UK: RHS asks for aid in mapping daffodils

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 color, 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 us better understand our gardening heritage, aid their survival and even enable the preservation of genetic material that could be valuable for the 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 honored 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 hybridized to create new garden daffodil forms and colors.

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, Mrs William Copeland, and Sussex Bonfire.

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 colorful 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 color 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).