Daffodils are one of the spring flowering bulbs known to all! Their early yellow, white or orange flowering is the emblem of spring, synonymous for me with Easter and Grandmother’s Day in March. Some bulbs are now among the oldest plants in my garden! Here are the Top 15 daffodils in my garden in pictures: failing to be able to classify them in a real order of preference (in reality, I like them all !), discover them in the order of their flowering, from the earliest to the latest …
1- The narcissus ‘February Gold’ is part of the leading pack of spring blooms, it can flower as early as February but at home it is rather from the beginning of March that it brightens the beds where it is planted between the tufts of perennials.
2 – ‘Jetfire’ is a botanical narcissus of the cyclamineus group, characterized by its petals turned backwards. Its flowering is lively and very early.
3 – Often forced into small pots that can be found in florists, ‘Tête-à-Tête’ can then be replanted in the garden where it will naturalize easily everywhere.
4 – The wood daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus Obvallaris or the “Tenby Daffodil” of our English friends, is the botanical narcissus to naturalize par excellence. Its bright yellow large trumpet flowers clearly identify it as one of the wild ancestors of our current horticultural varieties. Special mention to its pretty, very bluish foliage.
5 – ‘Segovia’ is a small botanical narcissus that evokes a miniature version of the poets’ narcissus, with very pure white corollas awakened by a light lemon yellow disc in the center A variety of great finesse that I have since soon 15 years in the same place.
6 – ‘Cassata’ is an off-white “orchid-flowered” or “butterfly” narcissus, which I appreciate for its ornate shape and robustness. I associate it in bouquets with “classic” daffodils with white or yellow trumpet flowers.
7 – Unidentified, this one comes from a garden of friends and I appreciate its simplicity and its bright colors which illuminate the semi-shaded place where it is installed.
8 – ‘Copper Queen’ is a small crown hybrid, quite confidential, whose yellow / orange contrast is delicately attenuated by a coppery filter.
9 – The poet’s daffodil or Narcissus poeticus ‘Actaea’, a cultivated form of the native Pyrenean species, is one of the most appreciated for its fragrance. Its snow-white perianth contrasts with a tiny yellow-green crown with a red border. Even its thin and murky foliage is unparalleled elegance! It naturalizes easily in fresh meadows, even humid ones.
10 – ‘Tripartite’ is unclassifiable: both multi-flowered and “with orchid flowers”, it defies the horticultural classification! I appreciate it for its very soft, chick yellow color, and its unpretentious “sophisticated natural” look.
12 -The last one to arrive in my garden, Narcissus x odorus ‘Plenus’, immediately delighted me this spring with its flowers with a flared and very double crown, grouped by 2 on very solid stems. Its fragrance is proportional to the intensity of its color and to its duplication, a pure wonder!
13- ‘Hawera’ is a small late botanical, multi-flowered, 30 cm high, with soft buttery yellow colors and melted butter. Its very fine foliage remains discreet once flowering is over.
14- The triandrus narcissus ‘Thalia’, with elegantly drawn alabaster flowers and always grouped by 3, is one of the last to bloom and by far one of the most elegant. Absolutely essential!
15 – Good last, ‘Albus Plenus Odoratus’ is the double form with round and very fragrant flowers of the narcissus of the poets, in bloom from mid to late May. Rare and sought after by connoisseurs, the first 3 bulbs were given to me for barter and have since developed into a beautiful clump.
