Narcissus Barrett Browning

The 'Barrett Browning' daffodil, a great classic! Since 1945, it has embellished gardens with its cheerful colours; its pure white petals frame a small crown of very vibrant orange, almost red. Perfect in beds, borders, pots, and bouquets, it is easy to grow and naturalises well. It is an excellent, proven variety.

Originally from Western Europe, daffodils belong to the Amaryllidaceae family. The Narcissus genus includes many species and varieties, of botanical origin (like the poet's daffodil) or horticultural. The jonquil (Narcissus jonquilla), with its yellow flowers and leaves similar to those of rushes, is a species in the Narcissus genus. In certain regions, the yellow daffodil or trumpet daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is sometimes called jonquil, hence the frequent confusion between jonquil and daffodil.

The 'Barrett Browning' Daffodil owes its name to the English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wife of the famous poet Robert Browning. Descendant of the Narcissus poeticus, it certainly does not lack poetry! 'Barrett Browning' first bloomed in 1945 in England; today, it is recognized worldwide as one of the best small-cupped daffodils. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a bulb. At maturity, this vigorously growing variety reaches about 40 cm (16in) high when flowering. Flowering takes place in March-April, lasting about 3 weeks and each flower is approximately 9 cm (4in) wide, composed of a corolla of round, thick petals that slightly overlap. These are pure white, sometimes taking on very pale yellow hues and in the centre, there is a small wavy-edged cup-shaped paracorolla, vivid orange tending towards red. The linear foliage dries up and disappears a few weeks after flowering.

Barret Browning is easy to grow and very hardy and can be planted in various areas in the garden: at the front of a shrub bed, as a border, in the middle of a lawn or in a pot. It pairs wonderfully with euphorbias, grape hyacinths, early tulips, bluebells and will naturalise easily. However, be cautious with young children as the bulb, flower, and leaves are toxic. Daffodils are the most resistant bulbs planted in autumn; they prefer well-drained and light soil but are very accommodating.

For bouquets: We advise against mixing daffodils with other flowers, especially tulips. The stems of daffodils contain a substance that causes other flowers to wilt quickly. This detrimental effect on other flower types can be mitigated by dipping the ends of the daffodil stems in warm water for 1 to 2 minutes.