Narcissus Ice King - Daffodil

The Narcissus 'Ice King' is a true monarch in the land of Narcissus. This generous plant produces a very large flower with a pure white corolla and a yellow heart, a very doubled flower, intricately worked, piped and frizzled like a carnation or like the grand collar that used to adorn courtly garments. It lightens during flowering, with the centre of the flower blending white and yellow. This is a quite impressive variety, irreplaceable, which blooms in great pomp in the heart of spring, well above most other daffodils.

The double-flowered Narcissus 'Ice King' belongs to the lily family (Amaryllidaceae), more precisely to division 4 of the large narcissus family, which includes 12 divisions. The genus Narcissus includes about 50 species mainly found in Western Mediterranean, but also in Africa and Asia. The 'Ice King' narcissus, introduced in 1984, is a double-flowered offspring of the famous Ice Follies narcissus, and a sibling of the excellent 'Obdam'. It possesses the robustness and ease of cultivation of its relatives. 'Ice King' sends up a particularly tall stem, at least 55 cm (22in) in height when in flower. It is a mid-late flowering plant, in April-May, with a large yellow-green flower bud that opens into magnificent double flowers, 10-12cm (4-5in) wide. Each of its flowers is architecturally unique: the first layer of pure white petals is topped by a layer of slightly smaller, delicately crinkled petals, lemon yellow in colour, fading to white on the rolled edges. The corolla, or paracorolla, is a spectacular cup: it resembles a pompom made up of small twisted petals, an intense lemon yellow mixed with white. The foliage is deciduous, linear and disappears in summer.

There is such a choice of varieties among daffodils that you can enjoy them for three months in spring without ever getting tired. They have in common the ability to naturalise easily, to endlessly display shades of yellow and white, and often emit sweet fragrances. So many reasons to grow them in large clumps on the lawn or at the edge of a flower bed (at least 20 bulbs) for an amplified effect. Combine the 'Ice King' narcissus, in wild or romantic flower beds, with bluebells and hyacinths, accompany them with double tulips like 'Angelique' or single and vivid red like 'Red Impression', but also forget-me-nots, grape hyacinths, daisies, chamomiles or liverworts. A group of 'Ice King' narcissus in a vase creates a sensational effect. In pots, this narcissus is perfect.

Jonquils are actually daffodils, they belong to division 7 of the group. Native to Southern Europe and North Africa, they have flowers grouped in pairs or more. Let's not forget the botanical species that have preserved the charms of wild plants and thrive in rockeries: N.bulbocodium, N. canaliculatus, N.juncifolius, N.pseudonarcissus, the simple woodland jonquil, are among the prettiest.

For bouquets: we advise against mixing narcissus with other flowers, such as tulips in particular, as the stems of narcissus contain a substance that causes other flowers to wilt quickly. This harmful effect on other flower types can be mitigated by dipping the ends of the narcissus stems in hot water for 1 to 2 minutes.