Narcissi - Angel's Tears, Chinese Sacred Lily, Daffodil, Jonquil, Narcissus

DESCRIPTION: This is a large group of mostly hardy bulbs. Narcissus will bloom outside in March and April and in greenhouses from December to March. There are many species or wild types and innumerable named varieties, which increase every year. Most of the species or wild types are natives of southern Europe. The name Daffodil is commonly given to the Narcissus with large trumpets, but may be used for all types. The name Jonquil most properly belongs to the rush-leaved Narcissus jonquilla and its hybrids. In some parts of North America, it's used as a common name for all types of Narcissi. This plant is one of the prettiest springtime flowers and is able to be cultivated in many ways. It can be planted in open spaces in shrubbery or woodland or at the end of the lawn. Some kinds are great for growing in the rock garden or for growing in pots in the alpine greenhouse. In a heated greenhouse it's possible to sustain a long succession of blooms from December on by growing them in pots and flats. Many kinds are great as cut flowers. There are many different classifications of Narcissi. There are trumpet Narcissi, large-cupped Narcissi, small-cupped Narcissi, double Narcissi, triandus Narcissi, cyclamineus Narcissi, jonquilla Narcissi, tazetta Narcissi, poeticus Narcissi, wild forms and hybrids and misc. Narcissi. Miniature Narcissi are great for growing outdoors in the rock garden or a sheltered border at the foot of a wall or fence. N. asturiensis, or N. minimus, is the smallest of the Trumpet Daffodils, The mouth of its trumpet is frilled, and the stems tend to weaken after a heavy rainfall. N. cyclamineus falls into the cyclamen-flowered category. It is a native of Portugal and it goes well in the rock garden. Narcissus Paperwhite, raised as a pot plant, is the most popular of all Daffodils for winter flowering in the home and greenhouse. It has long, thin, dark green leaves and fragrant, white flowers in a cluster at the top of a long stem.

POTTING: These plants can live in regular well-tilled garden soil, although, they grow best in well-drained loamy ground. The flowers are not so long-lived on light land as of those that are grown on loamy soil. On ground containing a lot of clay, sand should be mixed in freely along with compost or other organic matter. It is not a good idea to add fresh manure to ground on which Narcissi are to be planted. On poor, light ground, however, well-decayed manure is beneficial. It should be dug in to a depth of 9-12 inches. The best fertilizer for Narcissi is bone meal. This should be spread on the soil at the rate of 2 ounces per square yard and forked in before the bulbs are planted. September through early October is the best time to plant the bulbs in the garden. If you're growing them for exhibition, they should be planted as soon as the leaves have died down in July and August. Their size determines the depth at which they should be planted. Large bulbs should be covered no less than 4-5 inches, medium sizes should have a covering of 3-4 inches and smaller ones with 2-3 inches. One of the most common mistakes is to plant them too close to the surface. Narcissi can be left undisturbed for many years until they become so crowded that they fail to bloom abundantly. Usually, though, they need to be lifted at the end of 3 or 4 years. When they are planted in grass or woodland, they should be set further apart so that they can be left undisturbed for a longer period of time. The best flowers are obtained by lifting and replanting them annually, or in alternate years, as soon as the leaves have died down. The Narcissus is one of the easiest to grow in pots in the greenhouse, conservatory and house in the winter and early spring. By potting them at intervals of a few weeks, from August until the end of September, it's possible to have blooming plants from December until the middle of March. The best compost to use is loam (old turf) with a little leaf mold, decayed manure and a good sprinkling of sand added. They will do much better in this mixture than in regular garden soil. If loam isn't available, good garden soil will do with the leaf mold, decayed manure and sand added (unless the soil is already light). The bulbs should be set so that the most part of each one is covered with soil; the smaller bulbs may be wholly buried. The number of bulbs to a pot depends on their size; four moderately sized bulbs or three large ones can fit in a 6-inch pot. When potting is finished, the pots should be placed outside on a bed of cinders or a hard base and thoroughly watered, making sure that the soil is moistened all the way through. They are covered with old sifted ashes, sand or peat moss to a depth of 6-7 inches. It is important to use old ashes that have been exposed to air for some time; if fresh ashes from the fire are used, the bulbs will most likely be seriously damaged. No further watering is necessary. After six weeks the bulbs should be checked. Most of them will have become well rooted and top growth of the earliest varieties will have started. The pots with the bulbs that have begun to grow should be placed in a cold frame or in a greenhouse where the bulbs may grow under cool conditions yet not be subjected to frost. It's necessary to shade them for a few days; if this isn't done, the sudden change from darkness to full light may cause the tips of the leaves to turn yellow. By placing the pots, a few at a time, in a higher temperature, a succession of flowers will be assured. A temperature of 50 degrees is high enough at first, but this may be increased to 55 or even 60 degrees when the flower buds begin to show if flowers are desired quickly. In early summer, the bulbs that have been forced may be planted in the garden, in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed. They will recover, become established and bloom in future years. When Narcissi are forced into early bloom to provide cut flowers, it's usual to grow them in flats. The bulbs are planted almost touching each other, in flats that are about 4 inches deep. The type of soil needed, time of planting and aftercare of the flats are the same as for Narcissi in pots. In homes, Narcissi are sometimes grown in other types of containers and in media other than soil. Varieties of the Tazetta section particularly, especially the varieties Paper White, Soleil d'Or and orientalis (Chinese Sacred Lily), are often cultivated in undrained containers in water and pebbles, or in bulb fiber or vermiculite. The practice of planting groups of bulbs in grassy plains ensures pleasant results. They look great among trees and shrubs, on grass banks, on the edges of lawns, in the orchard and in odd corners that are often neglected and allowed to run wild. The best time to plant the bulbs is in early fall, when the ground is fairly moist. It's useless to try planting while the ground is hard and dry. A special tool made for the easy planting of bulbs in grassland is very helpful and time saving. Another method is to cut and roll back the turf, fork over the soil, set the bulbs, and replace the turf. Bulbs which are naturalized (that is, planted outdoors in grassy places and other less formal parts of the garden) shouldn't be planted too close together; there should be 6-8 inches between them; otherwise they will become overcrowded in a few years and cease to bloom freely. They should be covered with about 3 inches of soil. Miniature narcissi that are planted outdoors should be planted in September in well-drained, sandy, loamy soil in sheltered places. Miniatures grown in a greenhouse should be potted in September also, in 5-inch pots. The bulbs should be set about an inch apart and covered with about an inch of soil. The pots should be placed in a cold, shaded frame for six weeks to ensure the development of roots before top growth begins; if they are then placed in a cool greenhouse where night temperatures of 40-50 degrees are maintained, they'll be gorgeous in winter or early spring.

