Narcissus
| Name: Narcissus | Family: Amaryllidaceae | Type Plant: Perennial bulb, used as a cut flower |
| Flowering time: Perennial bulb, used as a cut flower | Best time to buy: Late winter to early spring (when in bloom) | Max Height: 20-50 cm, depending on the variety |
| Sun/Shadow: Full sun to partial shade |
Origin
The name of the Narcissus is said to originate from the Greek antiquity.
Narcissus was a very handsome man that fell in love with himself after looking at his reflection in a pond. He couldn’t tear himself away from looking at his reflection and eventually the goddess Nemesis changed him into a flower called Narcissus.
The Narcissus flower buds lean forward after they blossom. This replicates the position Narcissus was in, with his head leaned forward, to look in the pond.
These beautiful flowers grow naturally in meadows, woods and rocky places in West-Europe.
Characteristics
The Narcissus is available in various sorts. There are different colours, sizes and shapes of this flower.
They can always be recognized by the trumpet shaped crowns. Yellow and white are the base colours of the flowers, but there are a lot of colour shades and even multi coloured Narcissuses.
The Narcissus is known for the hanging flowers and narrow, linear, upright and blue-green leaves.
The flower bud is protected by a transparent shell that dries and tears open when the flower blossoms.
Care
Put your Narcissus in a wide vase with the stems cut obliquely. Make sure the vase and the water are clean, and don’t put any other flowers in the vase with the Narcissus for the first few hours. This is because Narcissus flowers can secrete fluid that is hurtful for other flowers. When the Narcissus has soaked in some water for a few hours, and the vase is cleaned afterwards, the chance of them being hurtful to other plants is a lot smaller.
The Narcissus likes fresh tap water with some flower food added to it. Don’t put the vase in direct sunlight.
Blooming time
Depending on which species, the Narcissus blooms naturally from February until May. Thanks to greenhouses and technology, the flower can be enjoyed throughout the year but the most popular time for people to purchase the Narcissus is still traditionally around the last month of winter, because for a lot of people the flower symbolizes the upcoming spring.
