The daffodil world delivers an enticing aroma. Depending on the species, their scents can range from delicate to sweet and spicy. Plant a lot of flowers for bouquets, and don’t forget to force a few Daffodil bulbs into pots so you can enjoy their delightful aroma inside during the winter.
Are daffodils generally fragrant?
Most daffodils have a scent, which some people will completely overlook while others will savor for its delicate, cold, springtime undertones. However, certain narcissi have a mouthwateringly aromatic scent that is sweet, alluring, and distinctive. Narcissus tazetta var. orientalis was cultivated in Ancient Egypt and Israel for its flower’s aroma, which has been prized since antiquity. It is referred to as the Chinese Sacred Lily and has been a symbol of life and fortune during New Year’s celebrations in China for many years.
The eastern Mediterranean native narcissus tazetta provides its name to a wide range of cultivars grown for their fragrant blooms, which are little cupped flowers held in multiples on a stalk. Narcissus “Paperwhite Grandiflora” is arguably the most well-known and popular variety. The one that is typically produced for indoor decorating grows swiftly and blooms a short time after planting. It is not hardy enough, like the species, for those of us who live in cool, temperate areas to grow outdoors. However, it is perfect for forcing and for making cut blooms.
The yellow and orange Narcissus “Grand Soleil d’Or” has a similar habit to other varieties but is more spectacular in color. This would have rivaled “Paperwhite” in popularity a few years ago, but the white flowered narcissus is now the favoured variety. But this is still a nice plant to grow for forcing. In order to produce the essential oil, varieties of Narcissus tazetta are planted commercially in the south of France. This ingredient is utilized in perfumes and is said to have therapeutic benefits, including perhaps the ability to treat influenza. The aroma is strong, sweet, and contains bitter orange overtones; I would describe it as an addicting scent since after you tried it, you kept wanting more.
However, I personally like its scent in chilly air as opposed to a warm environment. Tazetta narcissus ‘Martinette’ is a superb, resilient cultivar that thrives in a well-drained soil in the garden. The flower blooms early in the season and resembles “Soleil d’Or.” a beautiful option for cutting and a terrific addition to beds and borders.
Narcissus ‘Geranium’ has spherical blooms, white petals, and deep orange cups. It is a much stockier, multi-headed narcissus. It is more stunning and intensely aromatic than most commonly produced cultivars, and it probably looks more like the wild Narcissus tazetta in terms of color. It responds well to gentle forcing, or placing the pots of bulbs into gentle warmth once the buds have emerged from the bulbs, and can be grown in pots for indoor or outdoor use.
The double, cream-flowered Narcissus variation known as “Bridal Crown” is now the scented variety that you will encounter most frequently for indoor cultivation. It has a strong, almost jasmine-like scent that lingers for a long time in a chilly environment. It has thick stems, erect foliage, and is robust and compact. Both the color and the aroma are amazing. I personally like it as a cut flower because I believe its habit to be unattractive.
Similar to other narcissus in the garden, ‘Sir Winston Churchill’ has larger, looser blossoms that are two or three on a stem. The blooms have a wonderful yolky center that resembles the yolk of a cream egg, and the petals are a light cream color. This garden narcissus performs consistently year after year and is great for pots or the open ground.
Both as a garden flower bulb and as a cut flower, the narcissus variety “Cheerfulness” has endured the test of time. It comes in two colors, cream and yellow, the latter of which is about the color of fresh custard, and blooms later in the narcissus season. Both look good in the garden and look especially lovely when they are surrounded by blue forget-me-nots. As cut flowers, the two or three double blossoms on a stem have a lovely perfume that isn’t as overpowering as the scent of the little cupped tazetta narcissi. Unlike many other daffodils and narcissi, the tidy, yet attractive double blossom form seems to get along well with a range of plants.
Narcissus One of numerous huge, double-flowered narcissi, including many double versions of single, cupped types, is called “White Lion.” Strangely, compared to their single-flowered relatives, these double forms are typically far more fragrant. Because of its flower form, layers of lemon and cream petals, and, of course, its mouthwatering perfume, ‘White Lion’ has been compared to having “gardenia-like” blooms. It is a useless garden plant in my opinion. Like other large flowered doubles, the stems of these flowers have a tendency to flex and break, especially after rain. It makes a great cut flower, so I would grow it, but only for picking.
