It’s Narcissus season. My all-time favorite fragrance comes from a flower with a big image problem — Narcissus papyraceus. It tends to be joked about because of its unfortunate name (which actually has nothing to do with the Greek legend of the boy in love with his reflection). Its name comes from the Greek word narkao: “to benumb.” Socrates called it “the chaplet of the infernal gods” because the bulbs, if eaten, numbed the nervous system with their highly poisonous narcotic properties. According to Laurie Cluitmans, editor of the remarkable book On the Necessity of Gardening, Roman soldiers would carry bulbs of Narcissus papyraceus in their armor to numb themselves during battle. The smell of Narcissus remains one of the most difficult and time-intensive aromas to capture, which is why its bottled fragrances are so rare. It’s my favorite of any flower in the garden. X Richard