The Face Of Fair Narcissus

Day 188: Were the face of Narcissus ever so fair as the blossom of this flower which bears his name, he had justification for his vanity. My garden is filled with the first gleams of bright orange eyes laughing up from shimmering faces.

These botanical jewels are a delight to rural gardeners because they are shunned by browsing deer and elk. Naturalizing easily in grass-covered areas, they are even durable against mowing shortly after the blooms have faded. It is best to deadhead the plants when the flowering period is at an end to channel the Narcissus' energy into the bulb rather than into seed production. The bulbs multiply quickly, so quickly in fact that they will double or triple in number over a period of two years and when dug and split, make wonderful gifts for gardening friends.