Photo: Zachi Evenor, CC BY 2.0 · source
Bulb or tuber · Amaryllidaceae
Bunch-flowered daffodil
Narcissus tazetta
In other languages: Trosnarcis (Nederlands) · Narcisse à bouquet (Français)
The bunch-flowered daffodil comes from the Mediterranean region and has been grown for centuries, as far away as China and Japan. Unlike most daffodils, each stem carries not one flower but a whole cluster of three to fifteen small blooms, usually with white petals and a small yellow or orange cup. The flowers have a sweet, strong scent, so a few stems will fill a whole room. In the garden it flowers in March and April, but because it needs no cold spell to bloom, it is also often forced indoors. Well-known cultivars of the Tazetta group are ‘Geranium’, white with an orange cup, and the golden-yellow ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’.
Caution: All parts are poisonous, especially the bulb. Children can mistake the bulb for an onion or shallot: keep bulbs out of their reach. Dogs, cats and grazing animals such as horses also fall ill if they eat bulbs or leaves. The sap from the stems can irritate the skin: wear gloves if you pick a lot.
Light
Full sun
warm and bright
Moisture
Dry to normal
no wet feet
Legal basis
Sand or loam
neutral to chalky
Hardiness
down to -8 °C
protect in harsh winters
Size
0.4 m
tall, 0.1 m wide
Flowering
March–April
| Height | 0.4 m |
|---|---|
| Native to Belgium | No, planted |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Yes, take care with children and pets |
| Flowering | March–April |
Identify
Bunch-flowered daffodil: how do you recognise it?
- Habit
- Upright clump of 30–45 cm tall, with sturdy flower stems above the leaves.
- Leaves
- Strap-shaped, 1–2 cm wide, blue-green; they appear early, sometimes as soon as autumn or winter.
- Flower
- Clusters of three to fifteen flowers 3–4 cm across, with white or yellow petals and a small, saucer-shaped cup in yellow or orange.
- Scent
- Sweet and powerful; indoors it can be overwhelming.
- Bulb
- Large, egg-shaped bulb with a brown tunic, forming offsets after a few years.
Flowering: March–April · Plants: September–November
In your garden
Why grow it?
- Several flowers per stem and a sweet, powerful scent, in the garden and in the vase.
- An excellent cut flower that stays fresh for a long time.
- You can also bring it into flower indoors in a bowl of gravel and water, with no cold period.
- An early spring flower for a warm spot against a wall or in a pot on the patio.
- Mice and rabbits usually leave the poisonous bulbs alone.
Bunch-flowered daffodil: where does it grow best?
- Full sun and a warm, sheltered spot, for example in front of a south-facing wall or in a raised bed.
- Free-draining soil: sand or loam, neutral to chalky. In heavy, wet soil the bulb rots and is more easily killed by frost.
- Dry to moderately moist: in summer the bulb prefers to rest warm and dry, as in its homeland.
- Plant 10–15 cm apart, in groups of five to ten.
- A pot 25–30 cm across holds six to eight bulbs.
- Light
- Sun
- Soil type
- Sand or loam
- Acidity
- Neutral or chalky
- Moisture
- Dry or normal
- Size
- 0.4 m tall, 0.1 m wide
- Hardiness
- Half hardy (to -8 °C): protect it in harsh winters
Goes well with
- Grape hyacinth: A blue pool at its feet, flowering at the same time and happy in the same sunny spot.
- Grecian windflower: Low blue or white stars around the daffodils in early spring.
- Rosemary: A Mediterranean shrub for the same warm, dry spot against a wall.
- Spurge: The evergreen Mediterranean spurge with yellow-green flower heads blooms at the same time and likes the same dry soil.
Maintenance
Bunch-flowered daffodil: when and how to plant it?
Plant in September–November.
- Plant the bulbs in September–October, in November at the latest.
- Choose the warmest spot in the garden and improve heavy soil with grit or gravel.
- Plant the bulbs 10–15 cm deep, about three times their own height, pointed end up.
- Space the bulbs 10–15 cm apart.
- Water after planting if the soil is dry.
- After the first frost, lay a loose mulch of straw or leaves over the planting spot.
