Narcissus Cotinga

The Narcissus 'Cotinga' is an astonishing variety of small size, carrying on top of a short stem large flowers that seem to be turned up by a spring breeze, with a white corolla and a pink trumpet. It also has the advantage of flowering from the end of winter in flower beds and rockeries, at the same time as early flowering botanic tulips and the last crocuses. It is a vigorous plant that is easy to grow in well-drained, hardy soil and settles quietly in the garden. The dwarf varieties are ideal for ornamenting rockeries and flower pots.

The Narcissus 'Cotinga', a horticultural hybrid born in the USA in 1976 from the cross-breeding of the variety 'Mitylene' and the Narcissus cyclamineus, belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. The Narcissus genus includes about 50 species found mainly in Western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia. The cyclamineus botanical species, its parent, is native to the northwest of Portugal and the northwest of Spain, and gets its name from its outer petals which form a completely reflexed corolla, like cyclamens. This characteristic is often greatly attenuated in its hybrid descendants.

This small, vigorous plant reaches about 15-20 cm (6-8in) in height for the foliage, 25-30 cm (10-12in) in bloom. Its bi-coloured flowers, of a good size, are composed of a corolla of ivory white and upturned petals, on which a rather long, undulate, flared corona is inserted, with a tender salmon pink colour that is slightly darker at the edges. It is a robust plant despite its small size, with early flowering, which naturalises itself in the garden within 3 or 4 years through the production of bulblets. Its foliage, very fine, is a slightly glaucous green.

The Narcissus 'Cotinga' grows well in any well-drained and loosened soil, but the results are less good in soils that are too humid, especially in summer, or excessively acidic. There is such a choice of varieties among narcissus that you can enjoy them for three months in spring without getting tired for a single moment. They naturalise themselves easily and all share a love of yellow and white, and often sweet-scented perfumes. So many reasons to grow them in large clumps (at least 20 bulbs) for an enhanced effect. Associate the narcissus 'Cotinga', in natural-looking flower beds and rockeries, with muscari, squills, crocuses, and hyacinths, accompany them with early flowering botanic tulips but also with forget-me-nots, pansies or liverworts. In pots, this narcissus is also perfect.

Daffodil or Narcissus? Botanically speaking, daffodils are part of the narcissus family. They have flowers grouped in twos or more and their corolla forms a campanulate trumpet that is longer than it is wide. The botanical species have the charm of wild plants and thrive in rockeries: N. bulbocodium, N. canaliculatus, N. juncifolius, N. pseudonarcissus, the simple daffodil of the woods, are among the prettiest. For bouquets, we advise you not to mix narcissus with other flowers such as tulips, as the stems of narcissus contain a substance that quickly withers other flowers. This detrimental effect on other types of flowers can be reduced by dipping the ends of narcissus stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.