Daffodil show set to bloom in Murphys

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

Bob Spotts didn't even know what a daffodil really looked like until he attended a 1975 flower show in Oakland. Now he has what is commonly referred to as "yellow fever."

The Arizona native now owns a quarter acre of property in Oakley, one-third of which is filled with daffodil flower beds.

The retiree also spends much of his time working to develop new hybrid forms of daffodils, visiting daffodil farms all over the world and presiding as president of the Northern California Daffodil Society. Next weekend he and another daffodil enthusiast, Nancy Tackett of Martinez, will be co-chairing the American Daffodil National Show and Convention. The event, which has taken three years to prepare for, will take place in Murphys.

To prepare for the event, Spotts and Tackett have traveled throughout the world inviting daffodil growers to learn about their organization and attend the annual show.

"We traveled to England, New Zealand, Australia and more, visiting daffodil farms and sharing daffodil stories," Spotts said.

Over the years Spotts has created more than 30 hybrid varieties of daffodils. He said that he doesn't create the hybrids for financial reasons. Coming up with the combination and mix of seeds and his own kind of know-how is just a hobby for him. After Spotts creates and registers a variety of daffodil on the national registry, the formula is then open for others to duplicate in their own gardens.

On his travels Spotts was excited to see some of his hybrids planted. "On one farm in New Zealand I saw 14 rows of my Kokopelli variety," he said.

Spotts' Kokopelli daffodil variety is one of his most popular and is sold in many garden catalogs and through Web sites each year. It is a "jonquilla" seedling that is "very fragrant and very floriferous." Each of the bulbs produces a bouquet of three or more stems of yellow trumpet flowers.

Spotts, who also enters his variations in flower shows across the country, has won many awards for his Kokopelli, as have others who have recreated his variety. The name Kokopelli comes from a fertility deity better know in the Southwest region and Native American cultures as the deity who presides over agriculture.

"Hybrids aren't always as pretty as the daffodil that you see at the nursery," Spotts said. He also said that since he is working from seed rather than bulb, as most people who grow daffodils do, it can take up to five years for his flowers to come to maturity.

Spotts said that although daffodils have a very short blossom life, usually 10 days to two weeks, that his garden is usually in bloom from January to April.

"Some of them are in full bloom now while others will still be in bloom throughout March," he said.

Sports is working on creating a hybrid that can bloom in the early winter months.

"We have such mild temperatures in the winter here in California that it is possible to have winter blooms," Spotts said.

He has had some success with a variety that is in the works and had some blooms in October of last year.

Sports is also working on developing daffodils in different colors. "Most people know the yellow daffodil from Holland that can be purchased at the garden center," he said. "There are so many other varieties available through the Internet and in catalogs."

Along with his daffodils, Spotts also has 200 rose plants on his Oakley property.

Before taking on the position as president of the Northern California Daffodil Society, Spotts was a past president of the American Daffodil Society, an organization with more than 1,500 members throughout the nation and overseas. The Northern California Daffodil Society, which has been around since 1960, has more than 75 members.

Spotts says he enjoys meeting new people who share his interest in daffodils. Membership to the society is open to anyone who has an interest in daffodils.

For more information on where to see daffodils and membership visit the Northern California Daffodil Society's Website at www.daffodil.org.

The March 11-14 American Daffodil Society's National Show and Convention in Murphys, co-hosted by the Northern California Daffodil Society and Ironstone Vineyards, will feature a horticulture exhibit of various varieties of daffodils from more than 170 entries, including 30 entries from outside of the United States, along with vendors and more. The event is open to the public March 12-14.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: American Daffodil Society's National Show and Convention
WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m. March 12; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 13; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 14
WHERE: Ironstone Vineyards, 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys
COST: free
INFO: www.daffodil.org