Narcissus Avalanche

Narcissus 'Avalanche' is an old, vigorous variety that is resistant to viruses and has been prized for a long time for the musky scent of its small bicolour flowers, which are arranged in clusters on a tall stem. They are composed of a corolla of white petals with a light yellow cup-shaped corolla. This bulb blooms from the end of March in mild climates and a little later in cooler climates. It is only moderately hardy but well adapted to heat and summer drought and easy to grow in climates with dry summers. It retains the charm of wild plants and settles in the garden, among other spring bulbs. 

This Narcissus is also known as the tazette daffodil, Constantinople daffodil or Cyprus daffodil, also called bouquet narcissus or hermione because of its small flowers grouped in bunches at the end of floral stems that can reach up to 70 cm (28in) high. It belongs to the amaryllidaceae family and it is a species native to the South of France, Italy, Greece and North Africa. 'Avalanche' is an old cultivar derived from this plant, introduced in 1906. Its vegetative cycle is typically Mediterranean and does not require a cold period to bloom, making it suited for pot cultivation and easy to force indoors. With its long flowering period (3 weeks to 1 month) and powerful fragrance, each bulb produces a stem with up to 20 single flowers, 2.5 cm (1in) in diameter, with a strong musky scent. The short foliage consists of wide ribbon-like leaves with parallel veins, sometimes twisted, glaucous green and deciduous in summer. In mild climates, it develops with the first rains in September and persists in winter. This variety easily multiplies by producing bulblets from a large bulb.

Hardy in zone 8 (down to -10/-12°C (14/10.4°F)), Narcissus Avalanche grows well in any well-drained and loosened, humus-rich soil, results are less favourable in excessively wet or excessively acidic soils. There are so many narcissus varieties that you can enjoy them for three months in spring without getting bored for a single moment. They can all naturalise easily, they favour yellow and white and often emit sweet fragrances. These are all reasons to grow them in large clumps (at least 20 bulbs) for a mass effect. Combine the tazette daffodil in natural-looking flower beds with scilla and hyacinths, mid-height botanical tulips, forget-me-nots and pansies, or plant them at the base of old roses. This daffodil is also perfect in a large pot.