How to Care for a Narcissus Flower

Narcissus is a classification of flowers that grow from bulbs and emerge from the soil in the very early spring. They all have tall stalks and large flower blooms at the top in white, yellow or other colors. Common types of narcissus include daffodils and paperwhites, although there are many other varieties as well. Narcissus flowers require care during blooming and immediately afterward to store up food for their dormant period.

Things You'll Need
Compost
Hand pruners
Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Water the soil under the narcissus plants with 1 inch of water per week from the late winter all the way through the fall. It's important to continue watering after the flowers and leaves fade back to keep the underground bulbs alive.

2. Spread a 1-inch layer of compost on the soil where the narcissus are planted in the early spring to provide nutrients. Repeat the application each year.

3. Apply fertilizer annually right after blossoming.

4. Wait until the flowers begin to fade and wilt, then cut the entire stalk off near the center of the plant using hand pruners. Leave the leaves on the plant until they turn yellow or brown, approximately 30 days later. Then cut the leaves off 1 inch above the ground using hand pruners or pruning shears.

5. Spread 2 inches of straw, peat moss or leaves around the base of the narcissus plants in the late fall to protect the bulbs during the winter. This is typically only required for the first year after planting.

6. Wait until the clumps of narcissus flowers double in size, approximately every five years. Dig up the clump using a shovel and separate out the bulbs by working your fingers through the clump. Replant one half of the bulbs in the same location and dig a new hole elsewhere for the remaining bulbs.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_12025737_care-narcissus-flower.html

Narcissus Flower Meaning

For thousands of years, the narcissus flower has been a potent symbol in both Eastern and Western cultures. Although its most recognizable meaning is rooted in Greek mythology, it also has very specific and varied meanings for different cultures, both past and present, including Chinese and Druidic. Today, this flower is used all over the world in ceremonies, on holidays and at festivals, and as a fundraising symbol for various charities.

Recognized Symbol
For the ancient Greeks, the qualities of egoism, vanity and conceit were attributed to the narcissus flower based on the myth in which a young hunter is cursed to fall in love with his reflection in a pond. After his death, the narcissus flower blooms where he once lay. This story was taken up by the Roman poet Ovid in his work "Metamorphosis" in the first century A.D., and later became a common subject among Renaissance artists including Raphael, da Vinci, and Caravaggio. Late Baroque and Rococo artists, as well as Romantic and later Decadent artists, such as Gustave Moreau, also represented the fallen youth in their work.

Christianity and Judaism
In the eighth century B.C., the Hebrew prophet Isaiah praised the Narcissus tazetta, saying in Isaiah 35 that, "It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing." In other Hebrew writings, the daffodil, which is in the genus of Narcissus, is a feminine symbol of fertility and beauty. This fertility attribute was taken up by the first Christians in the symbols of death and rebirth as personified in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To this day, the narcissus and daffodil are often present at Easter celebrations.

Druids and European Christians
It has been suggested by many scholars that the narcissus flower was a symbol of purity for the Druids. Oother scholars argue that it was the Romans who first brought this flower from the Mediterranean to the British Isles as they often planted it with their dead, believing that this flower grew in the Elysian Fields of Hades. Later Christians in the same region of Whales took the daffodil as their national flower, using it for Saint David's Day, which is the first of March.

Chinese New Year
The narcissus flower arrived in China around 1000 A.D. during the Song Dynasty as bulbs were a common trade commodity. For the Chinese, the flower became a symbol of good fortune and wealth as it blooms during the Chinese New Year. It is common in China to "carve" narcissus bulbs so that as they bloom, they grow into different shapes and sizes resembling peacocks and crabs.

Charities
Along the lines of the Christian representation of death and rebirth, many Cancer charities have used the narcissus as a symbol of rebirth and hope. The American, Canadian, New Zealand and Irish Cancer Societies, as well as Muriel Curie Cancer Care have taken on the narcissus, or daffodil, as their organization's symbol. Many of the cancer charity organizations sell daffodils on Daffodil Day, which is typically in March.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/about_6519326_meaning-narcissus-flower_.html