Narcissus Erlicheer

Narcissus Erlicheer is a wonderful descendant of Narcissus tazetta. This ancient variety is little known, but remarkably floriferous and endowed with irresistible charm. Its flowering starts very early, perfuming the air from the first days of spring. Its lovely little flowers resemble gardenia flowers, both in their well-double structure and in their ivory-white colour, touched with yellow at the heart. They are very fragrant and last a long time in borders, rockeries, and bouquets. This excellent variety as received the Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in England. Rediscover it today!

Narcissus belong to the amaryllidaceae family. The genus Narcissus includes about 50 species found mainly in Western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia.

The 'Erlicheer' narcissus first bloomed in 1934 in New Zealand. It is an old horticultural hybrid, of unknown parentage, but undoubtedly possessing the genes of N. Tazetta, a very robust plant native to the Mediterranean region that can adapt to very diverse climates and conditions. In the wild, this narcissus grows in moist meadows, dry lawns, and scrubland. 'Erlicheer' distinguishes itself with lots of very double flowers on each stem. The plant produces a very sturdy stem, 35-40 cm (14-16in) tall when in bloom. Each stem bears 6 to 8, or even 12 small flowers, not exceeding 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2in) in diameter and very fragrant. The deciduous, linear foliage disappears in summer.

There are so many varieties of narcissus that you can enjoy them for three months in spring without ever getting tired. They can all naturalise easily, have a love for yellow and white, and often emit sweet fragrances. So many reasons to grow them in large clumps (at least 20 bulbs) for a mass effect. Pair 'Erlicheer' in natural borders, with scillas and anemone blanda, botanical tulips, forget-me-nots and small grasses like Stipa. A bunch of Narcissus tazetta in a pot near the house or even in a poorly heated room will give an exceptional fragrance. It is perfect in bouquets.

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 bell-shaped trumpet 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 woodland daffodil, are among the prettiest.  For bouquets, we advise you not to mix narcissus with other flowers like tulips, for example, as the stems of narcissus contain a substance that causes other flowers to wilt quickly. This detrimental effect on other flower species can be mitigated by dipping the ends of narcissus stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.