In Honor of Beatrice and Karl Hehl
Old City Cemetery is home to a large collection of Historic daffodils. There are over 300 different varieties planted throughout the grounds, representing many classes, colors, and origins. Daffodils have long been planted in cemeteries as symbols of hope and resurrection.
Historic daffodils are defined by the Royal Horticulture Society as those cultivars registered or known to be in gardens before 1940. Therefore, they are typical of the daffodils used in older cemeteries, consistent with the history of our Old City Cemetery. The Cemetery’s collection also includes a number of species daffodils that were the predecessors of cultivated daffodils.
The initial daffodil collection was planted starting in 2001 in honor of Beatrice and Karl Hehl. The following varieties were planted along the Cemetery’s shrub garden walk.
In 2025, over 400 new daffodil bulbs were planted. Please click on the following link for a comprehensive list of our daffodil collection.
These daffodils are planted throughout the Earley Memorial Shrub Garden:
| Botanical Name | Date of Introduction |
| Narcissus hispanicus Early Virginia | 1200 |
| N. x medioluteus ‘biflorus’ | 1599 |
| N. x odorus Campernelle | 1601 |
| N. jonquilla Early Louisiana | 1612 |
| N. Butter and Eggs | 1777 |
| N. gayi Irish Princeps | 1830 |
| N. Emperor | 1865 |
| N. Sir Watkin | 1868 |
| N. Barii Conspicuus | 1869 |
| N. Ornatus | 1870 |
| N. Seagull | 1893 |
| N. King Alfred | 1899 |
Beginning in 2019, the Cemetery’s collection has been expanded using sources from commercial and private growers in the US, New Zealand, England, the Netherlands, and Northern Ireland. A list of current varieties in the garden can be found here:
The peak of daffodil bloom at Old City Cemetery is in mid-March to the end of April, but some bloom as early as February while the latest appear in May.
Most daffodils are botanically labeled at the site. The largest groupings of daffodils include the following areas:
- Pathway to Pride
- Fence in the Shrub Garden
- Along the path of the Shrub Garden
- Vawter Memorial in the First Acre
Please click on the following link to download our “Daffodil Decoder” for when you visit our historic daffodils:
