REPLY: 'KING ALFRED' daffodil -- was Pacific BX 89
DaveKarn@aol.com (Wed, 11 May 2005 10:53:32 PDT)

In a message dated 5/11/05 7:15:23 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
totototo@pacificcoast.net writes:

All ~

This has long been true but is changing. Because of this emphasis on KA by
so many daffodil suppliers (who are never out of anything and substitute at
will), a few bulbs of the genuine thing have become available from specialist
suppliers. I have a few bulbs of this, the flowers from which I will sometimes
bench at shows just to display to visitors what the real thing looks like.
These have come from very old plantings on property that has been in the same
family for generations so there is very little likelihood that they aren't what
they purport to be. The commonest substitutes for 'King Alfred' are 'Dutch
Master' and 'Unsurpassable.'

Too, there has grown in recent years a very real interest in historical
plants -- and daffodils are no exception -- to the point where many of these really
old ones are finding themselves back in demand, once again. I guess it's
like the three button suit -- if you hang on to it long enough, it periodically
comes back into fashion again!

Best,
Dave Karnstedt
Cascade Daffodils
Silverton, OR
email: davekarn@aol.com
Cool Mediterranean climate -- wet and cool/cold in winter and hot and dry in
summer.