‘Erlicheer’ Tazetta

Narcissus tazetta 'Erlicheer'

I wish I could get an accurate photo of these beautiful blossoms but my camera always seems to want to make some yellows more yellow, or subtle yellows just wash away. Argh, digital cameras like to guess at things. Yes, yes, there’s always Photoshop but that’s another story.

Anyhow, these are so beautiful and I was surprised when they began to bloom how much they looked like the tiniest roses, each small blossom packed with creamy white petals. They are called a double daffodil, and are descended from ‘Grand Primo’, a tazetta which is widely naturalized in Texas. They have a very similar fragrance, like a light sweet citrus on top of powdery musk, and bloom nearly the exact same time.

I first planted them in a very well-drained fertile bed with many other bulbs, and which I want to replant in late spring with more shade-loving plants as the trees leaf out, so I’m hoping that if I replant them near the Grand Primos in the clay they’ll eventually naturalize along with those.

‘Erlicheer’, by the way, is not a German or Dutch name as I thought (I spend a lot of time in Belgium), but a cutesy version of “Early Cheer”. True to their name, they bloom around early February here in Austin.

March 4, 2009: Although I planted some new bulbs of Erlicheer, some of the bulbs from last spring have returned. And this time, I’ve got better knowledge of how to properly expose the photographs. When the buds first open, the throats have a strong yellow, making them look almost as if the cups of an Avalanche or Grand Primo exploded. After being open for a few days, the yellow gradually fades to a white given them that gardenia/rose look.