RHS Launches Nationwide Effort to Map Daffodils and Protect Rare Varieties

The Royal Horticultural Society is calling on the public to document daffodils and help locate three at-risk varieties to preserve the UK’s gardening heritage.

• The RHS has introduced the 'Daffodil Diaries' project, asking gardeners and businesses to log blooming daffodils across the UK, noting their color, type, and height.
• The initiative commemorates 100 years since RHS scientist James Kirkham Ramsbottom developed a treatment that saved daffodils from eelworms, a method still used today.
• Participants are urged to search for three rare or potentially extinct varieties: Mrs R O Backhouse, Mrs William Copeland, and Sussex Bonfire.
• The project aims to preserve genetic diversity, better understand environmental influences on daffodils, and protect the UK’s gardening heritage for future generations.
• The mapping effort runs from February 12 to March 4, coinciding with St. David’s Day, when daffodils are traditionally worn to honor Wales’ patron saint.

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