The Daffodil Association of NSW/ACT Inc NEWSLETTER No. 77 May 2014 President Treasurer Secretary Newsletter Editor Glenn Sheldrick 8 River Avenue Yass NSW 2582 02 6226 4081 Sheila Hodgson 11 Hirschfeld Cres Macgregor ACT 2615 02 6254 8017 Janet Johnstone Illinois Woodstock NSW 2793 02 6345 0376 Sharon Davis 89 Wakefield Gardens Ainslie ACT 2602 02 6161 2304 Email Address: graemecdavis@hotmail.com Ian Dyson with Windy City, grand champion, Canberra 2013
Banker, reserve champion, Canberra, shown by Andrew Carrington
Dates for your Diary 15 June 31 August 6 September 13 & 14 September 15 September 20 September 21 September Meeting at Cowra 12pm Lunch executive meeting to be follow. This will be followed by a DVD on exhibiting you daffodils and a Q&A session bring along all your questions. Daffodil workshop selection and staging of blooms 1pm 3pm 1 Spence Place Hughes Blayney A&P Association s Spring Flower Show at the Anglican Hall, 88 Adelaide St Blayney. Enquires to Joan Stonestreet (02) 6368 3514 Horticultural Society of Canberra Spring Bulb and Camellia Show incorporating the 2014 National Camellia Show, Lancaster Hall, Forest. This is your chance to visit Tony Davis garden and daffodil plot. Arrive between 10 and 10:30am at 62 Burradoo Road, Burradoo. Morning tea will be available. We are looking to arrange a lunch more details to follow. After lunch we will visit the main daffodil plot where visitors will be asked to help select from the seedlings. Orange and District Horticultural Society Daffodil & Spring Show, St Barnabas Hall, Corner McLachlan and Dora Streets Orange. Enquires to Show Secretary Yvonne Tracey (02) 63623249 The Down the Garden Path event is being hosted by the Ainslie School P&C. Graeme and Sharon Davis garden is being open to the public at this event.
President s Report Hi all, It s that time again, so I guess a few words of wisdom are required. It s been a fairly uneventful off season for me this year, I haven t dug any of the in ground bulbs and only re-potted a few. Of course I have overspent again although the number of new cultivars (and a few species) isn t large. As well as an insane spending spree at our last meeting I have added a couple of new tazettas from Ian Dyson s list, a few delectable dainties from Keira as well as some winter flowerers from Lawrence Trevanion. An interesting thing which I have noticed this year resulted from a combination of an open bag of worm castings and some from another bag which Chris put on some pots as a top dressing. Both locations have experienced a number of stinging nettle plants germinating, in my case in the bag which had the top folded over. It begs the question, just what is the basis of this product? I mulched my beds with a nice thick layer of Lucerne hay before the weather got too hot, the only down side to this last year was that the hay was a bit too persistent and so this year I am adding compost from the green waste place at Parkwood as a further topdressing in the hope that this will, when moist, cause the hay to break down to a point that the daffodils will push through rather than take the layer of hay with them as they grow. I ll let the result be known when I have it. Planting at Bruce was completed by an enthusiastic group a few weekends ago, Graeme sprayed the weeds with that rather scary, but very effective pine oil concoction. I have an idea which may or may not be of interest to members which is that if there is enough interest it may be possible to get a container (20 litres I think) and break it into smaller lots among us. It s very effective and not dangerous. Any interest? Last Tuesday evening Lawrence Trevanion gave a very interesting talk to the Yass Garden Club. It was presented at a perfect level for that particular audience and I for one enjoyed it immensely. I think it is time we approached him to talk to us, at a slightly higher level. I believe that along with Tony and Graeme Davis he is one of the most valuable resources in Australia and it would be foolish not to take advantage. With a couple of species Narcissus already finished, including the viridiflorus I thought was gone to a better place and the early tazettas and bulbocodiums sending up buds, life is good! I look forward to seeing everyone in Cowra on June 15. Cheers, Glenn
