Daffadowndilly

Daffodil – March’s birth flower

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down.

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head,

And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead."  A. A. Milne

Representing Chivalry or Regard, these welcome spring bulbs offer all shades from white to intense sunshine yellow. Some know them as daffadowndilly , jonquil and Narcissus. They belong to the genus Narcissus of the amaryllis family, with no native members in Nova Scotia. Narcissus is a Greek word, meaning narcotic and shared in mythology by the youth who fell in love with his own reflection.

As garden favourites they have been reportedly cultivated since earliest days of gardens, gaining popularity since the 1600s, with plant breeders. There are thousands of cultivars available and the Netherlands has built an industry around the provision of these and other spring bulbs. The plants contain alkaloids, rendering them toxic if ingested although that property is currently being exploited in the development of a treatment for dementia due to Alzheimers disease.

Serving as the national flower of Wales, daffodils also represent various campaigns for cancer fund-raising, in Canada associated with the month of April.

Wolfville daffodils, photo by Stephanie Smith

Daffodils, anon.