Grammy and Brit award winning singing sensation Duffy has been appearing extensively on TV this week with her new single Well, Well Well, and on the BBC One Show last night, she was presented with her own Duffydils – the national flower of Wales that carries her name, and enables fans to cultivate a special relationship with her.
The Royal Horticultural Society honoured the Welsh singer by giving her name to a very Welsh, robust variety of the Welsh national emblem – and the Duffydil was unveiled at the RHS Show in Cardiff. Now with next year’s RHS Show Cardiff on April 8-10, fans can buy their own Duffydil bulbs to plant in time for the Spring.
RHS Shows Director, Stephen Bennett, said: “The Duffydil is a very special variety that the lovely singer has chosen to bear her name. With her global success, we are delighted to bestow this honour on her, and hope that she will be able to be with us at the Cardiff show in April where it will be on show to the public. It’s already proving popular with Duffy’s many fans.”
Now is the time for planting Duffydil bulbs in the garden or flowerbox, and they are available from the Really Welsh Trading Company on www.reallywelsh.com and even at next week’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. Over the years the RHS has honoured a number of individuals by naming a flower after them, and Duffy is in illustrious company, joining Lady Diana and Maria Callas in saying it with flowers. The Katherine Jenkins Daffodil has been on sale at previous Cardiff RHS shows.
A percentage of revenue generated from sales of the Duffydil bulbs goes towards Duffy’s Teenage Cancer Trust. Duffy said: “The Duffydil, brilliant! Maybe now I can forgive myself for stealing them from people’s gardens.”
April sees the RHS returning to the parklands of Cardiff Castle for a show that brings together the very best in Welsh horticulture and kicks off the RHS outdoor show season with attractions, ideas and inspiration for the gardener in all of us. The show attracts the best nurseries from around the UK, many of which take part at Chelsea, and showcases some of the finest Welsh horticultural talent.
Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Councillor Nigel Howells, said: “Duffy is such a tremendous ambassador for Wales that we wanted to recognize her contribution by naming a daffodil in her honour, and we are delighted that she now has some bulbs to plants in her own garden.”
Really Welsh grow and deliver great Welsh produce, including daffodils, leeks and cauliflowers, to stores throughout Wales. There is also a range of Really Welsh Ready Meals and Really Welsh Chillies, and Really Welsh Daffodil cut flowers are in stores across Wales and online.
Director Richard Arnold said: “We’ve been growing daffodils here in Wales now for over seven years, and it’s a tremendous honour to be entrusted with the Duffydil. We strongly believe that daffodils on sale in Wales should be grown in Wales, and that extends to the public sector too, so it’s wonderful that Cardiff Council have been so eager to get involved with our project, and we in turn are delighted to support the RHS show in our capital city in April.”
The bulbs retail at £1.99 for 4-5 bulbs. For information on how to get hold of the Duffydil, please go to www.reallywelsh.com
For information and tickets for the RHS Cardiff Show www.rhs.org.uk/cardiff
