Rare bloom for host of daffodils

Long overdue restoration on an 18th-century estate has helped a rare species of daffodil to bloom again.

The gardens of Gibside estate in County Durham were created by the whig MP George Bowes in the mid to late 1700s, but decades of neglect has deprived recent generations of the sight of the daffodils, which are believed to have been planted by his daughter, Mary.

The bright yellow daffodils, known as telamonius plenus, have more petals than normal and instead of a firm centre trumpet.

Ken Gardener, warden of the National Trust estate, said: "We had cleared all the brambles and weeds and this must have allowed the sun through to the soil. Now we know how Wordsworth must have felt when he saw his host of golden daffodils."

One expert has already offered to buy the bulbs, but they are classed as wild flowers and not for sale.