The Gaze of Narcissus

The mythological tale of Narcissus, a youth doomed by his vanity to gaze upon his own reflection, unable to look away until his own unbridled passion for his beauty destroyed him, leaving but a trumpet-shaped golden and white flower in his place. It’s a tale after my own heart. Once I was admiring my hair in what I believed to be a window of a high street shop I will not name here, only to have a door swung open into my face. I left only embarrassment behind.

Our common name for narcissus, daffodil, is believed to stem from a linguistic corruption linked with another Mediterranean flower, asphodel, getting caught up with the Dutch article de, creating the moniker we use today. Despite this indistinct path to its own name, it is one which has become widely spoken and adored. We don’t need to find ourselves gazing into pools surrounded by nymphs, as grand as that does sound, to catch a glimpse of these beauties; they have become incorporated into our spring. That same old grass verge you drive by each day of your working week becomes a new, dazzling your dreary morning journey with joyful, bowing heads. Narcissus has become a symbol of renewal, of rebirth. One we don’t need to know or have written down, such as I have here, because it is one we simply feel. It’s a truly magic flower.

It might be trite, but well suited to its mythological story, that such a beautiful plant is also dangerously toxic, with highly concentrated alkaloids, especially in the bulb, but all parts of this plant are poisonous to ingest. Wash your hands when handling! With that being said, narcissus is a welcomed feature at Beth Chatto’s, featuring heavily in the Woodland Garden during the winter and spring, and also in Beth’s own writing:

'On the whole, I prefer species daffodils in a woodland setting, since most increase well and create a natural effect. But some hybrids retain the grace of their parents and are so attractive I could not be without them. Narcissus 'February Gold' is a hybrid between N. cyclamineus and N. pseudonarcissus. It is taller than either, retaining the swept back petals of N. cyclamineus. The Lent lily, N. pseudonarcissus, a native of English damp meadows and found in woods, meadows and hillsides throughout western Europe, varies in shape and shades of yellow. We grow N. pseudonarcissus subsp. pseudonarcissus, with pale cream, slightly twisted petals surrounding a lemon-yellow trumpet. I am pleased to see seedlings appearing among the bulbs I originally planted. They will probably flower next year.' 

Narcissus is such an exuberant plant. It can grant the greatest warmth, even on those chilly and damp, spring days. There’s something youthful about them, and I do wonder if there is something to be said between their form and how a child will draw the sun with its rays emanating from a deliciously bright centre.

If able, do come walk our Woodland Garden in the spring and enjoy our narcissus. I hope that if you do, Beth’s words are echoed, ‘I could not be without them.’ I could not agree more.

Just some of our varieties:

(Remember, if a plant of interest isn’t ready yet, you can join a mailing list to be notified as soon as it is.)

 Narcissus 'Casual Elegance' - A hoop petticoat type daffodil, with a large flared yellow trumpet. Great for pots, but also good for naturalising in grass. Height and spread 15cm x 10cm

Narcissus ‘February Gold’ - An excellent, reliable variety, with a yellow trumpet and paler yellow reflexed petals. 

Narcissus ‘Thalia’ - Elegant and graceful, this older cultivar provides almost pure white flowers, with a short trumpet and slightly twisted petals. 

Narcissus 'Rip van Winkle' - A pretty early spring flowering bulb with double, greenish yellow flowers.

Written by Rob