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Growing Daffodils: When to Plant Daffodils, How to Plant Daffodils | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Daffodils

Yellow daffodils, ‘Jetfire’ Narcissus, in flower in early spring

Photo Credit
Alex Manders/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Narcissus spp.
Plant Type
Flower
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Part Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Flower Color
Orange
White
Yellow
Hardiness Zone
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
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How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Daffodils

Catherine Boeckmann
April 23, 2023
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Nothing heralds spring like the cheerful daffodil! These sunshine-yellow flowers emerge at winter’s end to lift our spirits. Plus, daffodils are deer- and rodent-resistant bulbs (unlike tulips)! Learn more about how and when to plant daffodils—and the delightful variety of choices from the classic yellow variety to mini daffodils.

About Daffodils

Daffodils are a hardy perennials that come back year after year, spreading and often naturalizing. They are a fall-planted bulb usually planted in October and the flowers bloom in late winter or early spring. (They are the March birth flower, after all!) Most daffodils grow easily in most regions of North America, except in the hottest, wettest areas, such as South Florida.

There are thousands of daffodil varieties.  The traditional daffodil flower may be a showy yellow or white, with six petals and a trumpet-shape central corona, but many cultivated varieties (“cultivars”) exist today if you fancy experimenting with a more exotic double, frilled or bicolor narcissus.

Daffodils are suitable for planting between shrubs, in a border, or even in pots. We especially love daffodils in a woodland garden and in large groves. You’ll find that many gardeners plant the bulbs not just by the dozens but by the hundreds! Daffodil flowers can also be forced inside to add cheer to the winter months, and they make for great springtime cut flowers.

Choosing Daffodil Bulbs

Select high-quality daffodil bulbs that have not been dried out. The larger the bulb, the better.

DutchGrown™ bulbs are of the highest quality, ensuring optimum performance. You probably haven’t seen daffodils bigger than their top-sized daffodils bulbs. See where to buy daffodils bulbs.
 

Read Next

Planting

Daffodils do best in full sun, though they will grow in partial shade. 

They’re generally not picky about soil, but good drainage is key. They are susceptible to rot when kept too wet, so make sure that you plant them in a well-draining spot. Hillsides and raised beds work well. Otherwise, improve clay soil by amending (12 inches deep) with organic material such as well-rotted compost.

Slightly acidic soil is preferred, so you might need to add soil sulfur if you have alkaline soil.

When to Plant Daffodils

  • Plant daffodil bulbs in the fall—at least 2 to 4 weeks before the ground freezes. See local frost dates.

How to Plant Daffodils

  • Plant the bulb with the top (pointy end) set about 2 to 3 times as deep as the bulb is tall. For example, the top of a 2-inch bulb should be about 4 inches in the ground, while a 3-inch bulb should be planted 5 to 6 inches deep.
  • Where winters are severe, make sure there are at least 3 inches of soil covering the bulb.
  • Daffodils will tolerate some crowding, but they prefer to be spaced about 3 to 6 inches apart.
  • It may help to sprinkle a little bulb fertilizer in the hole during planting. Learn more about preparing soil for planting.
  • Resist the temptation to uncover spring-flowering plants such as daffodils and tulips. You can loosen mulch, but the shoots will still benefit from protection against cold, drying winds in early spring.
  • Daffodils contain something called oxalic acid—a substance that makes them unpalatable to most rodent pests. However, if yours are being bothered, consider adding sharp sharp pieces of shells or a pelleted rodent deterrent into and around each planting hole.
Growing
  • Apply a low-nitrogen, high-potash (potassium) fertilizer after flowering if bulbs are not performing as desired. Learn more about preparing soil for planting and soil amendments.
  • Water late-flowering daffodils in dry spring weather (flowers may abort in dry conditions).
  • Lift and divide the clumps when flowering becomes sparse or the clumps congested.

After Daffodils Bloom

  • After the flowers fade, you can deadhead (pinch off) the faded flowers.
  • However, do NOT remove the leaves until they turn yellow. Daffodils use their leaves to store energy in the bulbs for next year’s flower. The plant continues to absorb nutrients for about 6 weeks after the flowers have faded. If you cut or mow them back too early, they will not bloom next year.
  • Keep watering the plants even if the blooms have faded.
  • Once the leaves have yellowed and died back naturally, you can snip off the dead leaves at the base if you wish (or pull lightly while twisting the leaves). You can also mow the area without worry.
  • Once daffodils (and tulips) have gone by, add bonemeal to the soil for next year’s blooms.

If the dying leaves offend your sensibility, plant other bulbs such as daffodils, daylilies, or true lilies in the same area so they hide the fading foliage. 

Recommended Varieties

According to the American Daffodil Society, there are 13 official daffodil flower types and more than 25,000 named cultivars!

Whatever variety you choose, the most important tip is: Get the best quality bulbs for the best flowers. The bigger the bulbs, the better. Look for top-size bulbs, the biggest bulbs on the market. 

  • ‘Dutch Master’ is the classic daffodil—big and yellow with a very large cup and oversize trumpets. They bloom early, naturalize easily, and are great for planting in masses.

  • ‘Barrett Browning’ is the recognizable pure white daffodil with bright orange trumpet surrounded by a golden halo. They bloom early, naturalize easily, and do well in warmer climates, too.

