Daffodils: Plea to hunt for the ‘lost’ daffodils in Yorkshire this spring

So, this month is the ideal time to start that search in a bid to try to find the likes of' ‘Mrs R O Backhouse’, ‘Sussex Bonfire’ and ‘Mrs William Copeland’. If you have them – and can identify them – then do your duty and log on to rhs.org.uk/science/daffodil-diaries.

And while you are at it, give a thought to another very important daffodil – and help support the Marie Curie fundraising event by giving a small donation to wear the charity’s daffodil pin badge.

Daffodils are linked forever with the first signs of spring. Without a few cheerful drifts, a garden would be a much more miserable place.

But despite the fact that just about everyone can identify a daffodil, the narcissus family are a complex lot. There are many forms and numerous varieties offering all sorts of shapes and sizes and colours, ranging from pure white to brilliant yellow.

Classifying the genus is a task best left to a true expert, but, basically, there are 12 divisions – from trumpet daffodils of garden origin right though to split-corona daffodils and miscellaneous – and thousands of varieties.

Most bulbs are bought by the dozen as unnamed varieties, but if you want to be specific, then knowing the name of what you want and where it likes to grow, is a great advantage.

‘Peeping Tom’, a delicate cyclamineus daffodil, looks delightful in a small rockery or in a container. For bigger borders, grow bigger varieties such as the mighty ‘King Alfred’, a long-loved and sturdy flower.

But among all those daffodils there is bound to be one to suit every site and situation; once planted in a decent, well-drained soil, they will need little attention for several years until their expanding colonies demand lifting and separating.

Once they have bloomed, leave their foliage to die down naturally. As a treat, water it with a weak liquid fertiliser – this will help the underground bulb build up a store of energy to flower well again next year.

While the big daffs normally get most praise, there’s a lot to be said for the babies of this immense family – for instance, Narcissus ‘Little Witch’ which is only small (it’s unlikely to reach the dizzy heights of six inches) but sturdy and topped by bold, yellow flowers with petals that curl backwards.

It makes a big impression in early spring, particularly in a rock garden or container.

Like most bulbs, it likes plenty of sun, although it can cope with a bit of shade, and a well-drained soil.

Plant the bulbs one-and-a-half times their own depth in sun or partial shade, in autumn. If they are to be grown in pots, they are likely to need watering.

And then there’s Narcissus ‘Rip van Winkle’ which first appeared way back in 1884. The flowers emerge in early spring from stems which grow to a height of 15cm.

But probably the most popular tiny is ‘Tête-à-tête’, one of 110 cultivars produced by British daffodil breeder Alec Gray.

It’s known for its very early flowering period and its suitability for planting in pots and in rockeries.

But if we want something very, very different, we have to look further afield. At least for the moment, but if we are forced to have global warming, all that may alter.

The prospect of rising sea levels may be enough to put the fear of god into every sane person on earth, but there could be one or two positives among the abundance of negatives.

Daffodils, for example. Not the glorious golden forms that make the English spring such a wonderful time to be alive, but the less well-known and far rarer sea daffodil, Pancratium maritimum.

The sea daffodil is one of the few flowers that bloom late in the year in the Mediterranean, although its presence is obvious throughout the year because its long, tough, green leaves can be found on beaches right up until the plant produces blooms between July and October.

Not only can this remarkable plant withstand the soaring temperatures of a southern summer, but it is also specially adapted to thrive in the harsh, salt-laden conditions of sandy beaches.

Stems tend to reach a height of 30cms before the daffodil-shaped white blooms appear, to be followed by numerous shiny black seeds.

So, it likes the heat, and it likes to have its roots in the sandiest of soils; the UK is obviously not a place it will feel comfortable unless it’s grown under glass where it can bake itself silly in summer.

But if global warming does continue to push up temperatures, the sea daffodil may find our little island a more attractive spot. Find a spot at the base of a hot, south-facing wall and plant the bulbs deep in a fertile, well-drained and very sandy soil and, hopefully, nature will run its course and one of the hidden gems of the Mediterranean will flower and scent the air.