Narcissus Tazetta:The Bunch-Flowering Daffodil (Division 8)

Narcissus tazetta,also known as the bunch flowering daffodil,is the oldest type of garden narcissus.Narcissus tazetta bulbs were grown in ancient Greece and Egypt and have been grown in Northern Europe for at least 500 years.

Tazetta daffodils have a strong fragrance and are usually the  flowers used for extracting narcissus absolute essential oil. The scent is sweet with fruity or slightly musky notes and is often mixed with other floral and herbal oils to produce some of the world's most prized and expensive perfumes.

Narcissus Tazetta Is Native To The Mediterranean

Division 8 daffodils are native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean but have spread to grow all over Europe and Asia and parts of  Africa. They have also naturalized in many parts of the Southeastern U.S.

Narcissus tazetta easily forms natural hybrids when several varieties are grown near each other and plant breeders often cross tazettas with daffodils from other divisions, especially narcissus jonquilla and poeticus, to increase the hardiness and bloom count.Tazetta daffodils that have been crossed with poeticus types are called poetaz and usually have pure white petals and a strong,spicy scent.

Tazetta daffodils are called bunch-flowering for good reason. This narcissus has at least three and up to twenty flowers on each stem. The stems of tazettas are stout and thick so the large clusters of flowers are well supported.

Tazettas Thrive In Deep South Gardens
Along with Jonquils,tazetta daffodils are some of the best types of daffodils for southern gardens. They will reliably flower and multiply even along the gulf coast where most other types of daffodils won't.

There are many tazetta daffodils that have naturalized in the warmer parts of the deep south. These daffodils with white petals and yellow cups carry names like Grand Primo and Seventeen Sisters,reflecting their large clusters of blooms. Each area seems to have its own daffodils of this type that escaped cultivation in an earlier era. They are sometimes called cream narcissus and are passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation.

Some of the best varieties of narcissus tazetta for the home garden are Geranium and Cragford (both poetaz hybrids from the early 20th century) which have white petals and orange cups and Minnow,a popular miniature daffodil with white petals and yellow cups.Falconet and Martinette are two types with yellow flowers and dark,almost red cups.

Cheerfulness,Bridal Crown (double Cragford) and Sir Winston Churchill(double Geranium) are double flowered tazettas (Division 4) that bloom a little later than their single forms and should be included in every southern garden. 

Although these cluster-flowering daffodils thrive in southern gardens they will usually survive further north with some winter protection. They probably won't be reliable naturalizers in northern gardens,though.

Most Division 8 daffodils are late mid season bloomers but there are very early and late blooming varieties.The later blooming types have the best chance of perennializing in colder climates.

Tazetta daffodils are also a good choice for western gardens. Like most other daffodils,the bulbs thrive on hot, dry summers. If you grow daffodils in the dessert they will need watering and fertilizing while they are growing and blooming.

Narcissus tazetta is the best type of daffodil for indoor forcing because it doesn't need a chilling period like other types. Of course paperwhites are also in the tazetta group and I'll tell you about growing them in my next post.


*Photos from Wikimedia Commons