  • ’Tahiti’ is a stunner with layers of rounded, golden yellow petals are interspersed with frilly, red-orange accents. They bloom mid to late season, last longer, and make an excellent cut flower.

  • ‘Tete a Tete’ is an adorable mini daffodil which blooms early and blooms for weeks as one of the most long-blooming varieties. Ideal for flower beds and container, and naturalizes with ease.

  • ‘Jetfire’ is another mini daffodil with bright orange cups and swept-back yellow petals. It blooms in early spring, very long-lasting, and doesn’t flop over.

  • ‘Petit Four’ is a good choice for a partially shady site. The flower has white petals with a double cup of apricot pink and grows 16 inches tall.
  • ‘Cheerfulness’ bears double flowers and multiple blooms per stem, this daffodil is very fragrant with a lovely gardenia-like scent. Blooms in late spring and makes a great cut flower.

See pictures of these varieties and many more!

Harvesting

Using Daffodils as Cut Flowers

  • When cut, daffodils should be kept alone in a vase, as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes the wilting of other flowers. If you must combine them, soak them by themselves for as long as possible, then rinse them and add them to the arrangement last. Learn more about keeping cut flowers fresh.
  • Note that contact with the sap of daffodils may irritate skin or aggravate skin allergies.
Wit and Wisdom

Here’s some daffodil-themed prose to brighten your day:

“Daffodowndilly”
She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
“Winter is dead.”
–A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.
–William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
–William Wordsworth, I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud

Of Spring Weather:
Chillier, but daffodillier.
–The 1991 Old Farmer’s Almanac

Pests/Diseases
  • Daffodils are both deer-resistant and rodent-proof, as these animals do not like the taste of the bulbs in the Narcissus family.
  • Daffodils can also be toxic to pets, so make sure your animals don’t munch on them.
  • The most common problems include large narcissus bulb fly, bulb scale mite, narcissus nematode, slugs, narcissus basal rot and other fungal infections, and viruses.
Flowers
Perennials
Bulbs

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Comments

Janet Ruddell (not verified)

2 months 2 weeks ago

I have a front garden of daffodils. For 20 years they were bright yellow but for the last 4 years are now white petal and light yellow middles. Any idea what happened? Still beautiful and have 2 new bright yellow bunches this year but it’s just amazing.

There are some daffodil varieties that change color as they mature. But you are talking about daffodils that changed after four years. Many daffodil colors will indeed fade after a few years, usually from a bright yellow to more white as the years go by. 

KAY (not verified)

2 months 3 weeks ago

Haven't planted any in long time although favorite because purchased and planted 3 bushels of King Alfred Daffodils only to have the squirrels dig them up and they ravished/tore/shredded the bulbs to pieces within only a couple of days and left the chunks and pieces of bulbs strewn about everywhere. Rodent resistant? I really don't believe so, but sure wish it were true! :(

georgis (not verified)

5 months 3 weeks ago

I've had daffs in my front gardens for 2 years. This year I needed to drastically amend the garden soil, so I dug up the bulbs in September or October and put them in pots (outside). I figured that would keep them dormant until I was ready to put them back into the ground. The weather has been mild most of the fall, and apparently they all decided it was spring already! I have 3 smallish pots with a half dozen sprouts each - help! what do I do with them now?
I don't want to put them back in the garden, it's abruptly going to drop to freezing next week. I suppose I could bring them in the house and let them grow and bloom indoors, but I don't really have a good place to put them. Other ideas?

Update: I put them on shelves in the garage, and a couple of weeks later they started really taking off. So I brought the silly things in to a countertop in the master bath. Ta-da! They've started blooming already! One pot is noticeably behind the other two, so I expect the overall display will last for quite a while. Once spring arrives OUTside I'll put them back in those gardens and hope they hibernate properly this time.

Cameron Johnson (not verified)

1 year ago

My daffodils near my stone wall are being overtaken by broad leaf weeds. Since daffodils appear to be a monocot, is is safe to use a broad leaf weed killer on them to control broad leaf weeds?

Pat (not verified)

1 year ago

Last spring all the flower buds got hit with a frost, they turned brown and never did flower. This year I have no buds, is it because of last years frost?
Thank you,
Pat

Sandra (not verified)

1 year 3 months ago

Can daffodils that have bloomed survive indoors? If so how is this accomplished?
Thank you for your time!

Are you referring to digging up blooming daffodils and growing them indoors? Or to using daffodils as cut flowers?

We wouldn’t recommend digging up blooming daffodils to bring indoors, as they likely won’t last long enough to make the effort worthwhile. However, daffodil bulbs can be forced to bloom indoors, which is a different process (read more here).

As for using daffodils as cut flowers, it is certainly doable! Pinch them off near the base and keep them in cool water. They shouldn’t be paired with other cut flowers, as they exude an irritating substance called oxalic acid.

Kaitlyn (not verified)

1 year 12 months ago

I had made the mistake of cutting down my Daffodil stalks too early after their bloom, and am deeply regretting it, as I do not remember when I pruned them in the years past. Is there a rare chance that they'll bloom next year? And if not, will they the year after? Thank you.