Narcissus Sherborne - Narcisse double, Narcisse à fleurs doubles, Jonquille à fleurs doubles

The 'Sherborne' daffodil is an English variety with large double flowers in golden yellow, lightly fragrant, reminiscent of small peonies. It is also known and appreciated for its sturdy stems that hold the flowers well above the foliage, helping them better withstand rain. Distinguished twice by the RHS, this cultivar combines a good flowering duration, a highly refined form, and a robustness uncommon among large double daffodils.

This daffodil belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a bulbous plant with spring growth and summer dormancy. Its foliage is deciduous. The leaves emerge in late winter, remain active for several weeks after flowering, then yellow before the summer rest. 'Sherborne' is an English horticultural creation. David A. Lloyd obtained it by crossing the cultivars 'Camelot' and 'Beauvallon'. J.W. Blanchard registered it in 1989. It is therefore not, as is sometimes stated, a double mutation of 'Camelot'. Classified in Division 4 of double daffodils, it does not present a corona clearly separated from the outer floral parts: elements from the corona are mixed with tepals transformed into petals. The flower measures just over 10 cm in diameter. The outer rows of petals, broad, slightly concave and tipped with a small point, are a bright yellow washed with green at emergence. The inner "petals", shorter and recurved towards the centre, surround segments of orange-yellow with undulate edges. Each stem bears a single, very double, large flower. The stems reach 35 to 40 cm and rise above strap-shaped leaves of a slightly glaucous green. Flowering occurs in April, from late March in mild regions, but in early May in colder climates. 'Sherborne' received an Award of Merit from the RHS in 1989, then the Award of Garden Merit in 2005. Hardy down to −20 °C, it tolerates chalky or clay soils provided they are not waterlogged. 

Plant the 'Sherborne' daffodil in groups of 7 to 15 bulbs in a sunny border, a spring bed, or a large container placed near a pathway, to admire its large double flowers up close. You can pair it with the deep blue clusters of Muscari armeniacum 'Fantasy Creation', the almost black tulip 'Queen of the Night', and the large Ice Follies daffodil. In soil that retains some moisture in summer, the purplish-bronze foliage of Heuchera 'Obsidian' provides a dark backdrop in spring and masks the absence of the bulbs in summer.