Saturday, 12 September 2020


 To my eye Narcissus 'Thalia' is the most graceful of all the daffodil cultivars. Spring flowering of course but I recently bought a couple of dozen bulbs to add to the ones I planted a number of years ago hence the photo.
 'Thalia' is related to Narcissus triandus which grows wild in Portugal, Spain and France. It is generally described as a hybrid but I can't find any reference to what N. triandus was crossed with or by whom to create 'Thalia'. Perhaps it was a form selected from the wild? Similarly there are varying accounts of when it appeared. Some sources say 1916 in Holland, others describe it as a favourite of Victorian gardeners, one source dates it to 1610.
 Narcissus 'Thalia' is an old, possibly ancient variety whose origins are lost in the mists of time.