years even though it may not be quite as tall as some. Ernst Pagels told me he hadn’t realised it would eventually grow so large when he first named it. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful grass that everyone should be aware of.
Narcissus “February Gold’ is well known and well worth having in the garden, but how often has it flowered in February for you? We had a run of warm winters in the Netherlands recently and it did live up to its name, but more often than not it will not show its stuff until well into March; it looks like this year is going to be the same.
What’s in a name. Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ has to have the ugliest name ever given to a plant, but it is certainly early. I originally planted it in border soil,, but life was too good, it grew too tall and all to quickly the clumps of bulbs became congested and flowering declined. Two years ago I planted the many small bulbs it had made individually into rough grass outside the garden’s boundary and forgot about them. Last year there were a few flowers, but this year they are all in flower and have been for some three weeks.
Growing a little more than a foot tall, although lower in the inhospitable soil I now offer it, this extremely early flowering daffodil is capable of making a bold effective display in the garden. Yes, N. ‘Cedric Morris’ can be in flower for Christmas, but it is too small to be of use in the garden unless you can afford to purchase hundreds. Were N. Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’ to flower later we would not need it as there are so many other good daffodils to choose from, but there are few bulbs capable and reliable enough to be abel to kick start the spring garden. Flowering so early, in what will be cold temperatures, the display lasts many weeks.
So this is definitely a name to remember, and how could you forget it – perhaps it was a good marketing ploy after-all?
My ‘February Gold ‘ daffodils never bloom in February in the US mid-Atlantic even in warm years. I read that Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ was named after the town where it was bred or discovered, and the name has nothing to do with low in height.
I learn something new every day; is there a Walker’s High then? Nice to hear from you Carolyn.
Every Spring is different