Golden Trumpets That Stand So Proud (Narcissus)

Member Name: freeandsingle

Product:	Narcissus
Date:	13/03/09 (158 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A beautiful sight

Disadvantages: none

The Daffodil (Narcissus)

The best way to describe a daffodil is to quote the first verse of that famous poem by William Wordsworth:

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I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
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****The Importance of this flower****

The daffodil is the National flower for Wales and it is traditional to wear one for Saint David's Day on the 1st March some people say that its name maybe came from the Welsh name 'Dafydd.'

People associate it with Easter and of course Mothers Day.

Marie Curie Cancer Care uses them to raise funds believing they symbolise 'new hope and life.'

The Chinese believe that if they can get a Daffodil to bloom at New Year they will have good luck through out that year.

Scientists are working on a medicine to fight Alzheimer's by using a substance from the bulb of a daffodil called 'Galanthine.'

****Origin and Availability****

They were first cultivated by the Romans but are grown extensively in the United Kingdom and we export many of them to Holland.
The Isle of Scilly start the season off in October and they go on until April in the United Kingdom.

****Varieties****

There are many different types from the small tazetta which have multi leafed curly petals and smell very scenty to the small yellow or white narcissus variety that are ideal in pots, and then of course the large yellow and dark orange trumpet type.

Many colours can be found from shades of yellow white orange and peachy pink.

****My thoughts on the Daffodil****

They are my favourite flower and lift my spirits enormously especially after enduring a cold miserable Winter, the sight of the first sprouting daffodil tells me that Spring is just around the corner.

I do like to have a vase of these wonderful cheery flowers on display in the house and buy them from a supermarket or florist occasionally.

They have a sap that is poisonous to other flowers so it is best to display them in a vase of water on their own for at least 12 hours before mixing with other flowers, kept in a cool room they can last for a week.

I would never pick a wild one or even one from my own garden because they sprout up from the ground like golden trumpets decorating our country side for just a short time in the year and that is a wonderful sight for everyone to enjoy.

Summary: there is nothing more beautiful than a band of golden daffodils