Narcissus Grand Soleil d'Or

Narcissus Grand Soleil d'Or was already blooming in Holland in 1770. It is a fantastic multiflowered variety, producing up to 20 small flowers per stem. From March onwards, they are eye-catching in the garden with their very bright colours, yellow for the corolla and orange for the small central crown, and have a sweet fragrance that seems to rise from the ground as soon as the sun appears. Belonging to the Tazetta narcissus family, they are easy to grow in the garden and indoors in a basket. They can also be grown in a pot on the terrace and are well suited for forcing indoors for flowering as early as Christmas.

Narcissus belong to the amaryllidaceae family. The Narcissus genus includes around 50 species found mainly in the western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia. The 'Grand Soleil D'or' narcissus is a very old horticultural hybrid whose parent is N. Tazetta, a very robust plant native to the Mediterranean region, that adapts to various climates and conditions. 'Grand Soleil d'Or' is excellent in every way and received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England in 1977. It has given rise to 8 recent varieties. The plant produces a short and very sturdy stem, 30 to 40cm (12 to 16in) tall when in flower. Each stem bears 10 to 20 small, bicoloured, highly fragrant flowers, 4 to 5cm (2in) in diameter. The deciduous, linear foliage disappears in summer.

Grand Soleil d'Or narcissus is ideal for creating beautiful pots: use 5 bulbs for an 18cm (7in) diameter pot. There is such a variety of narcissus species that they can be enjoyed for three months in spring without ever getting bored. They can all naturalise easily, have a preference for yellow and white, and often emit sweet fragrances. These are all reasons to grow them in large clumps (at least 20 bulbs) for an enhanced effect. In natural flowerbeds, associate 'Grand Soleil d'Or' with scillas and anemones blanda, botanical tulips, forget-me-nots and small grasses like Stipa. A group of Tazetta narcissus in a pot placed near the house or even in a poorly heated room will diffuse an exceptional fragrance and they are simply perfect in bouquets.

Daffodil or Narcissus? Botanically speaking, daffodils are part of the narcissus family. They have flowers grouped in twos or more and their corolla forms a longer campanulate trumpet 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, the simple wood daffodil, are among the prettiest. in vases, we advise against mixing daffodils with other flowers such as tulips, as the stems of daffodils contain a substance that quickly wilts other flowers. This detrimental effect on other flower types can be reduced by dipping the ends of the daffodil stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.