Fragrant narcissus in zone 5?

13 years ago

So I'm perusing the Brent and Becky's catalog, which is full of very enthusiastic descriptions of the fabulous fragrance of some of their narcissus. I'm like, Huh? All the daffodils I've seen have been have had essentially no fragrance, or maybe a tiny bit if you stick your nose in, unlike, say, hyacinths that can be smelled from a block away.

But they also say that these fragrant varieties tend to do better in the south, and all the varieties that they say are best for the north aren't described as fragrant. Is this why I've never smelled a fragrant narcissus? Is it possible to grow fragrant varieties up here in one 5? If so, which ones do best here?

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Comments (6)

simcan
13 years ago
I have hundreds of naturalized Thalia daffodils in my garden. Very fragrant (sweet), touch as nails and as I note, they will naturalize. They are a very crisp, clear white.
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
13 years ago
Some of the Jonquillas are hardy and fragrant too. I'll have to go out and smell around and get back to you
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Cindy zone 6a
12 years ago
Cheerfulness has been fragrant here for me in zone 5, both the yellow and the white ones.
cindy
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
12 years ago
Fragrant Rose is a lovely daffodil that smells just like a rose.

I think that all Poeticus daffodils (ie Division 9 daffofils) are fragrant, but some folks find the fragrance so intense that they don't care for it. You might try with starting with just a few of them to see how you like them.

Several of the Division 8 - are both fragrant and hardy to zone 5. You would just have to check the listing description before ordering. Brent and Becky's provides that info in their listings.

chemocurl...aka Sue
theloud
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for all the advice, my fellow zone 5 gardeners. I'll try some of these fragrant varieties.

chemocurl, I know that the catalog lists zones for each variety. But "hardy to zone 5" can mean different things, ranging from "will grow and thrive for years" to "will bloom once and then peter out after a few years" so I wanted to check that these varieties really do thrive in the north. All this "great for southern gardens" in the descriptions of fragrant daffodils had me worried that they require more heat than I have.
denninmi
12 years ago
'Geranium' is one of the most intensely fragrant, IMHO. Just a wonderful, strong, sweet fragrance that carries well. A dozen stems will perfume an entire room. Mine are very reliably perennial here for me in the Detroit area, having been in the ground for probably close to 20 years, and like all narcissus they multiply well when happy. They are a late bloomer, just before the Jonquils. Mine are at the stage where the individualflower buds are just starting to emerge from the sheath on the top of the stem. They should be open in a few days, although it might take a bit longer since its been a very cool spring, and going to be well below normal highs this week, with a lot of rain as has been the trend all season.

It must have been given its name because of the habit - lots of small individual flowers atop a single stem, similar to a geranium (Pelargonium) flower stalk.

Here is a link that might be useful: Narcissus 'Geranium' at Brent and Becky's Bulbs.