January’s Flower of the Month - Narcissi
With the Christmas and New Year festivities over and the decorations packed away for another year, January is the perfect time to fill the house with cut flowers as thoughts turn to imminent arrival of Spring. With very little choice available in the garden to cut and only a few shoots from early flowering bulbs peeking through the ground, it’s worth paying a visit to your local florist to see that Spring is on its way. Although cut flowers for the house are not abundant at this time of year, you should be able to find early narcissi, early tulips, anemones and hyacinths to name but a few.
The Narcissi family is vast, ranging from the humble but adorable Daffodil, through to the 
deliciously fragrant pure white Paperwhite. Most Narcissi available to buy in January will have been grown under glass and forced, however with careful treatment they can last well in centrally heated homes.
If buying Daffodils, look for tight buds with crisp, straight leaves. However when buying the fragrant varieties of Narcissi, such as Sol d’Or or Paperwhites, these flowers will not have been cut until they have started to flower so don’t be put off by their open florets, just ensure the stems are straight and rigid to ensure freshness. All varieties of Narcissi are best on their own and not mixed with other varieties of cut flowers, due to a sap which can exude from the stem and which can be harmful to other flowers. If you intend to mix Narcissi with other flowers, first cut the stem and place in a separate container with fresh water for about an hour. This will dilute the sap exuded from the Narcissi stems. Then take the Narcissi and arrange with the other flowers in a separate container with more fresh water.
To purchase Narcissi we recommend www.scillyflowers.co.uk and www.flowerfarm.co.uk for home-grown Daffodils.