Visit to Dryad Nurseries, Tockwith near York 7 March 2015

DSC01169_smallOne of the keenest hybridisers of miniature daffodils in the UK is Anne Wright of Dryad Nurseries, shown above in her garden with a stunning display of cyclamen. Until relatively recently her efforts have been directed to miniature daffodils which she has exhibited at Alpine Garden Society (AGS) and Scottish Rock Garden Club (SRGC) shows. However, spurred on by Brian Duncan from Northern Ireland who felt (accurately) that there was little pleasure in showing seedling miniature daffodils at RHS shows where the only opposition in the competitive classes was often himself, in 2014 she took the plunge and entered flowers at the early RHS at Rosemoor and Vincent Square. Anne is the first to admit that she is on a long learning curve; the requirements of a pot of flowers to catch the eye of an AGS judge are completely different from those of a cut flower at an RHS or Daffodil Society show.

Whereas in a pot it is preferable for the flowers to be on a short stem, standing upright preferably above the foliage, as a cut flower in a vase, if the stem is too long then just cut some off the bottom. If the stem seem to be a bit weak then lean it back a little and pack it upright with plenty of moss in the vase.

Although in her first year of showing Brian still prevailed in most classes unsurprisingly Anne’s pot of her newly named ‘Giselle’ was awarded an AM at the RHS Rosemoor show. A photograph of the pot is shown below.

On 7 March 2015 Anne invited a restricted number of members of the Northern Group to an open afternoon at her nursery which 16 members, partners and friends attended, including Betty and Brian Duncan. Proceeds from the visit were given to the Marie Curie Daffodil Appeal.

Below are a few photographs taken on the day supplemented by some taken on a private visit exactly a year previously when lack of a crowd made photography much easier. Just click on the photo to expand it.

Dryad nurseries are of course much more than daffodils and include orchids, snowdrops, arisaema, hepatica and cyclamen to name but a few and the garden is superb.

'Giselle' AM
‘Giselle’ AM
Cyclamen Coum
Cyclamen Coum
Anne and Wendy
Anne and Wendy
Crocus
Crocus
Anne in main Narcissus house
Anne in main daffodil house
Left hand bed
Left hand bed
Right hand bed
Right hand bed
A nice Division 2
A nice Division 2
Meeting of the clans
Meeting of the clans
Anne, Ivor and Linda
Anne, Ivor and Linda
Anne, Ken and Morris
Anne, Ken and Morris
The hepatica house
The hepatica house

 

1 thought on “Visit to Dryad Nurseries, Tockwith near York 7 March 2015”

  1. How lucky to have been able to visit Anne’s garden. Her talent as a grower, particularly of dwarf bulbs is matched by her talent as an artist – such folk are an inspiration to us all.

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