Bulb Sale Another excellent year with the bulb sales as members (and the general public) make the most of the opportunity to acquire some really good varieties at excellent prices. It all shows through in what we see on the show bench and in our gardens. Spring will be on us before we know it. Fertiliser One of those questions that comes up regularly is what do you feed your daffodils? There is no simple answer to this question well for me at least. First it is worth having a think about how the daffodil grows and where it feeds. How many times have we hears that we should feed after they have flowered? It is true that after flowering is when the bulb puts its effort into next year s flower. But, in most cases, the plant is only actively growing for 6 weeks after flowering and then starts to die down for the summer. Most of the daffodil roots are below the level of the bulb. That is, they take their nutrient from the soil 30 60 cm below the surface. Bulbs left in the ground will have active roots for most of the year dying down in December/ January and starting to grow again February/ March if there is some moisture in the soil. The majority of the leaf and flower growth occurs in the period from June to October. So the bulbs will need good nutrition to support growth in the June to October period down in the root zone. They also need nutrition in the root zone to build the bulb through September and October. Those of us that feed with organic fertilisers that break down over time (such as organic life) need to recognise that to get the nutrition into the root zone the fertiliser has to be released and then travel down through the soil. I suspect we are more likely to make a real difference if we add such fertilisers in later March and possibly again in June as opposed to October. A high potassium fertiliser in liquid form applied in September/ October would support the flower and bulb development. Of course, those growing in pots will be fertilising more often in liquid form. A complete fertiliser from May every few weeks through to early September with a flower formula then through to November will give good bulbs for the following season. The alternative to using fertilisers is to build the soil to supply the nutrient you need before planting. This can be done both in the ground and for those growing in pots. The key in
both cases is a layer of high quality compost or worm castings below the bulbs to hold both water and provide nutrient. Finally, we should all remember that the key fertiliser for daffodils is water, water, and more water. From June to October they really like water. The equivalent of 50mm every week would have them performing at their best pity we get about ¼ of that most of the time. An open garden (or two) In September there is the opportunity to visit 2 member s gardens. Monday 15 September Bowral Is your chance to visit the Tony Davis garden and daffodil plot in Bowral. Arrive between 10 and 10:30am at 62 Burradoo Road, Burradoo. Morning tea will be available. We are looking to arrange a lunch more details to follow. After lunch we will visit the main daffodil plot where visitors will be asked to help select from the seedlings. This is a great opportunity to visit a garden with lots of interest in addition to the daffodils. It is also an opportunity to see some of the new seedlings perhaps the first flower ever. Sunday 21 September Canberra As a part of the Ainslie School Down the Garden Path event, Graeme and Sharon Davis garden, along with several others, will be open from 11am to 3pm. Over the years they have had numerous requests to open their garden to the public. Despite protests that it is a very small garden (pocket sized in fact) and not a garden to hold your interest for long, people still want to see it for themselves. Well, now you have the chance. The timing of the event does not best suit our garden. However, you will have the opportunity to see some late daffodils, hopefully a few beds with some spring colour, tulips and a few flowering trees. Refreshments and entertainment will be available en route as well. Down the Garden Path is a chance to see how gardens in the older part of Canberra have changed. The homes participating in the event are owned by family and friends of Ainslie School. The Ainslie P&C aims to raise money for the productive garden at the school as well as highlight the fun of food production for children and families. Tickets can be purchased on the day, outside the main building of the school (on Donaldson Street, Braddon) for $5 per person, children are free. A booklet and map will be available, outlining information about the homes and gardens along the way and what time talks are on and where. Starting at Ainslie School, take the suggested route so you don t miss anything. Participants are encouraged to walk or ride the route to support the schools sustainable practices.
Canberra Championship Classes (Photos taken Sunday) Jacksons Daffodils winning championship entry Tony Davis s second placed entry
Ian and Joy Dyson s third place entry Keira Bulbs winning seedling championship with champion miniature