Daffodil (Narcissus) Butterfly
THE FALL SALE OF 2024 IS NOW CLOSED. NEW VARIETIES OF DAFFODIL WILL BE ADDED FOR NEXT YEAR WITH PRE ORDERING OPENING JUNE 1, 2025.
These extravagant Narcissi have the unusual characteristic of having a split or broken corona, resembling a butterfly. The result is a frilly flower whose corona (cup) is flattened and interwoven into the outer petals. Blooms are very large at 4-5" across on many of them and with flower heads facing upwards, they make a marvelous show for your late Spring garden. Deer resistant, these are best planted in groups. Planted in the Fall, they make excellent cut flowers. Sold as single varieties or in a bundle of 35 bulbs with 7 of each variety so you can try them all.
Native mainly to the Mediterranean, narcissi were grown by the Egyptians and Greeks and brought into English gardens by the 1200s. While thousands of new tulips and hyacinths were being developed, the number of daffodils grew slowly. Maybe 50 date to before 1700, another 350 by 1860. But then a couple of British enthusiasts set to work and from 1860 to 1900 roughly 1000 new varieties were introduced. By 1930 there were another 6000, making the early 20th century a Golden Age. Sadly only a fraction of those varieties survive today.
Check the tab on Flower Care for planting instructions