Daffodil comparison 'Marieke' vs 'King Alfred'

A few years ago I grew a bunch of  different daffodil varieties, along with some other spring flowering bulbs, and wrote a comparison of the daffodil varieties.  I used ‘Marieke’ as my standard variety, comparing each of the other daffodils against it.

I try to grow named varieties, or my own seed grown daffodils, it is only when something is either given to me or if I have bought it mis-named that I tend to grow a daffodil that is unnamed (and not seed grown).

In this comparison, I’m looking at ‘Marieke’ vs the old favourite ‘King Alfred’.

Are Kind Alfred Daffodils in Australia?

One of the daffodils I grew was sold to me as 'King Alfred'.  I am told by some very knowledgeable daffodil breeders that King Alfred has been extinct in Australia for several decades and we now use that term for many yellow tetraploid varieties.  According to them, many large yellow trumpet daffodils are sold as King Alfred in Australia even though they are different varieties.

While I can't be certain of the name of this variety even though it was sold to me as 'King Alfred' I will still refer to it through this post as King Alfred.

Marieke Daffodils

Another daffodil variety I grow is 'Marieke'.  This is said to be the best of the yellow trumpet daffodils.  You can't really notice how much better it is until you grow it side by side with other varieties.  

In my garden it is far more vigorous, the stems are long and strong enough to cope with wind, the shape is good, and the colour is nice.  I can see why Marieke is often said to be the best yellow daffodil.

One thing I love about Marieke daffodils is how large the flowers are, they are much larger and more impressive than my other yellows.  When they only flower once a year you want the flower to be as impressive as possible!

Marieke daffodil below - much larger

Marieke vs King Alfred Daffodils

For me the King Alfred daffodils produced nice yellow daffodils.  The colour isn't bad, and the size is ok.  They make reasonable cut flowers.

As you can see from my photos, in my garden the Markeke produced a larger bloom.  The colour is more vibrant, the cup is larger, the other petals are also larger.  These make great cut flowers and have a longer vase life than King Alfred.  Something that is difficult to see in the photos is that the stem is thicker and stronger, which means it holds up better to wind if left in the garden to be admired.  

Daffodil comparison from the side

After Growing them for a few years has my opinion changed?

The difference between the two varieties the first year was quite remarkable.  After growing both varieties for around half a dozen years, I know a lot more about both varieties now.

The King Alfred daffodils have divided, and flower reliably for me.  I like them, and have no plans on removing them anytime soon.

The Marieke daffodils have also divided, far more so than the King Alfred variety.  Marieke have flowered more reliably for me than any other variety I have.  I much prefer this variety, they are really well suited to my climate.

Marieke vs King Alfred daffodil comparison

Where to get Marieke Daffodils in Australia

Overall, I think Marieke daffodils are superb.  

I've noticed over the past few years that their popularity changes from year to year.  Some years they are available widely, other years nowhere lists them for sale, I'm not sure why this is.  

Next time I divide my daffodil patch I should have enough to list on my for sale page.  I won't ever have a lot of bulbs for sale, and they will only be in season.  

Related Posts

If you enjoyed this comparison, you might also be interested in some of my other posts about growing, comparing and breeding daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs:

• Seed Grown vs Store Bought Daffodils - which are better for home growers
• Daffodils vs Jonquils - what's the difference and how to tell them apart
• Daffodil Breeding - my first rather successful attempt growing daffodil from seed to flowering
• Breeding muscari grape hyacinths - my experiences breeding new version of this spring flower
• Grape hyacinth from seed to flower - how long does it usually take for my seed grown plants to flower, the answer is surprising!