Although narcissus are far from my favorite bulb…mostly due the terribly obtrusive foliage, we have grown quite a few species and cultivars through the years. My love is really for the smaller plants, which usually come with smaller foliage. One cultivar that has stood out through the years is Narcissus ‘Hawera’. Here is our oldest clump, planted in 1997, and despite not being regularly divided, it still puts on a fabulous show every year. Our plants are from our dear friends Brent and Becky Heath at Brent and Becky’s Bulbs.
A Dilly of a Daffodil
daffodil, juniper level botanic garden, narcissus, spring bulbs, spring flowering
I have grown Hawera for years and it is such a winner: it has a lovely scent, and it naturalizes nicely too.
I share those sentiments. N. Hawera is outstanding even in my shady woodland garden. Slowly increasing, it comes up reliably every March/early April here in Western Carolina. Everything about Hawera is perfect in scale, from foliage to flower. By the time my trees leaf out fully, it has disappeared. I am planning to interplant it with Pachyphragma macrophyllum, the Caucasian Penny Cress, which is not only the best evergreen shade plant but being tall, will hide any remaining Narcissus foliage.