The RHS is launching a ‘daffodil diaries’ project, as it marks 100 years since the charity’s science helped save the daffodil, asking industry and gardeners to log where the flower is blooming in the area alongside basic information such as colour, type and height.
The daffodil diaries project, which runs from February 12 to March 4, comes as the RHS marks a century since its scientist James Kirkham Ramsbottom was honoured for developing a hot water treatment against eelworms which is credited with saving the daffodil.
Gwen Hines, chief executive of plant conservation charity Plant Heritage, which helped select which rare cultivars to search for, said: ‘Springtime daffodils are abundant, but rare varieties could be lost from our gardens and roadsides if they’re not found and cared for.
The horticultural charity is also asking people to join the hunt for three daffodil varieties which are at risk, or even thought to be extinct, saying the search will help better understand the UK’s gardening heritage and aid their survival.
Dr Kalman Konyves, daffodil expert with the RHS, said: “Daffodils have come to mark the arrival of spring and are celebrated for their welcome burst of colour in gardens, parks and roadsides.
