Narcissus Audubon

Narcissus Audubon is an old, late-flowering variety of daffodil, appreciated for its large, perfectly shaped flowers. It is one of the most faithful ones that come back more numerous every year. At the end of slender stems it carries beautiful and very large flowers of a diaphanous white adorned with a pretty pleated cup tinged with pale yellow and edged with coral pink. It is a beautiful cut flower and a particularly elegant en masse.

The 'Audubon' Narcissus, introduced in the United States in 1965, belongs to the lily (Amaryllidaceae) family, more precisely to division 2 of 12 of the large narcissus family. The Narcissus genus includes about 50 species mainly found in the western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia.

The 'Audubon' narcissus, like the majority of large-cupped daffodils, is the result of cross-breeding between N.poeticus and N(x) pseudonarcissus, or even N.incomparabilis. The plant produces a tall and sturdy stem 50 cm (20in) high when in bloom. It flowers mid-late, in April-May when large yellow-green floral buds give way to magnificent, 10-12 cm (4-5in) wide flowers. These flowers have six white petaloid tepals, 3 are very wide and the other 3 slightly curved. The six stamens are inserted into a crown or paracorolla in the shape of a cup, which varies greatly in appearance depending on the growing conditions. It can be more or less long, sometimes split, and also more or less tinged with pale yellow, but always with a scalloped border whose colour varies from coral pink to orange. The deciduous, linear foliage disappears in summer when the bulb enters dormancy.

There is such a choice of daffodils that one can enjoy them for three months in spring without getting bored. They all naturalise easily, endlessly display yellow and white, and often emit sweet fragrances. These are all reasons to grow them in large groups on the lawn, under a deciduous tree, or on the edge of a border(at least 20 bulbs) for a mass effect. Associate 'Audubon' in wild or romantic beds with scilla and hyacinths, double tulips, forget-me-nots, daisies, chamomiles, or liverworts. A bunch of 'Audubon' Narcissus in a vase will be sensational. This narcissus is perfect in pots.