Daffodil

Symbolic of rebirth and new beginnings, there’s no better way to see in spring than with a bouquet of sunshine-yellow daffodils – a sure sign that Easter is on its way...

The genus name for daffodils is Narcissus, though no one quite knows why, particularly as the name is thought to predate the earliest tellings of the famous Greek myth about the self-obsessed youthful hunter who fell in love with his own reflection. The most convincing link to that particular tale seems less concerned with symbolism and more simply to do with how the heads of daffodils, as they bend and peer down over streams, could be said to resemble Narcissus as he looked down into his own reflection.

Depending whether you live in England or Wales, the narcissus flower holds a different meaning. While in England the flower is commonly associated with lent - sometimes referred to as the lent lily – in Wales, the daffodil is associated with St. David, the patron saint of Wales. Wherever you are, however, it is also the birth flower for March.

Legend has it that when St. David went to battle in a leek field he told his comrades to wear a leek in their caps to reduce “friendly fires”. The leek has been an emblem of remembrance in Wales since. In Welsh language, leek and daffodil just happen to share the same word. While cenhinen tranlates to leek, cenhinen pedr is the term for the daffodil – it makes no sense, we know. So, following many years of confusion, the daffodil became an emblem and the National Flower of Wales, worn nationwide on March 1st each year to celebrate Dewi Sant’s feast day (accompanied by a hearty bowl of cawl, or a traditional plate of cockles and laverbread, of course).

History aside, when it comes to the vibrant flower itself, its trumpet-shaped cup is surrounded by six petal-like tepals, that make for a distinctive silhouette. As the March birth flower, we suggest gifting a bunch to an expectant mother. Or alternatively they provide a cheerful Mother’s Day bouquet.