Narcissus and Daffodil

4 Commercial production of Narcissus
bulbs
Gordon R. Hanks
INTRODUCTION
Narcissus (daffodil) bulbs have been an important floricultural crop in western
Europe since the late nineteenth century, although the bulbs have been grown in
the Netherlands since the sixteenth century and Narcissus hispanicus has been
cultivated in the UK for over 300 years as ‘N. maximus’ or ‘N. maximum superbus’
(Doorenbos, 1954). In a 1998 survey of consumers in the UK, daffodils were rated
eighth in popularity amongst cut-flowers and achieved sixth position in value of
sales, despite being relatively inexpensive and not available throughout the year
(FPA, 1999). At the start of the twenty-first century, the narcissus or daffodil
remains one of the major ornamental bulb crops grown in temperate regions, with
large areas of field-grown crops providing both bulbs and flowers, while bulb
‘forcing’ in glasshouses provides flowers and pot-plants over an extended season.
Rees (1993) estimated that the area of narcissus grown in gardens, parks, cemeteries,
etc., is five-times the area grown commercially. The histories of commercial bulb
growing in the UK, Netherlands and US, the major producing countries, have
been described by Dobbs (1983), Krelage (1946) and Gould (1993), respectively.
After a brief review of the statistics of narcissus bulb production, this chapter will
describe the methods used in growing the crop. The objective is to provide clear
guidance on how narcissus are grown, commenting on how the requirements of
producing bulbs for processing might differ from the production of bulbs as
ornamentals. Research findings will also be considered, for these may give insight
into how the methods of production of narcissus as industrial crops might be
varied or improved.
PRODUCTION STATISTICS
World production of Narcissus bulbs
The areas of field-grown narcissus in the major producing countries are given in
Table 4.1. Production is dominated by the UK and Netherlands, with some 4200
and 1800ha, respectively, although it should be noted that in the UK the crop is
grown on a two-year-down basis so that only half the area is lifted each year.
It should also be noted that, since 1996–1997, the practice in the UK has been to
include statistics on narcissus grown for ornamental use only, and examination of
recent figures (MAFF, 1999a) suggests that a few hundred hectares have been