HISTORIC PLANTS
The National Collection of Narcissus, Backhouse cultivars
“A historic group of plants rescued from extinction by a dedicated family descendant of the Backhouse family. Awarded National Plant Collection Status November 2016.”
What is a National Plant Collection®?
Plant Heritage’s mission is to conserve, grow, propagate, document and make available the amazing resource of cultivated plants that exists in the UK.
The Plant Heritage National Plant Collection® scheme is where individuals or organisations undertake to document, develop and preserve a comprehensive collection of one group of plants in trust for the future. Most of the collections are based around a related group, for example a collection of oaks or daffodils. This allows the scheme to develop systematic coverage of cultivated plants in the UK and Ireland.
Experience the Backhouse Collection First-hand
Backhouse Rossie is home to the world’s only scientifically recognised National Collection of Narcissus Backhouse cultivars. Our gardens offer an exclusive opportunity to view these stunning flowers, so whether you’re a daffodil enthusiast, a history lover, or simply looking for a spectacular spring day out, you won’t want to miss this experience.
The Hidden History of Sarah Backhouse
Backhouse Rossie is home to the world’s only scientifically recognised National Collection of Narcissus Backhouse cultivars. This unique collection tells an extraordinary story of pioneering hybridisation, scientific achievement, and the timeless beauty of daffodils.
Sarah Backhouse was a trailblazing daffodil hybridiser whose contributions to horticulture have, until recently, been largely overlooked. She made history by creating the first true pink corona daffodil—an achievement so remarkable that her husband, Robert Ormston Backhouse, named the variety ‘Mrs RO Backhouse’ in her honour in 1923, after her passing.
Thanks to new research by the RHS Lindley Library, Sarah’s pioneering work is finally being recognised. Her expertise in cross-breeding daffodils laid the foundation for modern hybridisation, shaping the varieties we enjoy today.
Experience the Backhouse Collection First-hand
There’s no better way to experience the legacy of Sarah Backhouse than by seeing her daffodils in bloom at Backhouse Rossie. Our gardens hold a living tribute to her work, featuring a breathtaking array of Backhouse daffodils—each one a testament to her skill and vision.
As the only scientifically recognised National Collection of these cultivars, our gardens offer an exclusive opportunity to explore this unique heritage.
The collection was awarded National Plant Collection status by Plant Heritage in late 2016, and RHS Wisley has requested herbarium specimens to serve as a benchmark for future generations.
The Backhouse Daffodil Legacy
William Backhouse was a pioneering figure in daffodil hybridisation, responsible for creating three important daffodil varieties: Narcissus ‘Emperor’, ‘Empress’—two of the first triploid daffodils—and ‘Weardale Perfection’, the first known tetraploid cultivar in the UK. His groundbreaking work revolutionised daffodil breeding in the UK. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recognised his contribution by naming a section of daffodils after him, ‘Section Backhousei’.
William Backhouse was the founder of the Quaker Backhouse daffodil breeding dynasty, which spanned three generations from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. In a race against time to preserve his family’s legacy, the current Guardian of Backhouse Rossie, Caroline Thomson reached out to family members, private growers, the RHS, and horticultural organisations worldwide to help recover missing plants and identify others.
Today, the Backhouse Daffodil Collection at Rossie Estate in Fife holds over 89 Backhouse Heritage Daffodil cultivars, making it the largest collection of Backhouse daffodils in the world.
Caroline continues the family tradition, working to register new hybrids under the banner of #livingheritage, preserving the legacy for future generations.
In recognition of its importance, Backhouse Rossie became a part of the RHS Partner Garden scheme in January 2017, following a thorough assessment in 2016.
The conservation efforts were sparked by the concerns of Lady Georgina Buchan-Hepburn, Caroline’s mother and a direct descendant of the Backhouse family. She was the first to raise the alarm about the loss of the family’s horticultural heritage, particularly the demolition of the original Backhouse Nursery to make way for a park, which resulted in the loss of many plants and features. This deep concern led to a lifelong mission to collect, safeguard, and grow both the historic daffodils and other plant introductions by the Backhouse family across various genera.
Thanks to the dedication of the extended family, many of the Backhouse plants have been preserved and brought together at Rossie Estate, along with family ephemera on display at the Backhouse Rossie Heritage and Education Centre. For over a decade, a conservation programme has been underway to document, record, and create suitable environments for the collection, which continues to grow with the generous donation of bulbs.
Daffodils are often described as the most extensively grown ornamental in the British Isles. Commercially, it is indisputably the most important crop in the United Kingdom, which is the world’s largest producer, accommodating about half the global total area. About 29% of the crop is forced and 28% grown outdoors for flower production. The remaining 43% is grown for dry bulb production, much of which is exported in a trade worth several million pounds a year. In addition, the results of pioneering work in breeding new cultivars have been distributed all over the temperate world, (Dr David Willis ‘Yellow Fever’).
