Firebrand

Narcissus Firebrand (pre-1897), 3 WWY-R, Rev. G. H. Engleheart, pre-1897

I have come to appreciate old daffodils more and more over the years and my collection has become more than just a hobby. It seems that more and more people are starting to see the charm of old fashioned daffodils which only encourages me to do my best. Sometimes it happens that different daffodils have the same daffodil but they give it different names. Firebrand was such a daffodil that went through life with three names: Firetail, Firebird and Firebrand three daffodils that used to be grown on a fairly large scale, but which name was correct for this daffodil. My English daffodil friend Ron Scamp came up with the answer, he had an old book on the shelf (from 1910) and showed me a photo of Firebrand... another puzzle solved. In the book it is also written next to the photo that Firebrand was already on the market in 1897 and is one of the deepest red daffodils. Today she is no longer the daffodil with the deepest red color, but when it comes to charm and grace I don't know if she has already been surpassed by a modern daffodil.