The majority of the narcissi and pink trumpet daffodils are fragrant. I recall Narcissus “Mrs. R.O. Backhouse,” the oldest of the pink trumpet daffodils, from my time working in a florist more than 40 years ago. When the blossoms were fully open, the owner of a nearby estate gathered them and brought them inside. The trumpet will then be a true salmon pink color. In contrast to bright daffodils, the aroma is delicate but pleasant.
The bird’s eye With their small cups, narcissi are also renowned for their smell. Broad white petals and a tiny, deep red, golden-eyed cup are features of the Narcissus ‘Actaea’. It has a pleasant aroma and is a good garden type that adapts well to grass. Stocks have been scarce recently, possibly as a result of disease issues.
Poeticus narcissi are these narcissi with tiny, flattened cups. Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus, one of the most recent narcissi to flower, is the actual pheasant’s eye or poet’s daffodil. It has creamier petals than “Actaea,” is more elegant, and has a stronger fragrance. It is one of the earliest varieties of narcissi still growing today and is planted for perfume in the South of France and the Netherlands. The aroma is sweet and rich, probably less orangey than Narcissus tazetta, and it has hyacinth and jasmine undertones.
The name “jonquil” is applied to any multi-headed, single-flowered narcissus, despite the fact that there is a species of narcissus that is especially related to it. It is also used to produce a soft, pleasant scent and a pale yellow color. One of the so-called “jonquils,” Narcissus odorus has small, double, golden-yellow flowers with a great scent as well as slender leaves and brilliant green bloom stalks. I accidentally purchased this kind, believing I had purchased one with more flowers, and I have it naturalized in grass. It is beautifully fragrant, has a fine and delicate habit, and typically only has one bloom stem. Though it seems to be rarely provided commercially, it is definitely worth keeping an eye out for.
What scent do daffodils have?
Have you ever attempted to smell a daffodil or wondered what the lovely Narcissus family member smells like?
While there are roughly 26 different types of wild daffodils, many of the hybrid and over-bred bulbs you find in some garden centers today (there are several hundred cultivated variations) won’t create a scent. As a result, there are numerous diverse odors, but the usual olfactory profile of Narcissus is as follows:
Narcissus oil has a powerful and robust aroma. It had hints of jasmine and hyacinth as well as dark green leaves.
Additionally, we were able to detect some kinds with “spicy” undertones and others with “musky” or “vanilllic” tones.
Hyacinth, lily of the valley, and narcissus are all considered “green-florals” in general.
What scent do white daffodils have?
In the realm of flowers, paperwhite narcissus are the finest. They have a rich scent that some find irresistible, but to others, they smell like a combination between filthy socks and cat pee.
Paperwhites are a kind of narcissus, just as daffodils. However, these are delicate bulbs that are indigenous to Mediterranean climates without frost. Only growth zones 8 to 11 in the US are suitable for growing paperwhite narcissus during the winter. The bulbs are grown indoors over the winter in colder climates. Paperwhites don’t require a cold period before blooming, like amaryllis. Additionally, they bloom quite quickly—typically one month after planting.
Why Is the Fragrance of Paperwhites so Polarizing?
Flowers have scent thanks to natural, organic substances that plants create. Although a plant’s primary objective is to draw pollinators, most of the time people also enjoy the smells.
Indole is the naturally occurring molecule that gives paperwhite narcissus its characteristic scent. Orange flowers, gardenias, jasmine, tuberose, and other plants can all release indole. The fragrance of indole, especially in big quantities, is not to everyone’s taste. It has a sweetness that simultaneously repels and draws us. The biological substance indole is present in all aspects of the natural world, including feces, dead animals, body odor, and even crops like broccoli and kale.
Indole is frequently used in perfumery because it offers a fruity, floral aroma in low doses. Indole is used in perfumes like La Vie La Mort, Carnal Flower, and even Chanel No. 5 to enhance their seductive appeal.
Too much of a good thing?
If there is a member of your family who does not enjoy the sweet and musky aroma of paperwhites, plant only a few bulbs at a time for small bouquets. One or two bulbs should be placed on top of a few inches of stones in the bottom of a canning jar. Water should then be added until it almost reaches the bottom of the bulbs (learn more about growing paperwhites here: All About Paperwhites).
Different varieties of paperwhites have varying amounts of indole in them. Generally speaking, yellow-flowered varieties like “Grand Soleil D’Or” and “Wintersun” have a lighter, sweeter scent. If you decide to try them, keep in mind that the bulbs tend to produce smaller flower clusters and that these rarer kinds can be challenging to locate.
The majority of paperwhite bulbs are produced in Israel, and breeders are now developing new kinds with reduced amounts of indole. Future alternatives are something we’re looking forward to!
