Narcissus cyclamineus Toto

Narcissus 'Toto' is a variety of small daffodil, perfect for borders and sunny rockeries. In early spring, each stem bears up to 3 small flowers with a slightly curled white corolla, equipped with a small yellow trumpet that quickly turns cream. This variety, awarded in England, is a reliable plant that easily naturalises in the garden, in soil that remains slightly moist. It is ideal for creating potted displays from the first beautiful days of spring.

Narcissus 'Toto' was introduced in 1983. It belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. It is the result of cross-breeding between Narcissus jonquilla, a botanical species with yellow flowers and rush-like leaves, and Narcissus cyclamineus 'Jenny'.

The cyclamineus species, from which it originates, is native to northwest Portugal and northwest Spain. It prefers slightly acidic soil that remains moist in summer. It gets its name from its outer petals, which form a completely reflexed corolla, like cyclamens. This characteristic is often greatly reduced in its hybrid descendants.

Narcissus 'Toto' is a small, vigorous plant that does not exceed 20 to 25cm (8 to 10in) in flower. Its flowers, 5.5cm (2in) in diameter, consist of a corolla with slightly translucent and curled petals, on which a short, undulate coronule is inserted. It is a robust plant despite its small size. This early-flowering daffodil blooms in March-April. It naturalises in the garden within 3 or 4 years through bulbil production. Its fine foliage is green-grey in colour.

Narcissus 'Toto' is low-maintenance. It grows in any well-drained and loosened soil, but the results are less satisfactory in excessively wet or overly acidic soils, especially in summer. 

There are so many daffodil cultivars that one can enjoy them for three months in spring without ever getting tired. They all have in common the ability to naturalise easily, to offer an infinite range of yellow and white shades, and to often emit sweet fragrances. Grow them in large clumps in lawns or at the edge of flower beds (at least 20 bulbs) for an enhanced effect. Plant 'Toto’ in beds and rockeries with squills, crocuses, hyacinths, early-flowering botanical tulips, forget-me-nots, pansies, or liverworts. A group of 'Toto’ daffodils in a vase creates a sensational effect. This daffodil is also perfect in pots.

The Narcissus genus includes around 50 species mainly found in Western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia. Botanically speaking, daffodils are narcissus. They bear flowers grouped in pairs or more, and their coronule forms a campanulate trumpet longer than the corolla 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 wood jonquil, are among the prettiest.

For bouquets, we advise against mixing narcissus with other flowers, especially tulips, as daffodil stems contain a substance that causes other flowers to wilt quickly. This detrimental effect on other flower species can be attenuated by dipping the ends of narcissus stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.

Daffodils are among the most resistant autumn bulbs, as long as you choose species and varieties adapted to your climate. In the vast majority of regions, most large-flowered hybrids grow without care and faithfully come back year after year. Unlike perennial plants, they do not require an application of fertiliser before flowering. Only cut the leaves when they have turned yellow and apply fertiliser then. The bulb uses the foliage to replenish its reserves and prepare for next year's flowering.