Yellow fever" will come to Richmond this week.

More than 200 daffodil enthusiasts from across North America and Europe are expected to attend the American Daffodil Society 2008 National Convention, scheduled April 9-13 at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel.

One highlight of the annual conference is the National Daffodil Show, a professionally judged competition and exhibition that will showcase an estimated 3,000 exquisite blooms.

A complementary exhibit will capture the beauty of daffodils through photography.

People who attend the show "will be blown away," said Brent Heath, co-owner of Brent & Becky's Bulbs in Gloucester.

"They'll not only see several thousand daffodils groomed and sitting at perfect attention, they'll be surprised at the fragrances."

Heath, a third-generation daffodil bulb grower, also shared the historical significance of the American Daffodil Society selecting the commonwealth as the site for this year's events.

"The National Daffodil Show is coming back to Virginia, where it all began in this country," he said. "Colonists brought Lent Lily daffodil bulbs from Great Britain, planted them around the state and in time the bulbs naturalized, reseeded and spread.

"In the early 1900s, my grandfather, Charles Heath, noticed the daffodil cottage industry in Gloucester and Mathews counties and decided to expand it, later shipping cut flowers by steamers to Baltimore and New York. By the Depression, those counties grew more daffodils than anywhere else in the world at that time.."

The show presents prestigious awards, as well as significant obstacles for exhibitors traveling long distances.

Imagine the challenge of transporting delicate, fresh daffodils for hundreds or perhaps thousands of miles. Though they may have been picked days in advance and shuffled among different temperatures and humidity levels, the flowers must arrive in pristine condition. Through the years, daffodil growers have fine-tuned their transporting methods so that prized specimens survive even a long haul.

Richmonder Patty Bragdon, a daffodil instructor, says one trick for the long-distance transport involves baby diapers. After picking the daffodils, the grower conditions them in tepid water for six to eight hours in a dark place. The flowers are then arranged facing forward on water-soaked baby diapers, or sometimes wet floral tissue, secured with tape or rubber bands to prevent movement and bruising, sprayed again with warm water and gently packed in cushioned boxes.

For those traveling by plane, which Bragdon estimates are a third of this year's exhibitors, the boxes seldom are checked with the luggage. Rather, the "daffodillians" - as daffodil fanciers sometimes are called - board the planes with their floral boxes in tow.

"Even after they arrive at the show, some exhibitors stay up all night caring for and arranging their blooms," Bragdon said.

Bragdon knows the routine first-hand, as she and her husband, George, successfully carted her "Miss Grace" daffodil specimens from Richmond to a show in Portland, Ore., several years ago. Their endeavors were rewarded with several honors, including a blue ribbon and the coveted British Award.

Are they really worth all the effort?

"Yes, because daffodils are joyful, uplifting and absolutely critter-proof," Heath said. "They announce spring and offer new surprises every day."
Tom Brinda is assistant executive director for horticulture and education and Lynn Kirk is public relations writer at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.