BUY paperwhites RIGHT HERE. You might be interested in reading: 6 Tips for Cultivating Paperwhite Narcissus for additional information on growing paperwhite narcissus.
Responses
As someone who doesn’t enjoy the scent of either broccoli or paperwhites, I thought this to be fascinating!
Onions and paperwhites are unrelated. It can simply be the aroma of fresh growth and roots.
I was given some paperwhites that looked like the ones in the image above. It smelled so awful to me that I actually believed my home had a gas leak. I didn’t know the foul stench was coming from the flower until I was cleaning the house in preparation for someone to check for the gas leak.
hahah. Amazing story. One woman’s gas leak is another woman’s perfume, as the saying goes.
To me, they have a perfume- and urine-like odor. LOL You can’t compete with their beauty, though. When it’s chilly and gloomy outside, I love having them blossoming away indoors. Simply said, I never cultivate more than one or two bulbs at once, and I never do it in a confined space.
I only came upon this article after suspecting that something was decaying in my garbage disposal. It turned out to be a narcissus. To me, it smells like a baby diaper or rotting pickled vegetables. But they are gorgeous.
A few bulbs were given to me by a neighbor or friend. Unaware of what they were, she had received some and kept some for herself. My spouse sent texts to various people because we were curious. One of them described who they are to us. I found this website when searching Google for the smell. The responses were fascinating to read. In light of the current chaos in our world, I desperately wanted to chuckle.
A few of these were brought home by my mother from work, so. They were discounted, and they ARE quite lovely. They arrived with the bulb resting in the opening of a glass vase containing water. They were already around 1 foot 12 inches tall. For a week, I kept them indoors in the sun. They began to BLOOOM! I was like, “YES!” until I smelled them. Needless to say, I’d been searching for that stench of rotting meat and had finally discovered it. However, they are extremely lovely. I can’t wait to plant them outside, where it will be much fresher.
Hello, and many thanks for the humor. Just cultivate paperwhites in growth zones 8–11 to ensure they survive the winter. Forced bulbs that are grown indoors don’t usually blossom again. But it’s worth a go if you reside in a warm environment!
I recently purchased 4 from TJ’s in a box that are nearly ready to bloom. I was looking for a jackpot like a plumeria. Fortunately, they are next to an open window and it is the 80s. Very intriguing remarks. I appreciate the forum.
This is so intriguing! I’m now planting my first batch of paperwhites, and when only one bloomed, I was completely in love with the aroma and rushed online to learn more about it. It appears that I am a minority! Perhaps it’s simply the case that only one of the bulbs has bloomed. Lol.
The medicinal smell is pleasant. Additionally, it’s great to have them on my cocktail table white and spotless while everything outside is brown.
They are my first plants that I am growing. To me, the aroma is strong, beginning out sweet before quickly changing to nasty. However, the smell is not so strange that I would stop growing them. It has been entertaining to see them emerge, develop, bud, and flower.
They smell to me like the large jars of white paste from 1960 that we used in elementary school. I must admit that I enjoy the flavor!
I though I detected a faint plastic odor or perhaps the beginnings of orange peel fermentation. After some time, I figured out it was coming from the paperwhites. It wasn’t unpleasant, just strange and strangely familiar, like DMT, if you’ve ever smelled it. Then, this article explained everything: indoles are the source of this distinctive perfume! Now that I know it comes from a natural growing process, I like this distinct perfume.
Hey Mark
I’m so happy that knowing the science has made it easier for you to appreciate the distinctive aroma of the paperwhite!
I’ve previously stayed at my sister’s home. In my bedroom, there was a hamster. I assumed the hamster home was the source of the odor I could not stand. I couldn’t figure it out, not even after I moved the small man and the room STILL smelled! It took a day or two before the lightbulb eventually turned on. A pot of the adorable little buggers that was given to me is giving off a slight aroma as I type. They are now in the laundry room after being moved from the kitchen. I hope it’s sufficiently enough away. I appreciate the article.
Because it’s going to freeze tonight, I brought my paperwhites inside today. All day, I kept smelling what I thought was pee, but it turned out to be the paperwhites. They are lovely, and I adore them, so I simply relocated them to my rear Florida room. Tomorrow, when it warms up, I can place them back on my front porch.
Yes, when I picked these out for myself for Mother’s Day, my first reaction was, “Damn it, the cat peed on something again!” I now realize that I should keep them away from the cats to prevent territorial peeing. Am I right?