Care
- Water
- Rarely needed in the garden; in a dry spring, water until the leaves turn yellow. Keep pots dry in summer.
- Feeding
- After flowering, some compost or bulb fertiliser so the bulb can recharge for next year.
- Deadheading
- Snip off faded flowers so the plant does not set seed; leave the stem and leaves.
- Foliage
- Leave the leaves for at least six weeks after flowering, until they turn yellow. Do not knot them.
- Forcing
- In October–November, set bulbs close together in a bowl of gravel with water up to just below the bulbs. They flower after a few weeks; after that they are exhausted.
- Cut flowers
- Stand freshly cut stems on their own in water for a few hours first: the sap from the stems makes other flowers in the vase wilt sooner.
Tip: Plant the bunch-flowered daffodil in front of a south-facing wall, where the soil stays dry and warm in summer: the bulb ripens better and survives the winter more easily.
Bunch-flowered daffodil: when to prune it?
When: The bunch-flowered daffodil is not pruned. After flowering, remove the faded flowers and let the leaves die back naturally.
How:
- Cut off faded flower clusters just below the blooms or at the base of the stem.
- Leave the leaves until they are yellow and limp, usually in June; then pull them away gently.
- Never mow or cut off the green leaves: they feed the bulb for next year’s flowers.
Caution: Wear gloves if you pick a lot of stems: the sap can irritate the skin.
Propagation
- Offsets
- After a few years the bulb forms offsets. Lift the clump in June once the leaves have died back, separate the bulbs, store them dry and airy and replant them in September.
- Seed
- Possible but slow: seedlings take four to five years to flower and cultivars do not come true from seed.
Bunch-flowered daffodil: how does it get through the winter?
Hardy to −8 °C: protect in harsh winters.
- Less hardy than most daffodils: the bulb tolerates about −8 °C. In a severe Belgian winter it can be killed by frost, especially in wet soil.
- The leaves appear early and can be damaged by frost. In hard frost, cover the spot with straw, leaves or fleece.
- A warm spot against a south-facing wall and free-draining soil are the best protection.
- In hard frost, move pots into a cool, frost-free shed or garage, then back outside into the light afterwards.
Diseases and pests
- Narcissus fly: A maggot eats the bulb from the inside: soft bulbs, a few narrow, grassy leaves and no flowers. Throw away affected bulbs and cover the planting spot with soil or mulch as the leaves die back, so the fly cannot reach the bulb so easily.
- Basal rot: The bulb turns soft and brown from the base, often after a wet spell. Throw away diseased bulbs and plant in free-draining soil.
- No flowers: Leaves but no flowers: the bulbs are too crowded or too shallow, or the leaves were cut off too early. Divide congested clumps and let the foliage die back.
- Frost damage: Brown, limp leaf tips and buds after hard frost. Cover the plants during a cold spell or choose a warmer spot.
Through the year
- January: Cover with straw or fleece in hard frost.
- February: Leaves and buds appear. Cover in hard frost.
- March: Flowering. Cut stems for the vase.
- April: Last flowers. Remove faded blooms and give some bulb fertiliser.
- May: Leave the foliage until it turns yellow.
- June: Tidy away the leaves. Lift congested clumps and separate offsets.
- September: Plant bulbs 10–15 cm deep in a warm spot.
- October: Plant. Set bulbs in a bowl of gravel and water indoors.
- November: Last chance to plant. Bring more bulbs into flower indoors.
- December: Forced bulbs flower indoors. Outside, cover in hard frost.
Use
Edible and useful
Not edible. All parts of daffodils are poisonous, especially the bulbs: they are regularly mistaken for onions or shallots, and the leaves for leeks or wild garlic. So never store the bulbs with the vegetables in the kitchen or cellar. The sap from the stems irritates the skin and makes other flowers in a vase wilt sooner. Also poisonous to dogs and cats. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.
You and this species
Did you know?
- A form of the bunch-flowered daffodil has been grown in China for centuries and is traditionally brought into flower indoors around Chinese New Year.
- The name tazetta comes from the Italian tazzetta, little cup, and refers to the small cup of the flower.
- Because tazetta daffodils need no cold period, you can bring them into flower indoors without any pre-treatment, in a bowl of water and gravel.