Rip van Winkle - the very name of the flower “narcissus” already refers to Greek myths. And the variety was given its name by a person who probably reads, who is in love with poetry, history, and theater. Because this is the name of the hero of one of the German legends and a popular story by V. Irving in the 19th century, which was embodied in plays and films.
Description and features
The Rip van Winkle variety was created in 1884. The author is probably forgotten. But the popularity of the flower is enormous. It is also called tiny or dwarf narcissus.
And it looks like this:
- terry variety;
- with a delicate aroma;
- height 15-20 cm;
- warm yellow color;
- the flower is large, up to 5 cm, reminiscent of a dandelion and sometimes collected in a raceme;
- with numerous sharp petals it looks like a chrysanthemum.
And more wonderful properties of the Rip Van Winkle narcissus:
- unpretentious to soil;
- the bulbs overwinter well in open ground;
- practically not afraid of diseases and pests;
- quite frost-resistant for most of the Russian territory and northern Scandinavia.
Designers recommend this variety for alpine hills, designing rocky gardens, in groups with hyacinths, low tulips, small-bulbous ones, which are also planted in heaps.
How to plant
Bulb selection
We don’t always buy bulbs at exhibitions and in specialized stores, so when purchasing it is important to pay attention to:
- the onion was strong;
- the bottom and neck are dry;
- scales – smooth, pure brown or golden color;
- there was no mold, stains, or other damage;
- and even so that there is no suspicious smell.
Selected strong bulbs are treated with a fungicide solution.
Selecting a location
Whether you are planting Rip Van Winkle daffodil bulbs on your summer cottage, near your house or the entrance to a high-rise building, you will have to take into account the same thing:
- for abundant flowering, the sunny side is preferable, but in direct sun the flowers fade;
- windless;
- it would be nice if there were rare shrubs nearby for symbolic shading;
- the soil should not be dense: if it is clayey, it would be good to add sand and peat;
- waterlogged or even waterlogged soil will simply destroy the bulbs.
The Rip van Winkle variety is often purchased for indoor growing.
Landing dates
Many people are interested in whether it is better to plant daffodils in spring or autumn? Still, autumn is more correct.
When planting in spring, the plant will not have enough time to take root. And this will affect the abundance of flowering and the size of the flower.
The best time is from August 15 to September 15. Two months before persistent frosts, daffodils will be able to get used to their new place and get stronger.
You can plant daffodils in the spring, but before planting you will have to keep the bulbs in the refrigerator for two months, otherwise they will not bloom.
How to plant
If you decide to plant in the fall, then in June you need to dig up the soil to the depth of a shovel. It is necessary to plant with a distance of 15 cm between the daffodil bushes. The bulb is usually buried three times its width. Well-rotted humus or compost is added to the hole. A group of 6-8 colors makes a good impression.
Considering the frost resistance of this particular variety, it is not necessary to mulch the planted bulbs with peat.
Growing
Watering
Narcissus Rip van Winkle is not a picky variety; overwatering is only very harmful to it. Natural precipitation is usually sufficient. But in dry seasons, it is necessary to water during flowering and about a month and a half after. From the heart - once a week, avoiding contact with water on flowers and buds.
Top dressing
With normal care of daffodils after snow melt, it is enough to feed the seedlings with complex mineral fertilizer.
For more impressive flowering, the Rip van Winkle narcissus is fed 4 times:
- for seedlings - complete mineral fertilizer;
- when flower stalks appear - nitrogen and potassium;
- with complete budding - again a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium complex;
- flowering begins - potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
You should not experiment with fresh manure; it will attract daffodil flies and onion hoverflies.
Mulching
Like other cultivated plants, narcissus requires constant weeding and loosening of the soil. Mulching will make this task much easier. Moreover, when loosening the bulbs and roots can be damaged. In addition, it will still keep the soil moist, meaning there will be no need for additional watering. Usually mulched with compost.
Protection from diseases
This concern is constant, because bulbs have many diseases and pests. And the narcissist Rip van Winkle is no exception.
Daffodils are threatened by various types of rot, striping, mosaic, and nematodes. All these scourges can be combated with disinfectants. And for prevention, treat the bulbs with them before storing and planting.
Diseased plants are immediately removed so as not to infect the rest, and buried at a distance, sprinkled with bleach. The area is disinfected with copper sulfate.
The most dangerous pests for narcissists are:
- onion hoverfly;
- root mite;
- daffodil fly;
- slugs, mole crickets.
They are controlled with insecticides.
Bloom
Rip Van Winkle is a double multi-flowered narcissus from the Botanical class. When flowers bloom in a flowerbed, the first impression is of large dandelions, but lush balls of needle-shaped petals catch the eye, and the delicate aroma causes emotional excitement.
Flowers up to 5 cm in size stand out in a garden or front garden that has not yet awakened. Among those keeping up nearby white muscari, purple hyacinths And botanical tulips they look stunning in a good way: you want to sit on a bench next to them and admire them endlessly. In general, the Botanical class unites flowers no more than 20 cm tall.
Rip Van Winkle blooms for 8-10 days.The appearance of ovaries should not be allowed so that they do not take away the strength of the flower, so the faded heads are removed.
The variety pleases with full flowering for quite a long time, but gradually degenerates into a “wildflower”. As soon as there are fewer flowering shoots, the bulbs are transferred to another place.
After flowering, the leaves are not cut off. The plant feeds until they die completely.
Reproduction
Usually daffodils are propagated by children (bulbs). There is an option to use seeds, but this is not suitable for Rip Van Winkle. Artificial hybrids, when propagated by seeds, lose varietal characteristics.
On average, bulbs produce up to 4 children per season. They will bloom next spring. Therefore, they can be separated during transplantation and formed into an independent group.
