Beautiful Narcissus flowers (known as the wild daffodil) are in the Amaryllis family and native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. In order to have flowering Narcissus in the spring, you must plant the bulbs now in the autumn.

Narcissus are somewhat similar to daffodils but the main difference is that Narcissus have a central trumpet-like shape, or disc-shaped surrounded by a ring of six floral leaves called the perianth.

Years ago, Narcissus was used for medicinal purposes. It has bee said that in traditional Japanese medicine, wounds were treated with Narcissus root and wheat flour paste. The Roman physician Aulus Cornelius Celsus listed Narcissus root to be among medical herbs and described it as emollient, erodent, and very powerful in getting rid of any ailments of the body.

The Narcissus flower is named after Narcissus in Greek mythology who was the god of beauty. According to history, Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephisus. When he was born, they asked a seer named Tiresias if the child would live a long life and the answer was ‘if he never knows himself’. The story goes on to say that Narcissus supposedly turned into a flower when he died.

There is lots of history behind the Narcissus flower and will not bore you with all the details. What is really important here is that Narcissus are a beautiful flower and easy to grow. If you like daffodils, then you will love Narcissus because they are in the same family. There are also many species in the market today and here are a few that I am familiar with.

Narcissus ‘Golden Ducat’ – Botanical name is the same

photo courtesy of Wayside Gardens
This Narcissus somewhat resembles a Peony with its huge 4-inch double blooms. It produced golden blooms with many fluffy points that extend 4 inches wide atop 15-inch stems. Golden Ducat blooms mid to late spring and grows well in zones 4-8.

Narcissus ‘Jetfire’ – Botanical name is the same

Photo courtesy of Wayside Gardens
Plant Jetfire among other tall perennials as these only grow on 8 inch stems. The golden petals are bent back on long ruffled orange trumpets. Jetfire is considered a free-blooming as many of the 8 inch stems will produce a second blossom. It blooms early spring to mid spring and grows well in zones 4-9.

Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’ – Botanical name is the same

Photo courtesy of Wayside Gardens
Here is a beautiful bi-color Narcissus that is bad weather resistant. Ice Follies blooms measure almost 5 inches wide on 20 inch stems. The outside petals are pure white with a creased look. The cup is shallow and butter yellow shading at the petal tips to a darker shade at the center. Ice follies blooms mid spring and grows well in zones 4-8,

Enjoy,
Diana