Two things all gardeners should know about are daffodils and the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit – or AGM. The former is synonymous with spring; the latter is shorthand for a tried and tested variety of plant that according to the charity "demonstrates excellent performance in the garden".
The two coalesce in today's column, as the shorter daffodil varieties which recently received the charity's coveted accolade are revealed.
There are no less than 26,000 cultivated varieties of daffodil to choose from, in hues of bright yellow, orange and white and sometimes all combined. They are easy to grow, hardy perennials, whose leaves should be left untouched for six weeks after flowering in order to feed the bulb for next year.
Shorter daffodil varieties – those less than 35cm of which 'Tête-à-Tête' is probably the most well-known – are especially useful in containers and window boxes, or anywhere you can get close enough to appreciate them. We're currently in prime bulb planting season, which runs from mid September through to November (or some weeks thereafter as long as it's dry and mild). Planting bulbs in autumn enables them to put out roots before the temperatures drop in winter – so the advice is plant sooner rather than later.
The necessary tools are a trowel, spade or bulb planter, along with some bone meal or similar slow release fertiliser. Plant the bulbs twice their own depth or three times the amount if you have sandy soil. Some bulb species are very tiny and can be planted at a greater depth. If growing in containers, the bulbs will tolerate closer planting. Daffodils will prosper in unimproved garden soil or pots/containers filled with peat-free potting compost.
To coincide with the bulb planting season the RHS has announced the results of its garden trials of shorter daffodils and the top 12 varieties to receive its Award of Garden Merit. Each year the RHS runs comprehensive trials of popular garden plants to find those that are the best for gardeners to grow. The award is made on the comparison of trialled varieties and judged by a panel of experts, including nurserymen, specialist growers and horticulturalists.
Over a two year trial period, at RHS Wisley, 64 daffodil entries were assessed on their impact, quality of foliage, length of flowering, their health and vigour. Entries to the trials were submitted by growers from the UK and the Netherlands in the first trial to focus on shorter daffodils. Once awarded, an RHS AGM 'trophy' logo is displayed on the plant’s label to show that it performs reliably.
The 12 varieties worthy of the award are 'Tête Bouclé'; 'Angel's Whisper'; ‘Moonlight Sensation’; ‘Crofty’; ‘Englander’; ‘Snipe’ ; ‘Winter Waltz’; ‘Chappie’ ; ‘Medway Gold’; ‘More and More’; ‘Yellow Sailboat’ and ‘Tiny Bubbles’ .
"For sheer cheerfulness and marking the arrival of spring daffodils are pretty unbeatable," says Emma Allen, the RHS's head of horticultural relations,.
"Whilst their popularity has led to thousands of cultivars it is sometimes difficult for gardeners to know which ones will perform the best. Our trials and the RHS Award of Garden Merit help gardeners make the best choice for them and ensure that they can look forward to wonderful, year on year displays of beautiful daffodils.”
In addition to the 12 new daffodil AGMs, 13 new tulips and three Fritillaria also gained awards. Details of current and past RHS plant trials can be found at www.rhs.org.uk
