OTTAWA, March 9, 2005 -- In spring, our fancy turns to... the ground thawing and daffodils blooming! Like the return of the robin and daylight savings time, the first daffodil bloom trumpets the arrival of spring in a glorious display of Mother Nature's re-awakening. Canada Post will celebrate the return of spring by issuing two stamps on March 10 featuring the cheery images of daffodils. The botanical name for the genus to which daffodils belong, Narcissus, derives from the story of a beautiful youth in Greek mythology. The story is that Narcissus, so fond of looking at his own mirrored reflection, attempted to kiss his image on the surface of a pool, fell in, and drowned. When the gods saw that the most beautiful being on Earth had died, they turned Narcissus into a scented flower which blossoms in the mountains in spring. The name "daffodil" is derived from the Greek asphodelos, the flower that bloomed in the afterlife in Greek mythology. Daffodils have become one of the favourite spring-blooming flowers for gardeners all across Canada because they come in a wide range of colours, they're easy to grow and require little care once planted, are winter hardy and thrive in a wide range of climates. The most popular daffodils produced in Canada are the yellow varieties with large trumpets. The yellow daffodil is the Canadian Cancer Society's symbol of hope in the fight against cancer. The cheerful blooms are sold every year and mark the beginning of the Society's annual door-to-door fundraising campaign in April - Daffodil Month. Funds raised through the sale of daffodils support the Society's five priorities - prevention, advocacy, research, information and support. Last year, the Society sold almost 13 million daffodils from coast to coast. The Society is the world's largest purchaser of daffodils and the growers in British Columbia arrange their plantings to meet the needs of the Society's demand for live blooms. The stamps were designed by Isabelle Toussaint of Montréal with photography by Marc Montplaisir - the same duo who worked on last fall's very popular Pets stamps. Last April, when the pair were planning to take photographs for the stamps, there wasn't a bloom to be found. "I called florists and grocers all over the Montréal region," Toussaint said. "But potted daffodils are grown much earlier in the season, and they weren't yet flowering naturally in this area, so no one could sell us any. We actually began looking at fabric reproductions, to see how realistic they would appear. A couple of weeks later, as I was driving home one evening, I saw some daffodils just opening in my neighbour's garden. I called the photographer right away and said, 'I've got some!'" Gardeners will be pleased to know that no blooms were harmed during the photography session. The plants were dug up - dirt and all - for the photo shoot and then returned to the same ground, where they continued blooming for the rest of the season. Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and downloadable high-resolution photos of the Daffodil stamps are in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550. - 30 - Contact: Cindy Daoust Ottawa, Ontario, Tel.: (613) 734-4258
