Daffodils are probably one of our best-known woodland plants, bringing a wash of yellow to a cold, grey spring morning. Even though we see lots of daffs in spring, the majority are a cultivated form and not our little native perennial. Sadly now our wild daff only occurs in a fragment of its former range, with its strongholds being in Wales, a few English woodlands and inaccessible areas of grassland, like the verge of the M5, where daffodil diggers fear to tread! This decline has been thought to be down to intensification of farming practices, clearing and tidying of woodlands and flower enthusiasts collecting specimens for the garden.
Latin name: Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Identification
- Plant Height: 35 – 40cms
- Leaves: The light greyish-green leaves emerge from the base of the stem and grow up to 35 cm long and 12 mm wide, with rounded tips
- Flowers: The yellow flowers comprise of a central trumpet, up to 60cms long, surrounded by a ring of petals of roughly the same length
- Habitat found: Moist banks and verges and in partially shady woodland, preferably oak or ash
- Flowering time: March to April
- Attracts: Greater Bulb Fly (Merodon equestris)
In The Garden
Native, wild daffodils like woody areas, grassland and even rocky ground to grow in and tolerate slightly moist areas of habitat, in partial shade. Once the plant has finished flowering, the foliage will die back, sinking the nutrients back into the bulb and therefore be hidden away for the rest of the year. If you are thinking of adding this spring beauty to your garden, make sure you go to a reputable garden centre and ask where the bulbs have come from, as hybrids can occur when wild species are grown in close proximity to cultivated species and you don’t want them to have been taken from the wild!
Did you know?
Our wild daff is also the emblem of Wales and its also known as the Tenby Daffodil or the Lent Lilly. Narcissus (the genus of which daffodils are part of) gets its name from a boy in Greek mythology. He was told that he would be happy as long as he didn’t see his face! One day he looked in a pool and saw his reflection and fell in love with it and after pinning away, left a yellow spot on the ground where he had died.