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Nacissus

GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
in Plants
Tete a Tete is a great Narcissus flowering year on year. Are there any others you could recommend that are reliable for long flowering?
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
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  • CebeCebe Posts: 61
    I find tête-à-tête gradually get taller year by year - they still look nice but not as dainty. I have some ‘minnow’ narcissus that have been in a couple of years (& I’ve put more in because I liked them so much) that seem to come back well. (I’m on heavy chalky clay, which is very dry most years - not this year obviously!)
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    I bought Tête-à-tête a couple of years ago and they have been good here too.
    I really like them.

    I have found Thalia to be pretty good. Also ( to my eye) is as dainty if not more so, it is maybe because it is white, but the flowers are still small but slightly more elegant?
    Not sure how to describe it. Tête-à-tête flowers are a little bit ummm. Chunkier? in comparison. 

    We are on vaguely improved clay here, have been growing them in pots too, mostly used to fill gaps in the borders temporarily. But some Thalia are in under a Taxus here and competing with a lot of roots, but manage to do a few years before they stop flowering. But you would usually need to dig and split most daffs over time anyway?
    They seem to do it gradually here, so you can see before they go totally blind.
    The ones in pots seem to do better , perhaps because of the lack of competition.

    I also wanted to try Hawera, and unfortunately the ones I bought a couple of years ago turned out not to be them!
    Forgot about them until now. Must try to remember to try again.

    So basically Thalia has done well for us here in the ground in morning sun partial shade, and in pots.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited October 2023
    I prefer Jetfire, it's a similar size as Tete a Tete so it stays upright, it will also naturalise. I agree with @Rubytoo, Thalia is my all time favourite. It's later to flower so makes a good combination with Jetfire which is early.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I like Thalia as well - in fact I have some more to pot up ready for planting out in spring when I can see where the spaces are. Must get to that this afternoon. Hawera is nice too but I only put those in last year so it's too soon to say whether they repeat. Some of the older tall varieties are reliable as well. I still have some Ice Follies that I planted in 1989 and they haven't missed a year.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • RubytooRubytoo Posts: 1,630
    edited October 2023
    JennyJ said: Some of the older tall varieties are reliable as well. I still have some Ice Follies that I planted in 1989 and they haven't missed a year.
    Beats our Thalia hands down then, that is a good long time, and they do look nice.

    This is a somewhat dodgy photo of Thalia in our "Yew" bed.
    It was a reference photo to remind me of where things are planted.
    That was in 2009 and I only dug them out to redo in 2019 or 2020 as they had started to not flower so actually not bad.
    They were put in pots temporarily and not gone back in yet. "To do" list is long :D



  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Can recommend Jetfire, Tete a Tete, and Thalia and the latter smells fabulous. Hawera is so dainty and almost gets lost in the greenery. Have also grown Sun Disc but this spring something ate the flowers.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2023
    Thankyou. I have grown all of these in the past but not necessarily in my own garden.
    Jetfire takes me back a lovely narcissus, I recall planting over 100 for someone years ago, just jogged my memory. Lots of deals about so will see what is available. Not sure if I have got this right but is Hawera a late flowerer?  Thankyou. Suze.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    This year my Hawera flowered at about the same time as Thalia, in April. Both are on the late side for narcissi.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @JennyJ Oh yes that is it they do. Have you evergrown Narcissus Jenny a lovely soft yellow fading to cream? Good year two but after that flowering is limited. Not that readily avaiable but a beauty and just a nice height too.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I think I had N. "Jenny" once, but as you say they weren't reliably perennial.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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