The Campernelle Daffodil
Often dubbed the “Giant Jonquil” or simply the “campernelle daffodil,” gardeners treasure the campernelle for its wonderful fragrance and golden blooms. Clusters of small rich-colored dark yellow trumpets top the foliage, and look like a vein of gold going through the landscape. They bloom in late February, and add such flavor, fun, and beauty, that they truly are worth their weight in gold.
As I travel the back country roads across the nation, one of my favorite scenes is the broken-down gate, barbed wire fence, falling over structure, and thousands of golden blooms of campernelles in the winter thriving despite the neglect.
Narcissus x odorus
Campernelle bulbs are hybrids and receive their fragrance from the Jonquil and the large blooms from its other parent, the Lent lily (Narcissus pseudonarcissus). Sharing characteristics from both parents, the large foliage is not exactly cylindrical and not all the way flat, but a combination somewhere between the two. The dark green foliage is attractive along with the large golden blooms that show up around mid-February or the beginning of March.
3 Reasons We Love Campernelles
1) Long bloom time: Comparatively long bloom time in February and March.
2) Low Maintenance: Just give them sun and let the foliage die down naturally in the spring.
3) Pest Resistance: I’ve seen fields of deer, donkeys, horses, and cows leaving them alone, and our pocket gophers that riddle our farm and are notorious for eating our tulips, hyacinths, and gladiolus leave them alone.
Great Uses for Campernelle Flowers
Landscapes: Any large landscape, public or private, would benefit from campernelle flowers. They fill large spaces and naturalize with very little care, offering a Monet-like splash of gold in February when almost nothing else is blooming.
Borders on country roads: Some of my favorite country road linings and entrances have campernelles blooming in February. They really are sights to behold.
With perennials: Campernelles mix in well with other late spring, summer, and fall blooming perennials like lantanas, asters, and salvias. While those perennials are dormant in winter, the campernelles come alive to brighten your winter garden.
Planting Instructions
Plant with a few inches of soil over the bulbs, or if transplanting the flowers with foliage still on them, plant with the bulbs a few inches below the soil and the leaves above the ground. Make sure they receive plenty of winter sun each growing season. Campernelles are originally from southern Spain and Portugal, where they are a naturally occurring hybrid between jonquils (Narcissus jonquilla) and Lent Lilies (Narcissus pseudonarcissus).
I have seen campernelles on just about any soil, as long as they are receiving plenty of winter sun and not in standing water. They do seem to prefer slightly acidic soil but perform just fine on alkaline soils as well. They will do well in Zones 7 through 9A.
Often, we find campernelles growing in old house gardens, where the home is no longer evident except for some piles of wood and larger trees. You’ll find these flowers gracing old home sites where they have lived for over 100 years, blooming reliably each year with little to no care.