Utah Daffodil Show is in full bloom

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 6, 2007 | by Larry A. Sagers Deseret Morning News

Daffodils are often described as the "yellow flower that is the harbinger of spring."

And while daffodils are just that -- they are also really quite complex, and the American Daffodil Society wants to help you get to know these flowers better.

To that end, Steve Vinisky, past president of the society, will bring some daffodils to Utah next weekend as part of the Utah Daffodil Show at Thanksgiving Point and Red Butte Garden.

So what are "modern daffodils"? Vinisky offers a little perspective.

These plants, he says, are one of the few that defy modern propagation techniques of tissue culture and other methods to increase the bulbs. "Consequently, developing and increasing new varieties is very difficult and takes much work to combine the old varieties with the new kinds to get new characteristics," he said.

"What we are buying are bulbs that were new 50 years ago," Vinisky said. "One of the most common is the 'King Alfred,' bred in England by a stockbroker named John Kendall. He died in 1897, two years before his flower bloomed in 1899."

"It has taken more than 100 years to build up the stocks on this bulb so that it is inexpensive and widely available," he said, adding that Dutch growers have made it one of the most popular varieties.

"They (the Dutch) grow very few types, but they grow enormous quantities of the ones they select," Vinisky said.

Vinisky said another popular variety is "Ice Follies," which was first developed in the early 1900s. "It is now widely grown," he said, "but it took years to get enough to sell to the general public, because the bulbs split only every couple of years."

Although Vinisky is prominent in the national society and now heads its hybridization committee, he wasn't always interested in gardening.

"When we first got married, my wife was worried whether I would even mow the lawn. I got interested in daffodils and started by buying a seedling mix from a famous hybridizer named Grant Mitsch. Then I got more interested and started going to shows and taking classes to learn more about these fascinating plants," he said.

After spending most of his adult life in Latin America, Vinisky moved to Oregon where he started his own business, Cherry Creek Daffodils, in Sherwood. His inventory includes many daffodil varieties most gardeners have never seen.

Many people might get sticker shock when glancing through his catalog, as some of the new daffodil introductions can cost $60 to $80 per bulb. "The cost," Vinisky said, "is due to supply and demand and the high cost of hand labor to grow these unusual types."

Despite the high cost and difficulty in breeding, Vinisky considers daffodils to be among the best and easiest plants to grow. "In our area, the Oregon Department of Transportation scatters these in the median strips in the freeways. You can't get a plant that will survive much worse conditions than that," he added.

Daffodils are not demanding, Vinisky said, adding that they need full sun -- or as close as possible to that -- to grow well. They also need a well-drained soil.

Daffodils grow well in areas like Utah, because they like to have little or no water in the summer, he said, adding they thrive in areas where they have wet fall, winter and spring weather.

Another bonus is their pest resistance. "They are deer proof, gopher proof and rodent proof," Vinisky said. "Daffodils sap contains calcium oxalates. When it crystallizes, it looks like shards of glass, and the animals don't like to have anything to do with it."

He said he even has a friend who sticks daffodil bulbs down gopher holes so the pests won't damage his garden.

The flowers, however, are susceptible to slugs and snails, so gardeners should keep those pests under control.

If you go

What: Utah Daffodil Show

Where: Thanksgiving Point, Lehi

When: April 13 and 14, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Cost: $8 adults; $5 children

Phone: 801-768-7443

Web: www.thanksgivingpoint.com

Also: Free lecture by Steve Vinisky, April 13, 7 p.m., Thanksgiving Point

Also: Utah Daffodil Show, April 14 and 15, Red Butte Garden, 581- 8454 or www.redbuttegarden.org

Larry A. Sagers is the horticulture specialist, Utah State University Extension at Thanksgiving Point.