What's not to love about Narcissus?

Narcissus is just a fancy word for what is actually a daffodil.  I find it useful as it  helps to distinguish these beauties from the flowers most people have seen before at the grocery store.  These specialty daffodils have been bred for wild petal counts, soft pastel colors, and soft fragrance.  Some of the reasons I love them?  They are EASY to grow!  If you have a viable bulb you WILL get a beautiful flower - even in areas with critters.  Deer don't eat the stems and gophers won't eat the roots.  There are two  groups of narcissus that are worth understanding.  Tazetta narcissus have multiple smallish flowers on a single stem.  These must have evolved in warmer areas because they will naturalize in Southern California.  What this means is that if you let the foliage brown before cutting it off, you will get future flowers every year.  Sweet! There are some lovely flowers in this group.  I like the Erlicheer variety. However, the flowers above are not tazetta group narcissus (for more information about the different types, check out this website).  They are the ones that really capture my heart.  Sadly, these will not come back to flower in subsequent years.  They will grow leaves but won't flower again.  I don't feel right composting perfectly viable bulbs so I usually offer up my spent bulbs to farming friends in cold climates.  This past year I held on to some bulbs and refrigerated them with my tulips.  I will report back on how they do this spring.