"It would ill become me to write of the Daffodil from the standpoint of a fancier or expert. I can only treat it as a lover, blind to its imperfections, seeing the race as wholly lovely and lovable."
Narcissus is a genus in the Amaryllidaceae family native to Europe, North Africa and Asia surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. As a popular garden plant it has been hybridized heavily and there are new ones being introduced every year. There is an elaborate system of classification used by Narcissus/Daffodil enthusiasts. For more information on that and much other useful information consult the web site of the American Daffodil Society.
After hundreds of years of cultivation, Narcissus viruses are prevalent where this genus (or hybrids) is grown. Bulbs are also susceptible to the Narcissus bulb fly. Growing from seeds is one way to get plants free of viruses.
Narcissus are generally easy to grow. They grow in the winter or spring and are dormant in summer. Many will tolerate large amounts of water during summer if they have good drainage, and some retain their roots while dormant. You may need to experiment to find which Narcissus do best in your climate. Wilder, who gardened in New York, reported success with a wide variety of Narcissus, and recommended planting in light soil and light shade. Some Narcissus will not bloom reliably unless they get a fair amount of winter chilling, while others are fairly frost-tender and will be damaged by a heavy freeze. Thad Howard, in the book Bulbs for Warm Climates, reported that traditional "trumpet" daffodils tend to rot while dormant when grown in the ground in the relatively warm-winter climates of the US South, and there have been similar reports in the northern parts of Australia. Hybrids based on N. jonquilla and N. tazetta do better in these warm-winter areas. Howard suggests selecting early-blooming varieties, to avoid spring heatwaves that can wilt the flowers.
When grown in the ground, Narcissus bulbs will multiply. They will bloom best if divided every few years.
Most Narcissus seeds are low-temperature germinators and will germinate after having spent a short period of time in a warm/moist environment. These plants grow where the rainy season is primarily autumn/winter/early spring, so this mechanism stops them from germination at the wrong time of year. It is reported that fresh seeds are easy to germinate. Harvest the seeds when they are black and becoming hard. Either sow the seeds as soon as they are ripe, or store them cool and dry over summer (e.g. in a fridge) and sow them in late summer. Don't sow them too late because if they don't get the warm end of the season followed by cool fall temperatures they will not germinate until the right time the following year. Don't throw them out - the seeds are reasonably long-lived. Thinly cover the seed to about its own width, then cover the top of the pot with some more grit (or wood chipping, sawdust, crushed quartz, etc). A well drained mix works well for sowing. Once they start to germinate (which can take about 6 weeks to one year), move them to somewhere bright and cool, but out of direct sun (Will Ashburner, Ian Black, Lauw de Jager). Some e.g. Ian Young 'Bulbs from seed' say that seed should be planted deep (3cm). N. Triandrus can take as little as two years to flower from seed.
Photos of some of the species are pictured below.
Narcissus species can be difficult for a non-expert to understand. The genus has been studied heavily by botanists, and there is no single accepted taxonomy for it. We've followed an overview created by bulb expert Brian Mathew, who organized the species into eight groupings. For more information on Mathew's taxonomy, check the overview of Narcissus species here. For more photos and information about the species select the appropriate wiki page or click on the name in the table below:
For more photos and information about hybrids and cultivars, we have divided our Narcissus as linked below. You can select the appropriate wiki page or click on the name in the table:
Photos of plants from each division are shown below
Overview of the Narcissus species - Narcissus Species A-B - Narcissus Species C - Narcissus Species D-J - Narcissus Species K-O - Narcissus Species P - Narcissus Species Q-R - Narcissus Species S-Z - Narcissus hybrids - Division 1 - Division 2 A-D - Division 2 E-Q - Division 2 R-Z - Division 3 - Division 4 - Division 5 - Division 6 - Division 7 - Division 8 - Division 9 - Division 10 - Division 11 - Division 12 - Miniatures