Narcissus obvallaris (13)

About this cultivar:

Narcissus obvallaris, also known as the Tenby Daffodil, is the original native-ish Daffodil of Britain which was referred to by William Wordsworth in 'I wandered lonely as a cloud'. It is often described as having perfect proportions. Extremely hardy it looks good in rough grass or meadows where it will spread if undisturbed. The neat habit also makes it good for beds and borders. Also try pots and windowboxes!

A BBC Radio 4 program about the Tenby Daffodil can be found here.

• Position: Full sun, partial shade
• Soil: Almost any soil, grows well in Ballyrobert
• Flowers: March, April
• Other features: Suitable for Container, Cut Flowers or Dried Flowers, Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM)
• Hardiness: Fully hardy, grows well in Ballyrobert, H6 - Hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15°C)
• Habit: Clump forming
• Foliage: Deciduous
• Height: 10 - 25 cm (0.3 - 0.8 ft)
• Spread: 5 - 15 cm (0.2 - 0.5 ft)
• Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
• Plant type: Herbaceous Perennial, bulb
• Colour: Green, yellow
• Goes well with: --

About this genus:

Narcissus (nar-sis-us), of which the exact origin of the name is unknown, is often linked to a Greek word for intoxicated (narcotic) and the myth of the youth of that name who fell in love with his own reflection. The English word daffodil appears to be derived from asphodel, with which it was commonly compared.

Species of Narcissus were well known to the ancients both medicinally and botanically, although the genus was not formally described until Linnaeus published his Species Plantarum in 1753. The exact taxonomy remains relatively unsettled, but generally the genus is considered as having about ten sections with approximately 50 species.

Early spring gardens in are not complete without Narcissus (daffodils). There are hundreds of hybrid narcissus cultivars on the market today, mostly in the trumpet daffodil, large cup daffodil, and small cup daffodil categories.

Narcissus prefer full sun and moist, well-drained soil but are otherwise forgiving about their growing conditions. We have masses of them in our damp clay soil at Ballyrobert. When grown in a good site, narcissus will offset slowly to form a small clump of bulbs that can be periodically divided. Narcissus pair well with Muscari, Vinca and other small, spring blooming perennials.