Hartland began collecting bulbs around 1880, often acquiring them from old Irish gardens. While no species of narcissus is native to Ireland, the climatic conditions have proven favourable for the appearance of self-sown seeding varieties over a long period. In the 19th century, collectors in Ireland, such as Hartland and Fanny Currey, discovered narcissus varieties which were unknown elsewhere. For example, Hartland found the 'Bishop Mann' variety in an old garden of the Dioceses of St. Finbarr's, where Bishop Mann had been the last resident. The bulbs had been planted 150 years before at Bishopstown, now a suburb of Cork.