I spent last weekend at a small but excellent local flower show. I was there in various capacities – judge, helper, clean-up crew – for both days. It was nice to see friends from the gardening world and to be surrounded by flowers after what has felt like a long and dismal winter.
I brought home a book of old garden writing, a few hundred photographs, and quite the doozy of a viral cold. For several days I’ve been struggling through sneezing fits, aching muscles, a blocked nose and tiredness from poor sleep.
It’s nice to see flowers again after a long winter
Aren’t you glad your computer has anti-virus software…?
I’m also wondering if the cold is masking another underlying condition. I seem to be increasingly drawn to daffodils. Have I developed daffodil-itis?
Daffodil-itis: The Symptoms
Daffodil-itis is quite common across the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere, although there are plenty of sufferers below the equator too.
Symptoms include a profound longing for spring, restless pacing while examining the ground for signs of new shoots from below, and a pathological affinity for daffodil flowers, books and catalogues. Many sufferers have supportive – or at least tolerant – loved ones who understand the condition, but others live in fear of people finding out.
Narcissus ‘Brush Fire’
The latter group work hard to hide their symptoms; they hide in the bathroom to read their catalogues without judgement, try to stifle their excitement when their beloved flowers are out, and even sneak downstairs to browse the formidable Daffseek resource at night when everyone else has gone to bed.
Symptoms are often seasonal, peaking in spring, but can also develop when boxes of bulbs arrive in the autumn and there are forced daffodils in winter.
The Cure
There is no cure for daffodil-itis.
It’s highly unlikely that there ever will be either, although sufferers may moderate their symptoms by developing interests in other bulbs in addition to daffodils.
All ready for inspection
Other ways to control the symptoms include a ‘tough love’ approach, such as loved ones hiding the car keys when there’s a really good daffodil show on, or booking some mandatory activity that prevents sufferers attending events where daffodils will be present.
Managing Daffodil-itis
A lot of gardeners develop short bursts of daffodil-itis around spring. It’s similar to the occasional bout of hayfever many of us have at certain times of the year, yet don’t suffer really badly with it.
Severe cases can be challenging but the condition isn’t actually fatal to humans, only to bank balances.
Collecting miniature daffodils could be financially unwise; you’re hardly going to run out of space!
It can be helpful for daffodil-itis sufferers to meet up at dedicated events, like the one I attended. There can be a competitive element but this is seldom problematic.
Indeed I know a man who suffers quite strongly with daffodil-itis. Adrian Scamp’s condition has reached the point where he has taken over the family’s traditional daffodil business in Cornwall from his father, Ron.
I’ve had bulbs from Scamp’s nursery – great big things the size of small apples rather than the little bulbs you get from the hardware store – and I suspect this might well have been when I developed the condition. Since then my own symptoms have become stronger, although I find myself wavering between the miniature and the large full-size varieties.
I’d like to grow them all, in large drifts under apple trees, and wander among them each year to celebrate spring.
The Scamp’s Nursery display is always like a flower show all on its own!
I know that my daffodil-itis isn’t as strong as others have it, but there are also worse things to suffer from.
Like viral colds that make you feel miserable and sick when the sun is shining and the garden is coming back to life, for example.
Further Help And Information
If you or anyone you know might be suffering from daffodil-itis you can reach out to the American Daffodil Society, or in the UK to The Daffodil Society.
After the voles ate all the little bulbs in the Habitat Hero Demonstration Garden at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens before last spring, daffodils were the only bulbs left blooming. I replanted only daffodils last fall. Let’s hope the voles don’t expand their tastes in bulbs!
Horrible little sods, voles. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
As a Maryland USA bulb fan I am aware of the chill period needed to grow many bulbs – especially tulips – but including daffodils.
About 3 years ago, I planted numerous daffodils named after a famous Irish racehorse, with subsequent nice foliage but scant flowers. Never had such a problem before, but our temps have changed dramatically over past decades. For their replacement I will be trying daffs that tolerate a shorter warmer chill period such as those offered by Brent and Becky’s, a southern US grower/retailer.
We all need to be aware that our changing climatic conditions will begin to dictate what can be successfully grown.
That’s an interesting point. Good to know that someone is ahead of the curve with daffodils for warmer regions.
