Once upon a time, there was a golden trumpet daffodil named King Alfred. It became so popular that people came to think of it as THE golden trumpet daffodil.

The King was soon replaced by varieties that grew better and had larger and arguably more attractive flowers. Demand for it, based mostly on name recognition, continued even as pro-duction steadily declined. Today, people still ask for King Alfred, and sometimes they get it- or think they've gotten it: Bulbs labeled King Alfred are almost always something else.

King Alfred was a great daffodil in its time, but current production is almost zero. For those seeking an all-gold daffodil today, we have three great candidates: Carlton, Golden Harvest and Marieke. They are the current gold standard-bearers.

Carlton is a yellow largecup daffodil, and it is grown in mass quantities in Holland and Great Britain. It is used for picking and forcing and is one of the most inexpensive daffodils on the market. If you want to paint parts of the spring landscape yellow and you want that color to be there for many years plant this daffodil--it won't let you down. Carlton is a great perennializer that also does well in southern climates.

Golden Harvest is an old-timer (almost 100 years old ) but still an incredibly good daffodil. Because of its slow growth it is disappearing from the trade, but for garden uses it is still an unbeatable yellow trumpet. Vigorous, long lasting and bright yellow. The yellow daffodils that you see along the roadside are often Golden Harvest.

It looks like Marieke will be the best option for a yellow trumpet in the near future. Good varieties like Unsurpassable are slowly disappearing from cultivation due to virus problems, and Dutch Master (still produced in large quantities) has never been equal to the other trumpets because of its smaller flowers and early-fading blooms. Marieke has beautifully proportioned, very fragrant and exxceptionally long lasting flowers.