PROPAGATION: When they are lifted, the old bulbs (mostly ones that have been planted for 2 or 3 years), which are surrounded by offsets or small bulbs, can be separated at the base. These offsets will become flowering bulbs within one or two seasons, according to their size. They should be taken off as soon as the leaves have died down, and may be replanted at once or stored until fall. Raising Narcissi by seeds is done only for the purpose of acquiring new varieties or species, as the seedlings will not be ready to bloom for 5 or more years. The seeds should be sown as soon as they are ripe in late summer or early fall, in a cold frame. They should be set about one inch apart. The seedlings may then be left undisturbed until the leaves have died down the following July. In September the small bulbs should be set in a bed of sandy soil made up in a frame, or in a prepared border out of doors.

VARIETIES-Trumpet Narcissi: Yellow-Apotheose, Dawson City, Godolphin, Golden Harvest, King Alfred, Magnificence, Rembrandt, Unsurpassable, Wintergold. Bicolors-Bonython, Glory of Sassenheim, President Lebrun, Queen of the Bicolors, Spring Glory, Trocadero. White-Beersheba, Gloria, Imperator, Mrs. E. H. Krelage.

Large-cupped Narcissi: Yellow, with colored cup-Aranjuez, Carbineer, Carlton, Croesus, Damson, Fortune, Havelock, Helios, Killigrew, Marian Cran, Rustom Pasha, Scarlet Leader. White, with colored cup-Bodilly, Brunswick, Daisy Schaffer, Dick Wellband, Hades, John Evelyn, Mata Hari, Mrs. Barclay, Mrs. R.O. Backhouse (the Pink Daffodil), Orange Flag, Penvose, Semper Avanti, Tunis. White-Tenedose, White Nile.

Small-cupped Narcissi: Perianth and corona colored-Bath's Flame, Gulliver, Margosteen, Seraglio, and Tridore. White perianth, colored cup-Firetail, Lady Diana Manners, Lady Moore, La Riante, Sunrise. White-Mitylene, Mystic, White Queen.

Double Daffodils: Double White Poeticus (albus plenus odoratus), Inglescombe, Mary Copeland, Texas, Van Sion (telamonius plenus).

Jonquilla Narcissi: Golden Perfection, Golden Scepter, Lanarth, and odorus rugulosus, Trevithian.

Tazetta (Poetaz or Bunch-flowered) Narcissi: Admiration, Cragford, Elvira, Red Guard, Scarlet Gem, St. Agnes. In the South the varieties Paper White, Soleil d'Or and orientalis (Chinese Sacred Lily) may be grown outdoors.

Poeticus (Poet's) Narcissi: Actaea, Horace, poeticus recurvus (Old Pheasant's Eye), Red Rim, Sarchedon.

Miniature Narcissi for outdoor planting: N. Bulbocodium (Hoop Petticoat Daffodil); N. cyclamineus (Cyclamen-flowered Daffodil); N. gracilis; N. juncifolius (Rush-leaved Daffodil); N. triandrus (Angel's Tears) and its hybrids and varieties.

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