Narcissus cyclamineus Prototype

Narcissus 'Prototype' was named in Ireland in 1993 due to its flowers offering an unusual combination of colours, paving the way for innovative varieties of daffodils. These solitary flowers are both beautifully coloured and delicately shaped. They present themselves like a smiling face, revealing a slightly fringed salmon-pink trumpet with a corolla of pale-yellow recurved petals. Each fragrant flower is borne on a short but sturdy stem. The flowers are ideal for bouquets and pots. It blooms every spring and easily naturalises in the garden.

Narcissus 'Prototype' belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The Narcissus genus includes around 50 species found mainly in Western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia. The cyclamineus species is native to northwest Portugal and northwest Spain, and owes its name to its outward-facing petals, similar to cyclamens. This characteristic is often greatly reduced in its hybrid descendants.

'Prototype', derived from Narcissus cyclamineus, is a small, vigorous plant that reaches about 25 to 30cm (10 to 12in) when in bloom. The foliage reaches approximately 15cm (6in) in height. Its two-tone flowers are composed of a corolla of slightly translucent petals in a pale creamy-yellow, on which a fairly long coronule of a soft pink-orange shade is inserted. It flowers in mid-sprin. It naturalises in the garden within 3 or 4 years through bulbil production.

Narcissus 'Prototype' is not demanding and grows well in any well-drained and loosened soil, although results are less favourable in excessively wet or excessively acidic soils, especially in summer.

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 'Prototype' with squills, crocuses, hyacinths, early-flowering botanical tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, or liverworts. A group of 'Prototype' daffodils in a vase creates a sensational effect. This daffodil is also perfect in pots.

Daffodil or Narcissus? Botanically speaking, daffodils are part of the narcissus family. They have flowers grouped in twos or more, and their coronule forms a bell-shaped trumpet longer than the corolla is wide. The botanical species have the charm of wild plants and thrive in rockeries: N. bulbocodium, N. canaliculatus, N. juncifolius, N. pseudonarcissus, and the simple wood daffodil are among the prettiest ones.

For bouquets, we advise against mixing narcissus with other flowers, especially tulips, as daffodil stems contain a substance that causes other flowers to wilt quickly. This detrimental effect on other flower species can be attenuated by dipping the ends of narcissus stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.