Facts About Daffodils

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Flowers have always spread the message of love and beauty. There is hardly anyone who is not moved at the sight of a garden of roses or lilies or daffodils.  Flowers are appealing to humans in all situations.

Fact 1 Description of Daffodils

Daffodils swaying in the breeze herald the coming of spring. The striking yellow color spreads the message of life and activity after the cold winters. These flowers grow from bulbs and are considered as wild flowers. They have a trumpet at the center and pale yellow petals grow around it. They are grown in gardens too and these flowers are bigger in size than the wild flowers that are paler.

A daffodil flower consists of two regions the perianth and the corona. The corona gives the flower its uniqueness. This cup or trumpet like corona has frilled edges and contains the stamens. Daffodils have either short or long slender stems that are usually 16 inches long and are fleshy and light weight. The light green foliage of these plants grows from the bulb and it is about 12 inches long.

Fact 2 Where Daffodils grow the most

Daffodils grow naturally in the woods, grasslands and rocky places of Western Europe, Mediterranean, United Kingdom and Wales. They are also known as Lent Lilies and bloom during early spring and drop before Easter. Daffodils are one of the national symbols of Wales. The Latin name of Daffodils is Narcissus. Daffodils grow in almost all zones but their sturdiness depends on the type of bulbs from which they are grown.

Fact 3 Types of Daffodils and their cultivation

There are more than 13,000 varieties of hybrid Daffodils that belong to 25 species. These are again divided into 13 divisions and each one has its unique characteristics. The best time to plant Daffodils is before the first snowing in winter for the ground is appropriate for the bulbs to grow their roots and make the plants ready to flower in spring. Daffodils grow well on slightly acidic soil on a raised bed or hillside where water does not accumulate for long. Or else the bulbs may rot. Daffodils require sunlight to thrive well. Daffodils start blossoming from the beginning of March till the middle of May. Daffodils multiply by division of bulbs and also from seeds.

Fact 4 The Belief in Symbolism

Daffodils are considered to be a symbol of rebirth and new beginning and herald the coming of spring. Daffodils are also called jonquils apart from narcissus and in England they are known as Lent Lily. The first sight of Daffodils in Wales signifies wealth for the entire year whereas in China it is believed that if Daffodils forcibly bloom during the New Year in your home it is a sign of good luck. It is the birth flower of the month of March and also 10th wedding anniversary flower. But Daffodils should always be presented and kept in a bunch for good luck as a single flower is believed to foretell misfortune.

Fact 5 Uses of Daffodils

Gardeners prefer to plant Daffodils in the gardens because the bulbs and leaves of this plant contain poisonous crystals that ward off pests.

Recent studies show that Daffodils have a special property known as Galanthine that may be used to cure Alzheimers disease.

Women belonging to affluent class in the medieval period used the yellow color of the flower as dye to color their hair and eyebrows. The Arabs used the juice of the flowers to treat baldness.

The Daffodil is the symbol of Marie Curie Cancer Care in the UK and other cancer care units in other countries of the world.

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