We are indebted to TWR reader Cilla for tipping us off about the Scented Narcissi company from The Scilly Isles, which is one of her favourite places on Earth. When our family went (on her recommendation) we felt like we’d stepped into an Enid Blyton novel of jolly nostalgia, bobbing boats and beaches that would rival the Caribbean on a sunny day.
Blessed with warm trade winds, the Scilly Isles is able to grow its fragrant narcissi early and a box of them, delivered directly to your door just before Christmas, is a heavenly way to make your house smell nice. They also make a great Christmas present for people who are too cool for school and have EVERYTHING already and are a nightmare to buy for.
We asked one of the growers, farmer Sarah Paulger of Borough Farm (which has been passed down through the generations) to tell us more about Scented Narcissi,
“We’re very proud of our scented narcissi flowers” she told us, “families on the Isles of Scilly have been growing them here since the late 1800s. Today we have more varieties than ever before, ranging from pure white to rich yellow and orange and each variety has its own unique scent. The flowers are grown naturally, out of doors, in small sheltered fields. Starting in October until April, we send our very best narcissi, via courier, in a beautiful midnight blue presentation box; just flowers, stylish ivory tissue paper, cotton ribbon … and scent’.
Doesn’t that sound good? They will take orders for Christmas until 20th December, and they seem very reasonable to me, they start at £20.95 for 50 stems and there are special offers on if you order before December 16th. Order here.
If I hadn’t already gotten a massive present for my father-in-law, these would be perfect. I’m going to have to bookmark their page. There are many more gift giving opportunities every year. I don’t want to forget this one.
This has reminded me to order some freesias from Jersey. Its just one of those traditions!