Trumpets call

HOOP-PETTICOAT daffodils is what the RHS calls them, but no one remembers the 1860s fashion for those uncomfortable waist-worn cages that concealed the ankles of Victorian ladies from upskirting gentlemen.

- Charles Quest-Ritson

Yet I am told such things may still form part of modern wedding dresses and are known by seamstresses as 'bridal accessories'.

No other daffodil has the same shape. The trumpet part is an absurdly wide funnel, whereas the perianth segments (the five 'petals' behind) are very narrow so narrow indeed that you may wonder what their function could be. The dark-green leaves are also so exiguous that you may not even notice them. The net result is that the cheerful, open flowers are what you see, usually bobbing in the breeze.

Narcissus bulbocodium is a popular garden plant. Every garden centre sells the bulbs and they are not expensive because they are easy to produce. They do not always establish themselves as you hope they will, but you can either move them to a better place in your garden or treat them as one-offs and plant some more bulbs next autumn. The wonderful thing about all bulbs is that you know they will produce flowers during the season after you bought them. Some, such as Spanish bluebells, always clump up in subsequent years, whereas others-most tulips for exampledwindle away until nothing remains.