Three cheers for the bulb that lights up the world in spring

But not the early bloomers, the bulbs which, despite the horrifically long, cold winter, were straining to break the soil surface and reach the open air.

Some people opt for snowdrops as their favourite harbingers of spring. Others choose the aconite or tiny scented irises, but even more pick the daffodil, whose vivid yellow trumpet is full of cheer, and which looks back to a long and favoured history.

The Greeks and Romans have a lot to do with the garden. Every plant we plant is uniquely identified by its Latin name and many a plant has

a connection with the myths and legends of the Greek tragedies.

And nowhere is that plainer to see than in the daffodils.

Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection, pined away and died – but in death, he was transformed into the flower which still bears his name.

Ever since then, narcissus (we still tend to call them all daffodils) have been lauded. They helped make Wordsworth famous and they have become tourist attractions – notably in Yorkshire's Farndale and the Lake District.

But there's more to a narcissus than meets the eye.

The family is a complex one, with so many forms and varieties that classifying the genus is a task best left to people with an intimate knowledge of the flowers – and a lot of time.

Basically, there are 12 divisions of the family.

Trumpet daffodils of garden origin; large-cupped or long-cupped of garden origin; small-cupped or shortcupped of garden origin; doubles of garden origin; Triandus (with two or three blooms each); Cyclamineus (where the outer leaves are swept backwards from the cup); Jonquilla (scented); Tazetta (polyanthus Narcissi); Poeticus (with white petals); all Narcissus species and their wild forms; Split-corona daffodils; and miscellaneous.

Many gardeners buy unnamed bulbs by the dozen, while some go for big planting schemes and buy them by the thousand. But if you want to know the exact name of what you are planting, it's worth paying a bit more and purchasing named species.

Years ago, when gardens were big and gardeners had even bigger ideas, the big, bold varieties like the vibrant yellow 'King Alfred' were planted en masse.

Today, gardeners are smaller, and big, brash blooms can look overbearing. Hence the growing tendency towards rockery varieties like the Cyclamineus 'Peeping Tom' and the equally dainty 'Tete-a-tete'.

With so many varieties – and so many colours – from which to choose, there is no excuse for anyone not to grow at least a handful of narcissus, even if they are in a pot.

Enjoy them because they will work long and hard to produce those glorious flowers, and when they have finished this year's show, don't forget them.

After flowering, allow the foliage to die back naturally for several weeks. In fact, water the leaves with a weak liquid fertiliser – the underground bulbs feed on their foliage to build up their strength for next year's flowering.