Latest News

RHS asks public to help map UK’s daffodils and find rare pink, white and ‘bonfire’ yellow varieties

The RHS is asking industry and gardeners to help it map the UK’s daffodils and locate three rare or historically significant varieties as it celebrates the country’s most ubiquitous plant this spring and one hundred years since its science saved the daffodil industry.

With hundreds of different daffodils thought to be found in the UK, the charity has launched Daffodil Diaries, asking people to log where daffodils are blooming in their area alongside basic information such as colour, type and height. Scientists at the RHS will then use this information to understand environmental influences on the plant, buyer preferences and spread.

It will also invite people to join the search for three at risk or thought to be extinct daffodils. Locating these daffodils will help better understand our gardening heritage, aid their survival and even enable the preservation of genetic material that could be valuable for future breeding of daffodils, particularly as our climate changes.

The call to action comes as the RHS celebrates one hundred years since its scientist James Kirkham Ramsbottom was honoured for his work in developing a hot water treatment against eelworms which saved the daffodil. The treatment remains a standard precaution in bulb production today. The RHS also holds the register of known daffodil cultivar names bred around the world, recording each plant’s distinguishing features for research and reference purposes, while its retail offerings have noted an increase in demand for plants in bulbed form in recent years.

Originating in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, by the 1600s daffodils were recorded as being grown for aesthetic, rather than medicinal, purposes. From the early 1800s daffodils became hugely popular in Britain and were being deliberately hybridised to create new garden daffodil forms and colours.

Daffodils the public are being asked to help find, selected with the help of the RHS Bulb Expert Group and horticultural conservation charity Plant Heritage, include:

‘Mrs R.O. Backhouse’ – one of the first pink daffodils, with a solid coral pink trumpet and ivory flowers. Thought to have been bred by leading female hybridiser of the era Sara Backhouse and named for her by her husband after her death in 1921. The daffodil is known to exist in national collections but its whereabouts beyond that is not known with the majority of reported discoveries in fact ‘Salome’ whose yellow trumpet transitions to peach.

‘Mrs William Copeland’ – a white, double-flowered daffodil named after the wife of breeder WFM Copeland. Not for sale in recent years but known to be gifted via an American grower in the early 2000s to a direct descendant in the UK.

‘Sussex Bonfire’ – a double-flowered yellow and orange daffodil bred by Noel Burr, an amateur breeder from Sussex who registered 58 new cultivars of daffodil, naming many after local places and people. Sussex Bonfire has never been located, and Plant Heritage’s Sussex Group would be delighted to add this to their shared National Plant Collection of daffodils.

All information and images of daffodils thought to be the above varieties should be submitted via the Daffodil Diaries page on the RHS website.

RHS Gardens will also celebrate the plant through colourful displays from January through to May that collectively feature more than 150 cultivars, while the RHS website will publish a succession of content charting the history and cultural influences of the plants. The original copper boiler that administered the hot water treatment, saving the daffodil industry, resides in The Old Lab at RHS Garden Wisley.

Dr Kálmán Könyves Principal Scientist in the Cultivated Plant Diversity team at the RHS and expert in classifying and recording daffodils said: “Daffodils have come to mark the arrival of spring and are celebrated for their welcome burst of colour in gardens, parks and roadsides. But there’s more to this ubiquitous yellow flower than meets the eye, with 31,000 known varieties available in green, pink and red. Understanding where they can be found will help us in preserving this diversity for the future.”

Gwen Hines, CEO of Plant Heritage said: “Springtime daffodils are abundant, but rare varieties could be lost from our gardens and roadsides if they’re not found and cared for. While six National Plant Collections do protect some, many others aren’t yet safeguarded, which is why we encourage everyone to look for rare varieties this spring.”

Daffodil Diaries runs from 12th February until 4th May when RHS Garden Harlow Carr hosts the Late Daffodil Show. Daffodil Shows also take place at RHS Garden Rosemoor (8-9th March), RHS Garden Hyde Hall (19-20th March) and RHS Garden Wisley (8-9 April).

RHS Daffodil Facts:

Daffodils are a source of galantamine, an important Alzheimer’s treatment which cannot be reliably synthesised.

The Daffodil has come to symbolise resilience – being the first of the spring flowers to brave the cold but in Victorian times the plant meant ‘egotism’, ‘disdain’ or ‘unrequited love’.

There are 31,000 cultivars of daffodil which are organised according to 13 different types, including trumpet, double and split corona daffodils

Tooting in South West London has a long association with daffodils having been home to the nurseries of Peter Barr, otherwise known as the ‘Daffodil King’. Peter amassed a collection of more than 400 varieties, with rare types known to still spring from the ground. The Peter Barr Memorial Cup is awarded by the RHS each year.

The UK grows 90% of the world’s cut flower daffodils

About the RHS

Since our formation in 1804, the RHS has grown into the UK’s leading gardening charity, touching the lives of millions of people. Perhaps the secret to our longevity is that we’ve never stood still. In the last decade alone we’ve taken on the largest hands-on project the RHS has ever tackled by opening the new RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford, Greater Manchester, and invested in the science that underpins all our work by building RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science.

We have committed to being net positive for nature and people by 2030. We are also committed to being truly inclusive and to reflect all the communities of the UK.

Across our five RHS gardens, we welcome more than three million visitors each year to enjoy over 34,000 different cultivated plants. Events such as the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, other national shows, our schools and community work, and partnerships such as Britain in Bloom, all spread the shared joy of gardening to wide-reaching audiences.

Throughout it all we’ve held true to our charitable core – to encourage and improve the science, art and practice of horticulture –to share the love of gardening and the positive benefits it brings.

For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk.

RHS Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

About Plant Heritage

Founded in 1978, Plant Heritage is the world’s leading cultivated plant conservation charity, for plants that have been collected, bred or grown in UK gardens.

Plant Heritage aims to conserve and safeguard the UK’s horticultural heritage and diversity of garden plants by keeping living examples of rare plants in the National Plant Collections® scheme, or with Plant Guardians® (who grow and nurture one or more rare and unusual plants in their own garden or house)

Plant Heritage’s National Plant Collections® are living plant libraries, showcasing the amazing diversity of our nation’s cultivated plants. They are created, and curated, by individuals or organisations who are passionate about protecting the diversity of our rich flora

Plant Heritage aims to: increase the variety of garden plants available across the UK, educate and raise awareness about the plight of rare garden plants via the annual Plant Exchange™, plant sales and propagation events; ensure rare plants and collections are supported for generations to enjoy today and tomorrow; and identify which plant cultivars are at risk of disappearing through their Threatened Plants Programme™, so plans can be made to protect them

Plant Heritage relies on donations and gifts to encourage, support and accredit National Plant Collections. To donate, become a member or to find out how you can help, visit www.plantheritage.org.uk. Every donation is greatly appreciated.

Plant Heritage can also be found on Instagram, Facebook & X.