Daffodil

Daffodil Overview

There are over 100 species of Narcissus. These are bulbous, herbaceous, perennial, spring-flowering plants from the Amaryllidaceae family. Commonly known as Daffodils, Narcissus plants are native to Southern Europe and North Africa (with a centre of diversity in the Western Mediterranean basin). Narcissus in the wild are found in meadow and woodland habitats and there are many species that have been cultivated as garden ornamentals, for hundreds of years. Still much loved by gardeners today, they can be seen in spring borders, containers and naturalised in lawns and woodland gardens. There are alpine and dwarf varieties available. Daffodils produce strap-like, linear leaves and cheerful yellow, orange, pink, cream or white flowers on leafless stems. These are composed of six spreading tepals and a central (sometimes in a contrasting colour), cup-like structure made of fused petals. Narcissus make excellent cut flowers and can be grown indoors for their first season. Most cultivated daffodils prefer a moist soil during the growing season but will rot if too wet when dormant, so always provide good drainage when planting (on top of a shallow layer of grit or sand) - especially on heavy soils.