Winterthur’s daffodil display is one of the Brandywine Valley’s best kept secrets. Planted in drifts by the thousands, daffodils are a visual high note in the Winterthur Garden, flowering in between the peak displays of minor bulbs in March Bank and azaleas and rhododendrons in Azalea Woods. Thanks to a recent mention in Martha Stewart Living, a whole new audience of gardeners has discovered the spectacular daffodil display at Winterthur this spring.
And this has been a wonderful year to discover our daffodils, thanks to a cool spring and clear weather. Planted along the main drive, Clenny Run, and Sycamore Hill, Winterthur’s sweeps of daffodils have remained much the same as when H. F. du Pont planted them. Narcissus had always been a favorite of Mr. du Pont’s, with some of the earliest plantings taking place in the March Bank by 1902. He even developed a system of planting that revealed his plantsmanship and knowledge of design. He wrote in the Daffodil and Tulip Yearbook 1961, “Always plant the varieties separately. This is one of the essential and all-important lessons the intending planter must learn, as there can be no comparison as to the more pleasing effect of a bold expanse of one variety than that of a mixture.” Mr. du Pont believed in informal beds, and used the curved and irregular shapes of tree branches to create the outlines for his daffodil sweeps.
The results of Mr. du Pont’s efforts are still enjoyed today and are a highlight of the landscape this time of year. A large part of the display can be enjoyed on your drive into Winterthur. The long drift of Narcissus poeticus ‘Queen of the Nile’ along Clenny Run, is just coming into full flower and can be seen to the right as you reach the bottom of the drive. The rest of the display can be seen near Sycamore Hill as you ride the garden tram or stroll through the garden.
Hi-Can you tell me how the shape of the daffodil beds was determined–is this something Mr. du Pont designed?
Yes, Mr. du Pont designed the beds. As one of the horticulturists who worked with him on the estate described it, “…the daffodils at Winterthur are planted by means of an interesting and, so far as I know, unique method developed years ago by Mr. du Pont. Once the dimensions of a new bed have been roughly determined, fallen branches are used to outline it. The result is a series of gracefully irregular curves – the pleasing lines of nature itself.”