Over the Top

Fellow growers often go and 'garden' together. I should probably explain gardens a bit, in the past the fields of a flower bulb nursery were called 'the garden'. Flower bulbs were not on the land but in the garden. If you went to look at bulbs at your neighbour's or fellow grower's you went and gardened for a bit. That is how it is still called today by flower bulb growers.

Every year my esteemed colleague grower and Narcissus friend Rik Pennings from Noordwijkerhout in South Holland comes to garden with us. He is always curious whether there is something beautiful among our seedlings. When he saw this narcissus Rik said: this is really enormous, I have never seen them so incredibly, simply over the top.

I immediately said thank you Rik, that will be her name. I can't find a suitable name for her but 'Over the Top' covers it perfectly. That's what I'm going to call her.

It is not so much the size of the flower that makes it stand out, although they are certainly quite large. It is mainly the unusual shape of the trumpet with that enormous ruffle that sets it apart from all other Narcissi.

Not only the flower but the entire plant has something tough about it, everything about it is sturdy, strong and robust… Over the Top.