Major scoop in the field of Daffodils

As of today, there are no less than 483 different types of Daffodils available in the Fluwel webshop. Really, 483? Yes, 483. I sometimes think to myself 'what have I started' but actually I just like it. Because of my hobby that got out of hand, there are now over 1000 different types of Daffodils on our nursery and this year we offer all types in the Fluwel webshop of which we have enough bulbs.

The Nacissen collection behind our parents' house

It all started a good 50 years ago when my father, Karel van der Veek, was infected with an inimitable 'daffodil collecting virus'. The first symptoms of this virus infection were harmless, my father simply planted a collection of then unknown split-crowned Daffodils and some other novelties behind his house to show them to the flower bulb growers in our street. There were not even 100 different varieties in bloom, but it was an immediate success. It seemed as if the entire bulb industry came to mother Wil for a cup of coffee in the spring and also to take a look at the new Daffodils.

Together with my father

The result was that other daffodil breeders with new varieties, and also daffodil growers with something special, came to bring some bulbs to add to the collection. Dad was a trader in daffodil bulbs and could, like no other, bring new, as yet unknown varieties to the attention of flower bulb growers and traders. It started to catch on more and more and within a few years hundreds of colleagues came to visit every spring and the collection grew to well over 1000 different varieties. Flower bulb exporters themselves brought their customers from all over the world to us to show them the latest news in the field of daffodils. My father and I (I had started helping my father in the meantime) sold millions of daffodil bulbs.

Mother Wil with a flower arrangement she made at a flower bulb show

Among the many interested parties were also a few passionate Narcissus lovers from America and England who bred, cultivated and sold Narcissus for their daily bread. At home they had a small nursery where they cultivated new varieties for sale, but they soon noticed that the Narcissus grew much better with us, became thicker and gave larger flowers. Whether we did not want to cultivate their new varieties was soon the question. Then they bought them back and then sold them on to their customers, mostly real hobbyists who exhibited them at Narcissus shows in an attempt to win a prize for the most beautiful Narcissus.

Brent Heath among the Daffodil seedlings we grew for him

In this way we came into contact with a few iconic Daffodil people. One (real) couple, I'm talking about the eighties of the last century, were Becky Heath and her husband Brent who at that time ran 'The Daffodil Mart' in America. A couple to whom I owe a lot: they asked me at that time if I wouldn't be interested in exporting the bulbs for them, which allowed me to start our own company together with my brothers.

Leaning against one of the first pallets of bulbs we sent to America

Another colourful character was Frankie Charlton, a window cleaner from Sunderland, England. He had a whole bunch of tough, overgrown, chunky lads working who would dangle in vans from the highest buildings all over Sunderland to clean the windows.

Frankie got a bit older, his knees got a bit worse from all that climbing, preferred to stay on the ground and had more time for his great hobby: cuddling Daffodils. He was a master in growing Daffodils for the flower shows in England and in addition he sold special Daffodils in England and America to fellow hobbyists under the name Choice Bulbs and Miniature Bulbs. Frankie also asked us to grow his Daffodils and a large part of our nursery consists of varieties that I grow for him. Actually I should write 'grew' here because Frankie has stopped in the meantime and has transferred his business to us. We grew hundreds of varieties for Frankie, he knew the most beautiful and the newest varieties from everywhere and then sent them to us as quickly as possible to propagate.

Frankie & Joyce Charlton at a Daffodil show in England

Now, for the first time, the entire assortment of Daffodils from Choice & Miniature Bulbs can be found in full glory on the Fluwel website, supplemented with all kinds of old and special varieties and Daffodils from our own breeding. It may be interesting to know that exactly this same assortment is available in America from Chris Harley, who offers it in his web shop under the name Qdaffs. www.qdaffs.us

Chris Harley enjoying life after a tiring photo shoot

Feel free to take a look at our site under Fluwel Special Narcissus and be surprised by all the beauty that the Narcissus has to offer. If you are not (yet) a real Narcissus expert, I hope that you are somewhat resistant to choice stress because there are really Narcissus to be found in all kinds of plumage. Some in color combinations that you may not have thought possible, but also teeny-tiny miniature Narcissus or species Narcissus as they still occur in the wild. Too many to mention, just surf through them and you will see.

Narcissus Medway Gold

By the way, if you would like to take a look at our nursery, you can do so too, this year they are planted next to the Fluwel barn at Belkmerweg 20a in Burgervlotbrug and everyone is always welcome. You can immediately see the entire assortment of spring flowering bulbs from the Fluwel website and pick a bunch of tulips in our picking garden, which are next to it.

Our Narcissus collection is located around the rear mill

If you really want to immerse yourself in the Narcissus, come and join the World Daffodil Tour from April 15 to 19. In an earlier newsletter you can see the program of the tour https://www.fluwel.nl/blogs/nieuws-1/uitnodiging-world-daffodil-tour . If you are interested, send an email to pien@fluwel.nl for more information.

Kind regards and

Good luck

With the stress of choosing

Carlos van der Veek