Narcissus pseudonarcissus

Narcissus pseudonarcissus, sometimes called false daffodil, is the true woodland daffodil. It is often found in large colonies in meadows and forests. In spring, it bears a large, solitary, and inclined flower on each stem, composed of a bright yellow tubular crown surrounded by a large white-cream corolla. The long-lasting flower lives for about 3 weeks while emitting a fragrance which has narcotic properties. The bulbs naturalise easily and grow in ordinary, moist soil.

Narcissus poeticus bears white flowers with a small orange crown. It is fragrant and grows mainly in flooded meadows. Narcissus pseudonarcissus are yellow daffodils with developed trumpets, without a perceptible fragrance, growing in vast colonies in pastures. All these herbaceous bulbous plants belong to the Amaryllidaceae family. The woodland daffodil has a large ovoid bulb that produces a light green basal tuft of fleshy, flat and ribbon-like leaves in spring. Quite polymorphous, the plant will adopt a somewhat dense appearance depending on sunlight and the nature of the soil. Flowering generally takes place in April, but sometimes starts as early as January and ends in May. Each bulb gives rise to a stem 20 to 40cm (8 to 16in) high bearing a solitary, bi-coloured flower in white-cream and bright yellow, measuring 5 to 6 cm (2in) wide. Their delicate fragrance is intoxicating and volatile, easily reaching the receptor centres of our brain.

Narcissus pseudonarcissus should be planted en masse in a somewhat wild area of the garden or at the base of deciduous trees and bushes. As the famous poem by William Wordsworth says, they will show their full potential "And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils" ('The Daffodils').

Narcissus pseudonarcissus grows in any well-drained, humiferous, loosened soil. The results are less favourable in soils that are too wet or excessively acidic.

There are so many daffodil cultivars that one can enjoy them for three months in spring without ever getting tired. They all have in common the ability to naturalise easily, to offer an infinite range of yellow and white shades, and to often emit sweet fragrances. Grow them in large clumps in lawns or at the edge of flower beds (at least 20 bulbs) for an enhanced effect. Pair them with squills, hyacinths, early-flowering botanical tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, or liverworts.