Narcissus A trompette Foresight - Narcisse, Narcisse à couronne, Jonquille à couronne

The 'Foresight' daffodil is an old variety of trumpet daffodil that stands out for its very early flowering and the clarity of its large bicoloured flowers. Six broad, regular creamy-white petals surround a long pale yellow trumpet, shaded green at the base. Its moderate height and its ability to quickly form a floriferous clump make this variety one of the best for awakening borders, light woodland edges and large containers in the first weeks of spring.

This cultivar belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is a perennial geophyte with an underground bulb that allows it to remain dormant through summer and winter. Its foliage is deciduous; the leaves emerge in late winter, nourish the bulb after flowering, then yellow and disappear before summer. 'Foresight' is a horticultural creation. It was raised in Northern Ireland by Guy L. Wilson, first flowered in 1937 and was registered in 1944. Wilson believed it came from a self-pollinated seedling of 'Bonython', another early bicoloured old variety; this parentage is therefore presented as probable. Classified in Division 1, trumpet daffodils, it bears one flower per stem, whose corona is at least as long as the surrounding floral segments. It received the RHS Award of Merit in 1945. The bulb produces an upright clump and multiplies quickly when given favourable soil. Its flower stems reach 30 to 40 cm; the narrow, ribbon-like glaucous green leaves remain slightly shorter. Each stem bears a flower 10 cm in diameter. The six tepals or "petals", very broad and almost flat, fade from cream to milky white on the outside, while the pale lemon-yellow trumpet retains a greenish tinge near the throat. Flowering occurs in March or early April depending on the region. Very hardy, this daffodil withstands temperatures below −20 °C in soil that does not retain water in winter. Its earliness gives it an advantage in Mediterranean gardens: its foliage has more time to replenish the bulb's reserves before summer drought. It will nevertheless need some watering if spring is dry. Once the leaves have fully yellowed, the dormant bulb tolerates a dry summer.
Wilson described it as one of his earliest creations, ten days ahead of 'Fortune' in his garden, very floriferous, quick to multiply and easy to grow in pots.

Plant the 'Foresight' daffodil in small groups of 5 to 7 bulbs in a border, a lightly mown lawn, at the base of deciduous shrubs or in a large container. Mix it, for example, with early-flowering botanical tulips. The pale blue and white flowers of Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl' open a little earlier, but the last ones are still present when the daffodil begins to flower. Iberis sempervirens 'Snowflake' forms an evergreen cushion in winter, covered in flowers in spring, which will mask the absence of the bulbs in summer. In partial shade, Geranium macrorrhizum 'Spessart' tolerates root competition and drier soil; its foliage spreads as the daffodil's yellows. These plants tolerate a dry summer once established, while benefiting from late winter and spring rains.