Local blooms delight flower growers from across the globe

THE sunshine fell kindly upon the shoulders of the intercontinental crowd of daffodil-lovers that were gathered in the garden of Brian and Betty Duncan on Tuesday afternoon.

I had called to the couple’s quaint home at Ballynahatty Road, on the outskirts of Omagh, to catch Day Five of the ‘World Daffodil Convention’ 2024.

Most of you probably don’t know this, but the North just hosted ‘the Olympics of the daffodil world’.

Every four years, Earth’s most ardent admirers of these beautiful, elegant flowers get together to discuss all things daffodil; giving them an opportunity to engage in esoteric conversations about style and form, colour and growing conditions, planting and hybridising, and many more topics so abstruse that even attempting to talk about them would cause the uninitiated to wither up and die like a petal in winter.

PASSION

However, for those replete with the requisite passion, a week at the World Daffodil Convention is often a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Anyway, this year, as Dromore daffodil farmers, Dave and Jules Hardy explained, guests came from as far as Holland, America, Australia and New Zeland to be part of this landmark event.

“Delegates from across the world have travelled far for what has been a brilliant few days, and, almost miraculously, we have been blessed with the first spell of sunshine we have had in I don’t know how long,” Dave said.

“What do you mean miraculous?,” butted in his wife. “I spent a long time organising this weather!”

The couple explained that they have been acting as guides for the group, leading them on a tour that has included visits to the cultural and historical sites of Lisburn (who knew?), the Royal Hillsborough Daffodil Show, their own daffodil farm, the Silverbirch Hotel, Baronscourt Estate, and, yes, you probably guessed it, the Ulster American Folk Park.

CORDIAL

As the cordial couple led the group down the hill, their yellow lanyards swinging across their chests as they ambled happily towards the bottom of the driveway, Brian Duncan – a daffodil demigod, half-man, half-life-designing deity – took me to see his bulb shed, and the field of bright, blooming spring flowers that hid behind it.

“That is Sheskin,” said Brian, pointing to a flower of almost unerring symmetry, with white petals and a peachy-coloured cup.

“That one was named after the place in Donegal where my wife’s mother was brought up.”

With what looked like more than 100 species of daffodils that Brian hybridised (cross-bred) himself displayed in vases before us, he explained how he came up with some of their names.

“Chobe River – oh my goodness, that’s nearly dead – is a river in Africa that Betty and I holidayed near.

“That’s our daughter, Jamine. See, when she was born, her little sister could not pronounce Jasmine, so we named that one Jamine.

“Some of them are based on colour. For example, this one here shows up like a beacon in the garden, so it got Garden Beacon.

“And this one is my wife’s, Elizabeth Ann. I called it that because I liked it very well, and I thought it was appropriate for a small lady; it’s a small daffodil.

“It’s pink, it’s feminine, and I think it’s fitting.”

I loved the names, some lyrical and self-explanatory, some random and inexplicable, like the titles given to traditional Irish tunes: Amazing Grace, Even Song, El Disco, Cape Point, Cameraderie, Fire Bright, Greek Surprise, Advance Party, Hyperbole, Robustian and Mary Law.

Before going, Brian, who last year with 26 wins became the most successful competitor in the history of the prestigious Engleheart Cup, took me out the back of his shed to show me the sprawling swatches of blooming flowers, set ablaze by the springtime sun.

Forget the tulips of Amsterdam; what you really want to see are the daffodils of the Duncans.