NARCISSUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



NARCISSUS. 



581 



crowns, such as " Southern Star," Lettice 

 Harmer, Red Prince, Beacon, and White 

 Queen. There are three or four hand- 

 some double forms of AT. incomparabilis, 

 long known in gardens. The most abun- 

 dant of these is incomparabilis fl.-pl. 

 (Butter and Eggs). There is a white 

 variety, with vermilion chalice segments, 

 known as Eggs and Bacon or Orange 

 Phoenix ; and a pale sulphur double called 

 Sulphur Kroon, which is exquisite if well 

 grown. Sulphur Kroon is often known as 

 Codlins and Cream. 



Of Barr's Peerless (N. Barrii, hybrids), 

 the best are Conspicuus and Sensation, 

 but Golden Star, Crown Prince, Flora 

 Wilson, Miriam, Barton, Orphee, General 

 Murray, Albatross, Sea Gull, Maurice 

 Vilmorin, and Dorothy E. Wemyss are all 

 good, and are useful for extended culture 

 on grass or for cut flowers. 



The Burbidge hybrids are like the 

 Barrii forms, but have small crowns. 

 Their chief value lies in the freedom and 

 earliness of their bloom, as they open 

 days before even ornatus the early April 

 form of N. poeticus. The best varieties 

 are Burbidgei (type), Agnes Barr, Beatrice 

 Heseltine, Baroness Heath, Constance, 

 Crown Princess, Ellen Barr, John Bain. 

 Little Dirk, Model, Mrs Krelage, and 

 Mary. 



Of Leeds' Silver Star forms the best are 

 exquisite on good sandy soils, and their 

 whiteness, delicate purity, and grace 

 render them most acceptable as cut 

 flowers. The best are : N. Leedsii (type), 

 amabilis, Beatrice, Hon. Mrs Barton, 

 Katherine Spurrell, Duchess of West- 

 minster, Madge Matthew, elegans, Minnie 

 Hume, superbus, Princess of Wales, Mag- 

 dalina de Graaff, Gem, Grand Duchess, 

 Acis, and Palmerston. Hume's hybrids 

 are deformed Daffodils, the best being 

 Giant and concolor. Sabine's hybrid (N. 

 Sabinei) is a bold white bicolor, with a 

 shortened trumpet, and so are the so- 

 called Backhouse hybrids Wolley Dod 

 and William Wilks, a shapely and effec- 

 tive flower of good substance and with 

 vigorous leaves. 



More starry, but with smaller cups, 

 are Nelson's hybrids ; tall, free, and dis- 

 tinct habit ; the best, Nelsoni major, 

 minor, pulchellus (perfect shape), Mrs C. J. 

 Backhouse, aurantius (orange-red cup), 

 and William Backhouse. Collected bulbs 

 of N. Bernardi are very variable in size 

 and form, and some, like E. Buxton, have 

 fine orange-red cups, which resemble 

 Nelson's aurantius. N. tridymus is a 

 variable hybrid between the Daffodil and 

 N. Tazetta, with two or three flowers on 

 a scape. 



N. JONQUILLA (Jonquil). Long known 

 in gardens, and imported from Italy and 

 Holland for forcing in pots. Much grown 

 at Grasse, Cannes, etc., for its perfume. 

 N. stellaris has narrow perianth lobes, and 



N. jonquilloides is a robust form from 

 Spain. The varieties gracilis and tenuior 

 are now supposed to be hybrids between 

 the Jonquil and some other species, or 

 between N. intermedius and juncifolius, 

 N. intermedius itself being a hybrid be- 

 tween some form of N. Tazetta and the 

 Jonquil. The Jonquil, when strongly 

 grown on a warm border, is handsome 

 and very sweet-scented, and N. gracilis is 

 the latest of all single Narcissi, as it blooms 

 with N. poeticus fl.-pl. in May or early 

 June. The double Jonquil is rarely seen 

 doing well in open ground, but as a pot- 

 plant it is handsome. S. France and 

 Spain. 



N. JUNCIFOLIUS (Rush Jonquil). A 

 small plant, suitable only for sheltered 

 borders, for stone edgings, and for pot- 

 culture in a cold frame. It is very vari- 

 able, and rupicola, minutiflorus, and 

 scaberulus are well-known variations. 

 Its small Jonquil-scented flowers have 

 very large cups, often widely expanded, 

 which are crenelate at their edges. The 

 var. rupicola flowers and seeds annually 

 in the Rock Garden at Edinburgh Botani- 

 cal Gardens, and seems hardier than the 

 type. 



N. ODORUS (Great Jonquil). This 

 plant, although found wild in S. France, 

 Portugal, and N. Spain, is now believed 

 to be a hybrid N. jonquilla x N. pseudo- 

 narcissus. The leaves are rushy, and two 

 or three yellow starry flowers are borne 

 on each scape. The best kinds are N. 

 odorus (Campernelle) and rugulosus, a 

 more robust form, with larger flowers. 

 A double form, very handsome on warm 

 soils, is known as Queen Anne's Jonquil. 



N. POETICUS (Poet's or Pheasant's-eye 

 Narcissus). One of the oldest and most 

 popular of garden flowers, and errone- 

 ously supposed to be the Narcissus of the 

 Greek poets. It is widely distributed in 

 France and Germany, and extends to the 

 Pyrenees. In upland meadows of the 

 Pyrenees it is very abundant in June and 

 July. It flowers from the beginning of 

 April until June. The older forms of 

 N. poeticus are now far surpassed by 

 Mr Engleheart's new seedlings, such as ' 

 Dante, Petrarch, and many others. N. 

 ornatus is now grown by the million for 

 Easter decoration. N. grandiflorus is a 

 very large floppy variety, N. poetarum 

 has a saffron-red crown, and N. tripodalis 

 has reflexed segments and a bold crimson- 

 scarlet ring. The typical N. poeticus is a 

 tall plant, with a small shapely flower, 

 but is not often seen. N. Marvel has a 

 bladder-like spathe like an Allium, and a 

 pale and shapely flower. N. patellaris 

 has a broad crown and a saffron rim, and 

 blooms late ; but the form usually met 

 with early in May is N. recurvus, the 

 Pheasant's-eye of cottage gardens. N. 

 recurvus has a green eye and a crimson- 

 fringed crown. All the forms, especially 



