The Narcissus flower has an image problem. They tend to be joked about because of their unfortunate name (which actually has nothing to do with the Greek legend of the by who was in love with his reflection). In some ways they are the most selfless of flowers — growing patiently in the cold, growing fast until the flower opens and then exploding a thick scent far and wide. Then, after spreading intoxicating scent, it quickly dies to come back and do it all again for us next year. As a boy growing up in Austrlaia, I would plant the bulbs and wait anxiously for them to sprout. I tried all sorts of tricks to speed up the process, like putting the lamp from my fish tank over the bulbs to give them more “sunlight”. I heard a wive’s tale about watering them with black tea, so I would secretly boil cups of my mothers tea and drown the soil daily (until she realized how much tea I was wasting). Or keeping them in the refrigerator to speed up propagation (not great for a congested family fridge). Today we just let Mother Nature do her thing. At Flamingo we planted hundreds of them around the Estate. @theonlyharvey and I planted many of them together when we first met, and when they flower they are a gently reminder of that time together. Like a calendar alert from Mother Nature to give him a kiss. Last year we made a limited-edition Narcissus soap and candle — now long sold out (if anyone has one I would pay triple to get it back from you). This week I picked a bunch of Narcissus flowers and put them in the shower. Ive been waking up and inhaling them as I scrub. And it’s the best way to start the day. Rejoin in this incredible scent while it lasts. And then tuck away the memory for another year x Richard