narcissus

One of the most famous myths from Ovid's Metamorphoses of hubris and transformation is that of Echo and Narcissus.

I love daffodils, especially the underestimated little wild British native daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus), which will spread by self-sowing in grass and beneath trees and shrubs.

NARCISSUS IF THERE'S one plant that can convince us that spring is on the way, it's the cheerful daffodil.

Or you could visit the Savill and Valley Gardens in Windsor in early April to view the Daffodil Valley, one of the largest displays in the UK with thousands of Narcissus pseudonarcissus, the lent lily and the daffodil of Wordsworth's famous poem.

Where we live, the wild daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus grows in profusion, its chrome yellow trumpets surrounded by pale primrose perianths.

Who could help but admire the pale lemon blooms of Narcissus 'W.P.Milner', nodding gently on a spring day?

Last autumn we planted the doubleflowered form, Narcissus jonquilla 'Flore Pleno' in the beds of our brick garden.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a youth so beautiful that he attracted, but spurned, many would-be lovers.

Paperwhites, (see Plant of the Month), should be giving off their lovely perfumes now as well as any early narcissus and hyacinths.

Hyacinths, amaryllis and fragrant narcissus all have a stunning effect when brought into flower in the depths of winter.

Come the spring, brave little Narcissus jonquilla is one of the first to show its delicate yellow head, brightening up the garden and filling the air with its sweet fragrance.

Rose Mambert; NARCISSUS IS DREAMING; Pink Narcissus Press (Fiction: Science Fiction) ISBN: 9781939056054

* Naolys, a French company that specializes in plant cell culture, recently launched a new active plant cell with a brightening activity from the Poet's narcissus (narcissus poeticus).