Narcissus Copper Queen

Narcissus 'Copper Queen' is an exceptional variety with soft and warm tones of copper and orange. The large corolla opens in reddish-orange tones, then fades into a pretty shade of soft copper-orange. It bears a small circular and serrated crown of scarlet-orange. This long-lasting flowering has retained something of the sweet scent of the poet's narcissus, which we love so much in spring bouquets. In the garden, it blooms quite late, but faithfully returns every year.

It is native to western Europe and belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The genus Narcissus includes many species and varieties, of both botanical origin (like the poet's narcissus) and horticultural. The daffodil (Narcissus jonquilla) bears yellow flowers and rush-like leaves. It is one of the species in the genus Narcissus. In some regions, the yellow narcissus or trumpet narcissus (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is sometimes called a daffodil, hence the frequent confusion between daffodil and narcissus.

Narcissus 'Copper Queen' comes from Northern Ireland, a country that specialises in obtaining varieties with exceptional shapes and colours. It first bloomed in 1980 in its native land, but was only introduced into horticultural trade after 2007. It is currently classified in the group of narcissus with a small corolla. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with its bulb. At maturity, this vigorously growing variety can reach 45cm (18in) in height when flowering. Flowering takes place in April-May, in the middle of the daffodil season, and lasts about 3 weeks. Each flower is 11.5cm (5in) wide. It is composed of a corolla of round petals, with a thick substance, slightly overlapping. Their orange colour tinged with red softens over time. There is a small cup-shaped paracorolla at the centre. It bears an undulate border, of a much deeper orange-red. The linear foliage dries up and disappears a few weeks after flowering.

Easy to grow and very hardy, Narcissus 'Copper Queen' can be planted at the forefront of a shrub bed, in a border, in the middle of a lawn, or in a pot. It blends perfectly with euphorbias, grape hyacinths, early tulips, and wood hyacinths, and naturalises easily. However, be careful with young children, as the bulb, flower, and leaves are toxic. Narcissus bulbs are the most resistant when planted in autumn. They prefer well-drained and light soil but are very accommodating.

For bouquets: we advise against mixing narcissus with other flowers, especially tulips, as narcissus 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.