I wonder if the lack of a cold winter might be why some of the daffodils in my area are coming up ‘blind’ again…
What an enjoyable sunny rant. Thank you, Ben. Presently on Cape Cod we are enjoying snowdrops, iris reticulata, and our crocus began naturalizing last year. Very exciting! You’ve reminded me to get some fertilizer on my daffs that are pushing up. Perfect rant for this rainy northeast day.
I must do the same for some I planted a couple of years ago; they’ve come up but not a single flower!
Ben, what do you use in the way of fertilizer? I just assumed that my daffodil patch needed to be dug up and divided, since I am seeing nearly no blooms. It never occurred to me to fertilize them.
I’m looking for a magnifying glass so I read the labels on Scamp’s daff’s daffodil display.
It’s awful here in Boston; gray,drizzly, and cold. Thank you for this Rant!
I’m delighted it’s been a bit of an antidote to the grey and cold.
Great post, I’ve had it most of my life and am currently enjoying the thousands of blooming and about to bloom in our yard in SE Virginia.
Thanks for reminding me how much I love daffodils!!
Yes when your collection runs to thousands of blooms you’re definitely got the bug!
My cure for daffodil-itis is to leave fall clean-up until spring. I’m itching to get outside but there is not much to do (yet!) but I can clean up the detritus I ignored last November. Not only are there daffs, but snowdrops and crocus to enjoy as well.
Isn’t it amazing how they just appear out of nowhere each spring? Bulbs are great.
This is so funny, thank you! My husband is one who keeps his love of daffodils secret. He pretends to hate them but I keep adding more pockets of them to enjoy and more varieties. He actually has started smiling when I talk about them now but still quotes his usual “those dumb daffodils”. I’m hoping some new ones about to bloom for the first time this year truly have a scent like they were described in the catalog. I tried sniffing the only one open so far this morning and I barely got a whiff of maybe something that smells like a plant smell lol. It’s a windy day so maybe it just wasn’t noticeable because of that. But I know catalogs might go on about scent because it sells more of course. If any varieties come to mind that really do have a nice sweet scent, I’d love to know!
Sometimes plants smell only under certain conditions. Usually this is when the flowers are warm enough, but humidity can also be a contributing factor.
Usually it’s the ‘pheasant eye’ daffodils that are the sweetest scented for me.
Thank you for your humor. And for your spot on diagnosis of my recent symptoms. I like to pronounce it Daffo-delight-ous. I’ve been strolling the home gardens giddy like a kid on holiday. Wondering if you have a favorite? My Mother always said she loved us three children the same, when in reality I knew it’s humanly impossible to love two people or more the exact same. The same holds true for daffs and also for Authors. You are one of my favorite authors here at the rant.
I know it sounds like such a cop-out, but my favourite daffodil is usually the one I’m looking at at the time. I’ve learnt to find joy in the more… controvesial double and split corona daffodils too, which is great.
Thank you very much for your kindness.
Enjoyable article, Ben! It’s only natural for we gardeners to be very anxious for spring. I wear my plant addiction proudly on my sleeve; I can be seen looking at catalogs both in print and online at least twice a week. My favorite daffodil is ‘Thalia.” I could never have enough of this variety. Take good care and feel better soon.
This was a delightful read, as usual! I had the “bug” for a while but ran out of space and energy to keep putting in more bulbs. I still have a lovely show – enough so that cars going by slow down and walkers point toward the house. Although perhaps they’re commenting on the need for a paint job? I do like the split corona ones but some of them look a bit like alien beings. I won’t see those for many weeks. Just the tips of the early ones are showing so far. There were no worries about chilling THIS year, the frost went deep with temps in the -20’s F some nights. Bulbs truly are magical and that’s what a garden should be. Thanks for making this “syndrome” less scary even though I’ve never had to hide in the bathroom with a catalogue. Did I mention I also have “tuplipitis”?
I had daff-itus all my life. Crawling around the yard looking for the green points coming up. Screeching at my neighborhood friends to not step on the daffs. The last few days I have been transplanting them. We are making changes to garage and I’m going to be loosing some flower beds. So rescuing all the daffs, crocus and other spring bulbs and shoving them in anywhere there is a blank spot. And hosting a garden party for friends to come take other plants. But the daffodils are all mine.