In order to keep the integrity of the nature reserve, it is important that every plant at Sun Rising is native, including every bulb. That’s why we don’t allow any garden daffodils, not the sweet little Tete-a-tete and Jonquilla, nor the big blousy golden cultivars, nor the pretty new orange ones. All our daffs are the old wild one, the one that is truly native to these lands, Narcissus pseudonarcissus.
Because it flowers at this time of year, the old name is Lenten lily. In fact, this name has been recorded as far back as the sixteenth century in Elizabethan England. Other versions found around the country are Lenticups, the Lent rose, or simply Lents.
Some families do plant garden daffodils at Sun Rising, and one of our tasks at this time of year is to dig them up! It’s a ‘tough love’ job, essential but always done with sadness. Knowing which is which isn’t usually difficult: cultivated daffodils commonly have much greener leaves, the wild ones being soft grey-green and slender. Now and then, we have to wait until the daffodil comes into flower, then the garden varieties show their colours. The wild ones have a lemony trumpet with six creamy petals, and as such manage to express a beauty, grace and sunshine while never being showy. Perfect.