Blithe, snow-white Triandrus Narcissus Thalia has been a perennial favorite since 1916 when she was registered in the Netherlands. Related to the original Narcissus triandrus found in the wild, award-winning Thalia has two to three, pendant, star-shaped flowers per stem that poise above slender, deep green foliage. Also known as the ‘Orchid Narcissus’, this demure heirloom has graceful, spreading, slightly recurved flower petals encircling a long, slightly ribbed, cup-shaped crown. As Thalia naturalizes and matures over the years, she may even bear up to five flowering stems per bulb~she is both beautiful and generous, and, like a welcome old friend, she’ll revisit your garden every spring.

The Timeless Perfection of the Orchid Narcissus
Blooming a bit later than many Narcissus varieties (particularly the first year when she can be two weeks later then in subsequent years once she’s established), Thalia normally blooms in April/May in a horticultural zone 5. Adaptable Thalia is deer- and rodent-resistant, making her the perfect choice for brightening shady woodlands in horticultural zones 4 through 9. She grows 16″ to 18″ tall (sometimes even taller, depending on sunlight and temperatures) and has a lovely, not-too-strong fragrance. Be sure to pick a couple of stems for a tall bud vase near your favorite chair or on your bedside table where you can enjoy her beauty and sweet scent up close.

So Easy to Plant
Narcissus Thalia naturalizes exceedingly well over time and is a long-lasting flower both in the garden and the vase. Plant Narcissus Thalia bulbs in the fall after the soil has cooled down to around 55 degrees F (after two weeks of sweater weather when night time temps hover in the 40s), in neutral pH, well-draining soil in full to partial sunlight (she does well in semi-shady areas): 6″ to 8″ deep and 6″ apart. Make sure to space them properly so that they have room to multiply and thicken over time. Top dress the plantings three times a year with a granular organic flower bulb fertilizer (somewhere around 4-10-6 is a good composition): at fall planting time (to help grow the roots), at spring sprouting time (to help grow the flower and foliage) and when the flower starts to die back (to help grow the bulb itself). Permit the foliage to thrive unfettered for the longest period of photosynthesis possible after the flowers die back. This will help the bulbs grow and multiply with little baby offshoots for even more flowering stems in future years. Once the foliage dies back to a yellow-brown color, it may be raked and discarded.

Narcissus Thalia is a gracious, natural beauty used in many garden designs~from small specimen clusters, to long meandering ‘rivers’ flanked by thick ribbons of Muscari armeniacum, to thick drifts in display gardens. We particularly like to include Narcissus Thalia in more natural gardens featuring white and green plant material~Thalia is especially prized because unlike most ‘white’ Narcissi, she opens and stays white.

Haute Couture White Gardens
For several years running, white gardens are high fashion. If you like white, consider Tulip Calgary, Catherina, Hakuun (opens and stays white), Exotic Emperor, Mondial, Mount Tacoma, White Emperor, White Triumphator and Tulip Wildhof. The best white Narcissi include Narcissi albus plenus odoratus (meaning nicely fragrant), cantabricus, Misty Glen, Mount Hood (opens with yellow trumpet that matures to white), Princess Zaide, Stainless and White Medal. For large swathes of naturalizing white Narcissi, our Heavenly All-White Narcissus Mixture is without equal. Other white blooms include Allium cowanii, jesdianum White Empress, multibulbosum and stipitatum Mount Everest and White Giant; Anemone blanda White Splendour; Camassia leichtlinii semiplena; Chionodoxa gigantea alba; Crocus vernus Jeanne d'Arc; Fritillaria meleagris alba; Hyacinth Aiolos and White Pearl; Ipheion uniflorum White Star; Galanthus; Muscari aucheri White Magic, botryoides album; Ornithogalum and Scilla siberica alba.

Herbaceous Peony Festiva maxima is our all-time favorite white, marked only very occasional crimson flecks.

For the summer, our fine collection of Lilies offers a variety of gorgeous whites: Asiatic Lily Navona, Longiflorum Lily White Heaven, Heirloom Species Lily speciosum album, Chinese Trumpet Lily regale album and the ever wonderful Oriental Lily Casa Blanca.