The Greeks dubbed the first spring flower “Narcissus,” and the ancient Chinese employed it for its therapeutic qualities. Helen O’Neill digs further into the legends surrounding the well-known yellow trumpet flower in her book Daffodil: Biography of a Flower (Harper Collins). Here, she talks about her early memories of the well-known springtime find.
I have always associated with daffodils as I can remember. My roots are deeply ingrained in the rich soil of southern England, having been born in the New Forest of Hampshire, yet as a youngster, my family was always on the road due to my father’s professional advancements. Daffodils were a constant in my universe, which was always changing. They were a bright indicator that the darkest English season was over and the New Year was really approaching as each winter drew nearer. My family stopped traveling by the time I was in my teens, and we moved to a rural area a few miles from a settlement in the Thames Valley. Towering woodlands crisscrossed with centuries-old paths, dappled meadows carpeted all too quickly with bluebells, and what seemed like acres of floating daffodils every spring surrounding my new home.
At that moment, I realized that daffodils are really several flowers rather than just one without ever having to think about it. Ours flowered in an array of flower shapes and sizes, with colors ranging from tissue paper white to the purest blood orange, creating a prismatic kaleidoscope effect. Some held elfin flowers, while others were giants holding a variety of shaped flowers, such as traditional golden trumpets, creamy stars with twisted petals, or miniature butter-lemon cups. A new type of daffodils appeared to replace the one that had melted away, creating a rhythmic dance through the spring cold that seemed to go on forever in my impressions as a little girl. We took the gorgeous blooms for granted, as they brought a vibrant burst of color to the otherwise lifeless winter scenery. They were only flowers, after all.
“The dandelion is an entirely English flower when grown in our gardens.” George Herbert Engleheart, preface to Albert F. Calvert’s 1929 book Daffodil Growing for Pleasure and Profit.
Japanese artist Konan Tanigami (1879–1928) was a pioneer in using traditional woodblocks to illustrate western flowers. Seiyou Sokazufu (Pictorial Album of Western Plants and Flowers: Spring) is the source of this song featuring daffodils.
The versatile French artist and adventurer Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues (1533–1588) created a watercolor titled “Daffodil with Red Admiral” in 1568.
From the Isles of Scilly and beyond, daisies were associated with romance and promise, as this colorful example of Empire Marketing Board advertisement from the 1920s demonstrates.
Picture might include Paintings and Floral Patterns in Graphics Art
My mother’s yard is a kaleidoscope of daffodils in the spring. These are some of the blooming kinds that she drew.
Sally Maltby created “Daffodils in Blue and White Jug,” a contemporary water color on paper.
This lovely daffodil painting from the 19th century is more about flair than botanical correctness.
A seventeenth-century botanical artist captures a pollination bee in mid-flight, buzzing between Narcissus poeticus petals.
The intimacy of Narcissus as shown by modern American artist Daniel F. Gerhartz in “Women at Tea Time.”
“Flowers Streaked with Gold,” is oil painting by Dutch-born painter Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912), from around 1911.