Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii
Words: Graham Rice
It was in the 2007-2008 trial of daffodils that 'Twinkling Yellow' stood out so impressively, but at the time there was some doubt about its correct name. Now the RHS botanists have finally resolved the issue – the correct name, in full, is Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii ‘Twinkling Yellow’ – and its award has now been confirmed.
And what amazingly prolific daffodil this is. The assessment panel noted that this is a "lovely garden plant, scented and free flowering" but that doesn't tell the full story of how productive it is.
This is a jonquil type (7-Y-Y is the official classification) and each stem carries three to five small but beautifully proportioned flowers each with bright yellow cup and bright yellow petals. They have a lovely fragrance.
Counts were made of the number of flowering stems produced from the 10 bulbs originally planted. This is done for all entries in the daffodil trials as it provides an easy to follow record of the productivity – or, in some cases, sparseness - of each entry.
In 2008 flowering began on 22 February, continued for an astonishing 87 days and over that time the ten bulbs produced a breathtaking sixty two flowering stems. That's pretty good considering that some daffodil varieties will only produce one or two stems per bulb.
‘Twinkling Yellow' is a selection of Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii that was found in the wild in Portugal and sent to the trial by the Dutch bulb company J S Pennings, well known for their impressive displays of hyacinths at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
You can order Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii ‘Twinkling Yellow’ from the Extra Bulb Catalogue issued by Kevock Garden Plants.