Almost 100 years old, and still the South’s favorite daffodil.

Every fall the Landings Garden Club picks one daffodil for its annual bulb sale. This year it’s Carlton, and it has a better story than you might think.

Bred in Cornwall

Carlton was bred in Cornwall, England, by Percival Dacres Williams, a daffodil breeder who named his flowers after Cornish villages and famously kept no records of his work. It came on the market in 1927. Nearly a hundred years later, it’s one of the best-selling daffodils in the world.

Why it works here

Plenty of daffodils fade out in Southern heat. Carlton keeps coming back, spring after spring, and it holds up in hot, wet soil better than most of the big yellows. One Georgia daffodil expert says it “should be the backbone of any daffodil bed” in the Deep South.

It’s the daffodil you picture when you hear the word: big, bright yellow, with a ruffled cup and a light vanilla scent.

Get yours this week

The Landings Garden Club’s bulb sale is open now, and only for a few days.

Order: October 19 to 24, at landingsgardenclub.com. Click “Daffodil Order Form” in the upper right corner.
Price: $20 for a bag of 12 bulbs.
Pickup: Sunday, November 15 and Monday, November 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Black Hawk Trail. The exact address comes with your order form. Pickup dates may change, and buyers will be notified.

Plant a dozen this fall. Thank yourself in the spring.

Questions people ask

Sources