By Clyde Eller

 “It’s a rose begonia,” she said, as she handed me the small, potted plant. She was elderly and preparing to move from her familiar, clapboard home. I was newly married and beginning to establish a life in her neighborhood. We had never met before, but she was the first to give me a pass-along plant.

The rose begonia would be the first of many pass-along plants. From an architect friend I received plants that reflected his impeccable taste: a littleleaf lilac (Syringa microphylla) and bulbs of Allium neapolitanum (an heirloom, known as Naples garlic). A colleague gave me a poor man’s orchid (Neomarica gracillis). It’s a trouble-free house plant that produces fragrant, white flowers every spring.     

Fortune smiled when I moved to Alabama. I worked with people whose goal was to save the best of Alabama, and I travelled throughout the state. Friends kept in touch by sending me plants: lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) from Monticello; corms of Boone gladiola (Gladiolus dalenii) from Ohio; and from Georgia, the start of a maidenhair fern, a southern version known as Alabama Lace (Adiantum capollus-veneris). I, in turn, sent plants to them.

Soon, however, Alabama plants became my priority. A well-established shrub in Eufaula provided cuttings of Kiss-Me-At-The-Garden-Gate (Lonicera fragantissima). It’s also known as winter honeysuckle and by variations of the Kiss Me…. name. When, in 2014, I retired, my colleagues passed-along plants from all over Alabama. Among them were several narcissus bulbs.

Twin Sisters, a late blooming narcissus, has a sweetly-scented and delicate flower: white segmented petals and a small yellow cup. True to its common name, it typically blooms with two flowers on each stem. Several other familiar names reflect this trait: Two Sisters, Loving Couples, Two-Flowered Narcissus, Cemetery Ladies, and Easter Lilies; but it is known also as April Beauty, April Narcissus, and Pale Narcissus. It’s an heirloom, a hybrid of Narcissus poeticus and Narcissus tazetta. Some researchers believe that it was extant (still in existence, though very old) in France prior to 1600. Its first recorded name was Primrose Peerless.

Formally categorized Narcissus x medioluteus (and Narcissus x biflorius), Twin Sisters graces Alabama roadsides, cemeteries, abandoned buildings, and older home sites: places that offer sun or light shade and well-drained soil. It spreads easily, and it is prolific. It’s a narcissus that thrives in the south, but it can be found in other regions and other countries.  

It was Katherine Parker, an experienced Master Gardner from West Alabama, who dug up the Twin Sister bulbs after the foliage turned yellow. She dried them and shook off the dirt. Following her instructions, I stored them in a cool, dry place and planted them in the fall. Every April since then, I look forward to their flowers.

That sense of expectation has served me well, whatever the task and wherever I’ve lived: south, to north, then south again. My gardening and my pass-along plants are closely linked to friends and a lifetime of sharing.

• A reference listing of books, articles, indexes and interview resources are available upon request.

Clyde Eller, a 2017 Intern in the Master Gardener Association, has become a Master Gardener, lives in Montgomery.  For more information on becoming a master gardener, visit www.capcitymga.org or email capcitymga@gmail.com

RESOURCES

Books and Articles

Adiantum capollus-veneris ‘Alabama Lace retrieved on April 19, 2017 and available at www.plantdelights.com

Barton, Gail. Twin Sisters (comments posted April 14, 2016) retrieved April 17, 2017 and available at www.yardflower.com

Bender, Steve. Daffodil Essential: Southern Plant retrieved on April 17, 2017 and available at www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/daffodil-bulbs.

Note: Bender’s online article is from Southern Livings’ Complete Guide to Daffodils. Southern Living is a subsidiary of Time Inc. New York, NY.

Lily of the Valley retrieved April 19, 2017 and available at www.monticallo.org

Narcissus medioluteus ‘Twin Sisters” retrieved April 17, 2017 and available at www.plantlust.com

Two-flower Narcissus, Twin Sisters retrieved April 17, 2017 and available at www.davesgarden.com