Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)

[mikhurram]

" I never saw daffodils so beautiful. They grew among the mossy stones about and about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake''
Dorothy Wordsworth

This narrative inspired her brother William Wordsworth to pen the following stanza in his famous poem "Daffodils"
‘When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.’

Native to the Mediterrranean region and warmer regions of southern Europe, commonly know as Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) belong to the the genus Narcissus. Versatility in terms of unique flower shapes, colours and ability to naturalize makes narcissi or narcissus appealing. Daffodil flowers herald the coming of spring.

Here in Pakistan we have two prominent cultivars of Tazetta Narcissus or daffodils which include the early flowering variety 'Paper White" more heat tolerant than the other Tazetta Narcissus having yellow trumpet (corona) & ring of white petals known as perianth found commonly in NWFP characterized by its heavenly fragrance and multitude of florets whose bouquets are sold in streets from January till march. A third variety known as a yellow wild daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) could be sighted in gardens in Punjab till early 90’s but now is very hard to find.

They grow best in dappled shade and require protection from hot afternoon sun. It is recommended to plant them in pots which enable one to keep track of them especially when they undergo the dormancy period. The bulbs should be positioned pointed end up with snout protruding above the surface. Watering is important and it’s recommended to keep the soil moist but not soggy especially when the bulbs are developing as daffodils hate waterlogged or poorly drained soil. Thus good drainage is a must. They ideally prefer deep loamy soil or garden soil mixed with generous amounts of compost and can even tolerate clay soil but loathe rich soil having high nitrogen content. So fresh manure should be avoided owning to the high nitrogen content in it which can burn up the bulbs as well encourage foliage formation at expense of flowers.

Fading flowers should be cut as seed production can deplete the strength of the bulb. Leaves provide nourishment to the bulb and should not be cut or tied tightly into a knot which can weaken the bulb. Rather its better to let the leaves die down naturally which takes place approximately 2-3 months after flowering.

Following was mentioned by Sydney Percy Lancaster an English horticulturist who spent decades in British India based in Delhi in his book "A Sahib's Manual for the Mali".


Caution:
Bulbs and leaves of Daffodils contain lycorine a poison which can prove to be lethal if eaten in large quantities thus advisable to keep them away from toddlers. Sap in daffodils contains Calcium Oxalate which can cause skin irritation thus advisable to wear gloves while putting them in a vase.

Below are photos of Tazetta Narcissus (Paper white and NWFP daffodil). Hopefully in a few weeks I shall post pictures of late blooming varieties (Tete a Tete and Grand Soleil d’Or’)






Paper White Tazetta Daffodil or Narcissus.


NWFP Tazetta Daffodil Characterized by yellow corona, white perianth and immense fragrance.

[S.Ahmed]

They look so gorgeous, can they be grown in Karachi?

[new gardener]

They look so gorgeous, can they be grown in Karachi?

Word of MOuth

[farah fayyaz]

I purchased these bulbs @ Rs.80 per bulb, sowed them in bed on 17th december but only two out of twenty have started sprouting yet.

[Kaleem]

Some from my collection

[Hamad]

really nice Kaleem sb, I have the same Yellow double and single with big cup, this year I have sent multi headed variety, lets see how they will do.

Hamad

[mikhurram]

Kaleem Sahib your daffodils are stunning especially the latter variety with the yellow trumpet (corona).

by S.Ahmed » January 18th, 2014, 2:31 pm
They look so gorgeous, can they be grown in Karachi?

Karachi is not ideally situated for daffodils. The Paper White variety being more heat tolerant can be grown in pots in Karachi and would probably flower but flowering time would be short lived. Thus i wouldn't recommend growing them in Karachi and it would be more difficult for novices.

by farah fayyaz » January 19th, 2014, 3:21 pm
I purchased these bulbs @ Rs.80 per bulb, sowed them in bed on 17th december but only two out of twenty have started sprouting yet.

Rs 80 per bulb is mind boggling. The price should not be more than Rs 10 per bulb or at maximum Rs 15 per bulb. Hopefully they would flower soon as they were planted a bit late. I have noticed that at times various people have mentioned that they do NOT flower and there are several reasons for non flowering. Following points should be taken into consideration.

1. Narcissus/Daffodils require a well drained site. They hate water logged soil. These days watering should be kept to a minimum. It's better to grow them in pots which enables one to keep track of them especially when the dormancy period sets in.

2. They dislike rich soils which has high % of nitrogen like cow manure which tend to produce more leaves instead of flowers and also burn up the bulbs. This is the reason why they prefer deep loam soil (having good proportions of sand, silt and clay). The average garden soil in Pakistan is mostly clay in nature which they can tolerate but loathe soils having high nitrogen content and standing water.

3. Over Fertilization. At times people tend to over-fertilize them by making use of fertilizers having high content of nitrogen which facilitate leaves at expense of flowers. Thus either use Potash when buds are about to form or use Tomato fertilizer having NPK ratio 5:5:10.

4. Lack of sunlight. They require at least 5 hours of sunlight during the winters to produce flowers. More sun implies more energy for the bulbs to produce leaves and flowers.

5. I have noticed that some people tend to cut their leaves after flowering which is a mistake as they leaves provide nourishment to the bulbs and should be removed only when they die back on their own. Also the leaves should not be tied tightly into a knot which can weaken the bulb. Daffodils/Narcissus enter the dormancy period on their own and start sprouting. Only spent or fading flowers should be cut as seed production can deplete the strength of the bulb.

6. Depth of planted bulbs. Planted too deep and they are likely to struggle coming to the surface. Planted too near the surface is likely to freeze them especially during the cold weather and burn them when the warm weather sets in. As a rule of thumb the planting depth should be twice the size of the bulb. The daffodil bulbs should be positioned pointed end up with their snouts above the surface.

[Asim_Nawaz]

Beautiful Daffodils ...

[farah fayyaz]

I bought them from a very well reputed shop 'awan seeds'. I was confused too about its price but when i read an article written by Mr. Khabbab, i became satisfied. And after some days, I fed them with cow manure.Waiting anxiously for their blooms.

[saqib]

so beautiful daffodils and Very useful information