HAVE YOU GOT ONE IN YOUR GARDEN? BRITS ARE URGED TO CHECK FOR A RARE PINK DAFFODIL

Brits are being urged to check their gardens for a pink daffodil, amid fears the rare flower could soon disappear forever. 

The daffodil, dubbed 'Mrs R.O Blackhouse', dates back over 100 years, but has slowly disappeared from British gardens. 

In fact, a recent count by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) found that just six per cent of all daffodils in the UK contain pink. 

'Our Daffodil Diaries mapping project has revealed the daffodil to be a truly national flower, being grown in all four corners of the country,' said RHS Principal Plant Scientist Dr Kálmán Könyves. 

'Yellow daffodils are far and away the most popular, not unsurprising for their welcome burst of colour, but it is interesting to note that the more adaptable pinks have proven less popular than we might have assumed.' 

Now the RHS has launched a fresh campaign to revive Mrs R.O Blackhouse.

If you have one in your garden, you'll be invited to donate it to plant breeder Scamps Daffodils, which is working to bring the flower back into widespread cultivation. 

Here's how to spot the rare daffodil lurking in your backyard. 

The RHS's 'daffodil diaries' scheme last year revealed that 60 per cent of daffodils in the UK were trumpet daffodils, and 56 per cent were all–yellow varieties, with the all–yellow trumpet making up more than two–fifths (42 per cent) of those recorded.

A fifth of flowers reported were cup–shaped and 16 per cent were doubles. 

Just six per cent were reported to contain pink, one per cent green and 0.4 per cent red.

Gardeners were also encouraged to report potential sightings of three rare varieties last year: the pink–trumpeted daffodil called Mrs R.O Blackhouse, the white double–flowered Mrs William Copeland, and orange and yellow double flower Sussex Bonfire.

Now, owners of these rare blooms are being invited to dig them up after flowering so the RHS can grow them in a trial at the charity's research facility at Wisley in Surrey.

A particular focus will be on potential Mrs R.O Blackhouse daffodils. 

This variety features a solid coral pink trumpet and ivory flowers, and is thought to have been bred by leading female hybridist Sara Backhouse and named by her husband after her death in 1921.

RHS chief horticulturist Guy Barter said: 'With 30,000 daffodil varieties thought to be available in the UK, telling one from another requires an experienced eye, but this diversity is fundamental to their potential benefit for people and planet and why it's so important we celebrate and preserve them.

'Rare daffodils were spotted across the country and raising them in one location next year will enable us to confirm some of them as the rare varieties we have been searching for and, potentially, find others thought to be in decline.'

Last year's results showed daffodils in bloom across spring with peak flowering in March, while the distinctive, miniature tete–a–tete variety flowered solely in February and March.

Over time, the RHS said it would be able to look at the data from daffodil diaries to identify any changes in peak flowering, and the effects of geography and evolving fashions.

Dr Konyves added: 'It will be fascinating to see how this year's weather conditions impact on flowering, indeed current mild conditions seem to be encouraging earlier flowering and, over the long term, how the daffodil is weathering the influence of climate change.'

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2026-02-16T11:54:48Z