With a diploma in botany from the NYBG, Katherine Wagner-Reiss has worked as a tour guide at the Garden for two years.
Daffodils, narcissus, and jonquils can blend together in the mind yet are simple to distinguish.
Daffodil is the common name for the more than 50 species of spring-flowering bulbs in the genus Narcissus. One species, Narcissus jonquilla, is known as jonquil in common parlance. When in doubt, call any of these flowers since you can never go wrong “because they are all members of the genus Narcissus.
The asphodel, another stunning flower, also goes by the name of daffodil. Nobody is aware of how the beginning “Eventually, D was added to daffodil. The asphodel is so beautiful that it is thought to grow in the blessed afterlife grounds known as the Elysian Fields in ancient Greek literature. The NYBG Perennial Garden has Asphodelus alba, and I’ll be watching for it to blossom this summer.
the term “The name narcissus comes from the Greek word narke, which means numbness and is also the origin of the word narcotic. Some species of the flower may have been given this name because to its seductive scent. Narcissus is one of the spring flowers I can consistently enjoy in my Connecticut garden since some people equate the name with the poisonous properties of the bulbs and blossoms, a defense against squirrels and deer.
Narcissus is reminiscent of the Greek legend of the same name, in which a gorgeous young man was enthralled by his own image in the lake and pined until he died (thus the word narcissist!). There is debate over whether the flower Narcissus was named after the boy Narcissus, or if there is no relation at all (although it is a beautiful fairy tale to state that Narcissus was transformed into the namesake flower!).
The term “jonquil” comes from the genus Juncus, which includes rushes, whose leaves resemble those of jonquils.
Its own is unique to the New York Botanical Garden “In the Elysian Fields, Daylily/Daffodil Walk, Daffodil Valley, the Rock Garden, and Daffodil Hill, there are tens of thousands of narcissus blooming.
The Garden blooms with tens of thousands of daffodils each year. On Daylily/Daffodil Walk, discover new favorites among the newest hybrids. Also, don’t miss Daffodil Hill in April when it is covered in a sea of yellow and white flowers, including several historic varieties that were established in the early 20th century. Find small species daffodils no taller than three inches in the Rock Garden, and drifts of dazzling color close by in Daffodil Valley, the location of the Murray Liasson Narcissus Collection.
To mark the Garden’s 125th anniversary, the NYBG started a substantial enlargement of the vintage Narcissus plants in this collection in October 2015.
The rarity of white daffodils.
WHY DO DAFFODLIES? Daffodils are perennial, grow quickly, and are marvelously deer- and rodent-resistant.
Having snow? This assortment of varied, lovely, tried-and-true WHITE daffodils is ideal for gardeners in zones 4a–6b(8bWC). We’ll send you three of each of four simple favorites. Three each of “Broughshane,” “Irene Copeland,” “pheasant’s eye,” and “Thalia.” All are simple to grow and will make your upcoming spring even more beautiful!
Double pheasant’s eyes are a snowy white, intensely fragrant, and hardy to zone 3 daffodil that can be found on practically every list from Clusius’ in 1601 through catalogs from the early 1900s. Despite their unpredictable blooming patterns, they thrive in lengthy, chilly springs and moist soils. Zones 3a-6b(8bWC), 4 W-W, 16-18, N. poeticus ‘Plenus’, from Holland. Care and a chart.
A frolicking April Queen who led young and elderly in a joyful dance of spring was the subject of songs by medieval troubadours. This magnificent beauty, which has a cup that is flame-kissed and ruffled, blooms for a longer period of time than any other daffodil we’ve ever cultivated. Let’s dance! 2 W-YYO, 16–18, from Holland, zones 5a–8a(10bWC). Care and a chart.
“The greatest double daffodil of them all? In 1914, the famous E.A. Bowles praised its “especially elegant outline” and the “charming mixing of its silver and gold,” and he was right. ‘Argent’ is bursting with the excitement of spring, with long white petals pushing out from a flurry of small, bright, yellow ones. from the union of the powerful “Van Sion” and “Ornatus.” Zones 4a-7b (9bWC), 4 W-Y, 14–16, from Holland. Care and a chart.
“Avalanche” would be sporting Olympic gold if daffodils were flowers instead of people. Extra robust and bearing 15 to 20 fragrant blossoms on each stem, it is so hardy that it was found clinging to a sea cliff in the Scilly Isles in 1906, where tazettas had been cultivated in great numbers in the 19th century. It grows well in zones 6a through 9b (11bWC) and is simple to force on pebbles for a tasty winter treat. From Holland, 8 W-Y, ages 16 to 18. Care and a chart.
This adorable little RHS AGM winner has been dubbed “the ideal garden-sized intermediate daffodil. Its vibrant yellow petals and fiery orange-rimmed cup may be overpowering if its blossoms were any larger, but to us, they seem just rightperky and full of life, like the feisty tiny roosters it is named after. 2 Y-YOO, from Holland, late blooming, 14–16, zones 4a–8a(10aWC). Care and a chart.
This unique beauty, which was formerly hailed as a bigger, better “Conspicuus,” has silky primrose petals and an orange-kissed cup. One of our three favorite heirlooms, according to our friend Ron Scamp of Cornwall, who has spent his life cultivating daffodils and producing new varieties that consistently win awards. By the noble Rev. Engleheart, from Holland, 3 Y-YYO, 16-18, zones 5a-7b(9bWC), father of “Beersheba,” “White Lady,” and other timeless classics. Care and a chart.
Limit 10, please.
named for the little Irish town where its founder Guy Wilson was born. Beefy ‘Broughshane,’ the maestro of white daffodils of the 20th century, stands out with attractive blue-green, almost leek-like leaves, creamy white petals, and a deeply ruffled trumpet of white with traces of amber. Zones 4a-7b (9bWC), 1 W-W, 18-20, from Holland. Care and a chart.
Buyers should exercise caution because this cute name is frequently misapplied to many varieties of double yellow daffodils. Ours is the genuine Southern heritage that is hardy north to zone 5 and has long been a cherished and passed-down plant. Shorter petals that range in color from gold to almost orange and even black are scattered among its gentle yellow petals. It was described by William Robinson as being “handsome and profuse” in The English Flower Garden. Also known as N. incomparabilis aurantius plenus, from Holland, 4 Y-Y, 16-18, zones 5b-8b(10bWC). Care and a chart.
Limit 25, please.
According to the legendary Henry Mitchell, “there is nothing better, still unequalled for planting in quantity. “Carlton,” which has a little vanilla aroma, grows quickly from North Dakota to Florida and beyond. It is also reasonably priced. Zones 3a–9a (11bWC), 2 Y–Y, from Holland, ages 18–20. Care and a chart.
One of the major accomplishments of the Victorian daffodil revival was the beautiful flower cultivar known as “Barrii Conspicuus,” which was delicate looking but strong-growing. A clump in bloom can make you think of a variety of old butterflies with its fluttering petals and cup’s crinkled, orange rim. Study more. Zones 4a-7b(10bWC), 3 Y-YYO, 14–16, from Holland. Care and a chart.