Winterthur adds new rite of spring

Posted by Press Release on April 12, 2015

Daffodils will reign supreme at Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library on Saturday, April 18.

Budding gardeners can participate in a new rite of spring on April 18: It’s the first-ever Daffodil Day and Children’s Daffodil Show at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.

Henry Francis du Pont planted hillsides full of daffodils that cascade over the landscape. — In spring, Henry Francis du Pont's hillsides full of vibrant daffodils greet visitors.

Children ages 5 to 14 are invited to bring their best cut daffodil specimens to the Visitor Center from 10 to 11 a.m. Judging will take place promptly at 11. Winterthur will provide glass bud vases to display the children’s blooms as well as exhibitor cards. Every participant will take home a ribbon or prize.

Contestants will compete in various age groups in three different classes: “Daffodil Specimen,” “3 Daffodils” and “Daffodil et al.” Children can enter multiple classes and submit up to three entries per class. Special awards will be given for largest, smallest and yellowest daffodils. More points will be awarded to flowers that are fully open and without imperfections, and to entries that include the flowers’ scientific name (“narcissus”) and cultivar name on the exhibitor cards.

Throughout the day there will be daffodil-themed events, highlighted by guided tours – at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. – of Sycamore Hill, where Henry Francis du Pont arranged hundreds of heirloom bulbs in cloudlike drifts that cascade colorfully down the hillside. For years, visitors arriving at Winterthur in spring are greeted by sweeping sunny swaths of yellow blooms, one of Winterthur’s signature sights.

There will also be a Daffodil Workshop at the Brown Center at 1 p.m., and a Daffodil Tea (reservations required) in the Visitor Center at 3 p.m. Entries will remain on view until 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 19.

Admission to Daffodil Day is included in the cost of Winterthur admission: $20 for adults, $5 for ages 2 to 11, and $18 for students and seniors 62 and older. Daffodil Day is free for Winterthur members. The Daffodil Tea is $29.95 for adults, and half off for children younger than 12.

Winterthur, 5105 Kennett Pike north of Greenville, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. To learn more, call 800-448-3883 or 302-888-4600, or visit www.winterthur.org.