Award-winning Narcissus ‘Thalia,’ often known as the Orchid Narcissus, is a fantastic Triandrus Daffodil that produces enormous, softly nodding, pure white flowers in the middle of spring gardens. It is also highly robust and fragrant. Each delicate bloom has up to 3–4 petals that are slightly arched and a strong cup with a flange. This outstanding daffodil is long-lived, a fantastic naturalizer, and spreads rapidly. Thalia was introduced in 1916 and is still incredibly well-liked today.
Do daffodils emit a scent?
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.
Do King Alfred daffodils smell good?
The traditional Narcissus poeticus ‘Recurvus,’ sometimes referred to as ‘Pheasant’s Eye, is one of the fragrant daffodils of spring.
Hyacinths and lily-of-the-valley are typically the first spring bulbs that come to mind when you think of aromatic flowers.
You might be surprised to learn that the huge daffodil family has a number of “families” or classes distinguished by their pleasant, springtime aroma.
Avoid cultivars of the traditional golden trumpet daffodils, such as “King Alfred,” which were first grown in 1899 and are still in production. These, sadly, have a smell that you wouldn’t precisely classify as a fragrance—kind it’s of faintly vegetable.
The jonquilla and tazetta groups, both of which produce multiple tiny blossoms per stem, are where you’ll mostly find the perfumed varieties. Old-fashioned poeticus varieties and gussied-up double-flowered varieties, which have little in common with the recognizable trumpet daffodil, are among the more fragrant features.
By the way, unlike the delicate, too sweet-smelling paperwhite narcisscus, a Mediterranean bulb that doesn’t need a period of cold weather to blossom, sturdy daffodils don’t have a cloying, overly sweet aroma. Hardy dafs have a lighter, more enticing scent that is best savored up close, like when you cut a couple of these springtime beauties for the first bouquet of the year.
When buying daffodils, keep an eye out for some of these adorable details:
– The cultivars “Sweetness,” “Trevithian,” “Fruit Cup,” “Stratosphere,” and “Pipit” of jonquilla.
– “Canarybird,” “Cragford,” “Geranium,” “Falconet,” “Avalanche,” and “Golden Dawn” are among the tazaettas.
– “Actaea,” “Cantabile,” “Green Pearl,” and “Pheasant’s Eye” are included in the poeticus class.
“Cheerfulness,” “Yellow Cheerfulness,” “Erlicheer,” and “Sir Winston Churchill” are among the doubles.
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Which daffodils bloom the best?
The recognizable daffodil is enormous, yellow, and has a huge cup. King Alfred was the preferred cultivar for many years, but it is no longer grown. Instead, go for Yellow River or Dutch Master. Both feature enormous trumpet-shaped, egg-yellow blooms. These traditional yellow daffodils are excellent for naturalizing and massing. They have an assertive presence in the environment and bloom early.
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?
Do daffodils have a jasmine-like scent?
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.
Which flower has the nicest scent?
ten of the greatest scented flowers
- Rose. Roses have a powerful, enduring, and iconic aroma that brings to mind old-fashioned English country gardens.
- Lily. The lily has a remarkable knack for drawing attention in your house.
- Freesia. The crisp perfume of freesia is one of the few scents that screams “spring.”
- Gardenia.
- Lavender.
- Hyacinth.
- Tuberose.
- Lilac.
A trumpet daffodil is what?
The trumpet daffodil is a perennial herb with bulbs that can reach a height of 11.2 feet. It blooms in the early spring. This plant can be identified by its single flowers, which have corona tubes that are at least as long as the length of the petal. This plant spreads readily and is suitable for naturalizing. This plant can withstand both drought and heat. Extremely wet conditions are intolerable to it. Bone meal or superphosphate put to the planting hole is beneficial to it. Plant 4-5″ below the soil’s surface six weeks before the first freeze. After the foliage has naturally browned, trim it back. Due to the presence of harmful alkaloids, this plant is resistant to pests and diseases.
Fast ID hints
- As long as or longer than perianth segments is the corona (trumpet).
- one blossom per stem
- Yellow and usually concolorous