Narcissus Katie Heath

Katie Heath Narcissus, a hybrid of Narcissus triandus, is a very romantic American novelty. Gracefully swaying on each stem are two or three small flowers displaying a wide frilled blush-pink trumpet crown, set on a pure white, slightly curved corolla. This variety prefers to be planted in a warm location to bring out its light pink colour and naturalises over the years without any maintenance.

The Katie Heath Narcissus is a descendant of Narcissus triandus, charmingly called Angel Tears Narcissus, or Narcissus of Glénan. This species, widespread in Spain, Portugal, and France, is endemic to Finistère. Katie Health is part of a new series of American hybrids. It forms a clump reaching about 35 cm (14in) high when flowering. Its flowers are grouped in twos or threes at the end of each stem. It is a rather late-flowering plant, in April-May, with yellow-green flower buds that open into pretty pastel-toned flowers, drooping towards the ground. The 'trumpet' starts with an apricot shade at blooming, then matures into a distinct blush pink, resulting in a combination of white, pink, cream, and orange on the same clump. The foliage is deciduous and disappears in summer. The abundant, uniform flowers attract pollinating insects. This variety easily multiplies by producing bulblets, forming large clumps over time. Katie Heath Narcissus belongs to division 5 of the larger narcissus family, which includes 12 divisions.

Katie Heath Narcissus is undemanding and grows in any well-drained and well-worked soil, although the results are less favourable in excessively wet or acidic soils. There is such a variety of daffodil cultivars that one can enjoy them for three months in spring without ever getting bored. They can all naturalise easily, have a love for yellow and white, and often emit sweet fragrances. These are all reasons to grow them in large clumps (at least 20 bulbs) for a mass effect. Grow 'Katie Heath' in natural-looking flower beds, with scilla and hyacinths, double tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, or liverworts. A bunch of 'Katie Heath' narcissus in a vase will look sensational. This narcissus is perfect in pots.

Daffodils are narcissus, belonging to division 7 of the group. Native to southern Europe and North Africa, they have flowers grouped in twos or more. Botanical species that have kept the charm of wild plants and thrive in rock gardens: N. bulbocodium, N. canaliculatus, N. juncifolius, N. pseudonarcissus and the simple wood daffodil are among the most beautiful. In vases, we advise against mixing daffodils with other flowers such as tulips, as 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 hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.