Narcissus

If you plant only one bulb in your garden, it should be the cheery narcissus, shown blooming alongside the emerging foliage of hostas. Stunningly simple and fresh, and nearly always successful, the narcissus has both early and late-blooming varieties.

By planting both early and late-blooming types, each sustaining blooms for 2 weeks, you'll enjoy a full month of bloom in the yard and in spring bouquets. Because of the wide variety of sizes, the narcissus is ideal in rock gardens, borders and beds, and woodlands.

As many as 26 narcissus species exist, and these lovely beauties go by several names, such as daffodil and jonquil. The narcissus bloom has a trumpet-shaped corona, or cup, surrounded by six petals. The trumpet color often differs from the petal color, which gives the narcissus its perky appearance. Colors range from ivory through shades of yellow to orange. Varieties sold as "pink" are usually apricot in color.