poet’s daffodil

Narcissus ‘Actaea’ is one of the first gifts of the spring season. A member of the Amaryllidaceae native to the Iberian peninsula, the small yellow corona of ‘Actaea’ is trimmed in brilliant red and floats in a sea of large white petals.

Narcissus ‘Actaea’ has a much shorter trumpet than most daffodils – it looks like a small red-orange ring in the center of the white petals. It is also the most fragrant of our daffodils, with a delicious scent that wafts through the spring garden.

This variety stands up to 17 inches tall and is excellent for naturalizing, particularly in wetter soils where other daffodils often struggle. There are many species and cultivars of daffodil, making for complex taxonomy comprised of three subgenera, seven sections, six subsections, and two series…all in the genus Narcissus.