Daffodil

Daffodil meaning for March birthdays

The daffodil, Narcissus pseudonarcissus and its many garden hybrids, is the flower of the first real push of spring. March-born people seen through it are starters: optimistic, direct and willing to go first while others wait for guaranteed warm weather. Wordsworth’s “host of golden daffodils” made it poetry’s shorthand for sudden joy, and the flower has kept that job.

The daffodil also means hope in a very practical sense. Cancer charities, including Marie Curie in the UK and cancer societies in several other countries, use it as their emblem and sell it in spring to raise funds. For many people a daffodil pin means “we’re still fighting”.

Daffodil colours and varieties

• All-yellow trumpets: cheer, new beginnings, “the sun is shining when I’m with you”.
• White with a yellow or orange cup: respect and gentle renewal. A graceful choice for older relatives.
• Pink-cupped varieties: soft affection. They’re unusual and look lovely in mixed spring bouquets.
• Jonquils (several small fragrant heads per stem): desire and affection returned. The jonquil is March’s second flower.

Giving daffodils: etiquette and the one-stem rule

As the page above says, a single daffodil was thought to bring misfortune, so give a bunch. In Russian custom, keep the number of stems odd. The one catch is that yellow flowers can read as “parting” for superstitious people, so for a romantic gift mix daffodils with white tulips, blue muscari or hyacinths. For a birthday, a colleague or a spring holiday such as 8 March, all-yellow is simply joyful.

A pot of bulbs just about to open is often a better gift than cut stems. It blooms for a week or two indoors, and the bulbs can be planted in the garden afterwards.

Care: why daffodils need their own vase first

1. Cut stems release a slimy sap that clogs other flowers’ stems. Stand fresh daffodils alone in water for six to twelve hours.
2. Then add them to a mixed arrangement without recutting, or the sap starts flowing again.
3. Use cool, shallow water. Daffodils prefer it to deep vases.

To grow them, plant bulbs in autumn at two to three times their own depth, in sun or light shade. After flowering, leave the leaves for about six weeks so the bulb can store energy for next year. Every part of the plant is toxic if eaten, and bulbs have been mistaken for onions, so store them away from the kitchen.

A March ritual for beginnings

On the first sunny morning in March, put a small bunch of daffodils where you have breakfast and write down one thing you’re starting this spring: a habit, a project, a conversation. The vase stays until the petals drop, about a week. That’s your first deadline. March’s stone is the calm aquamarine. The daffodil pushes, the stone steadies. Next month the daisy takes over.