Growing Daffodils

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Daffodils

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The bright yellow blooms of daffodils are a wonderful sign of spring—but do you know how and when to plant them properly? Here are tips on planting daffodil bulbs, caring for daffodils, and what to do after they flower.

Daffodils are a hardy and easy perennial that grows in most regions of North America, except in the hottest, wettest areas, such as South Florida. Daffodils are a fall-planted bulb, so plant them in autumn and they will bloom in late winter or early spring.

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. Leafless stems bear between 1 and 20 flowers; sometimes the flowers need to be staked so that they don’t weigh down the stems.

Daffodils are suitable for planting between shrubs or in a border, or for forcing blooms indoors. They look wonderful 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 also make for great springtime cut flowers.

Planting

When to Plant Daffodils

Plant daffodil bulbs in the fall—about 2 to 4 weeks before the ground freezes. See local frost dates and get more tips on planting fall bulbs.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Select a site that offers full sun or partial sun, at the least. Daffodils will bloom best when given adequate exposure to early spring sunshine!
Most daffodils tolerate a range of soils but grow best in moderately fertile, well-drained soil that is kept moist during the growing season. They are susceptible to rot when kept too wet, so make sure that you plant them in a well-draining spot.
Many of the popular species prefer neutral to acidic soils, but some prefer slightly alkaline soils, so consult the supplier of your bulbs to see which is best for your daffodil variety.
Over time, daffodils will produce new, “daughter” bulbs that are attached to the main bulb which you planted originally. This results in nice little clumps of daffodils that stay relatively contained to where you planted them.

How to Plant Daffodils

Select high-quality daffodil bulbs that have not been dried out. The larger the bulb, the better.
Plant with the top or pointy end up about 2 to 3 times as as deep as the bulb is high. For example, the top of a 2″ bulb is at least 4″ deep (measuring from the bottom of the bulb) while a 3-inch long bulb should be planted 5 inches deep.
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.
Where winters are severe, make sure there are at least 3 inches of soil covering the bulb.
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.
Get more tips for growing bulbs.

Daffodils in spring

Care

How to Grow Daffodils

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).
Deadhead plants as flowers fade (for neater garden appearance) and allow leaves to remain for at least 6 weeks.
Lift and divide the clumps when flowering becomes sparse or the clumps congested.
After daffodils bloom in the spring, allow the plants to grow until they die off. Do NOT cut down earlier. They need time after blooming to store energy in the bulbs for next year’s bloom.
To remove the dead plants, either snip them off at the base, or twist the leaves while pulling lightly.
Once daffodils and tulips have gone by, add bonemeal to the soil for next year’s blooms.

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.

Daffodils in car

Harvest/Storage

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.

Recommended Varieties

‘Golden Ducat’ is a double daffodil with pure yellow petals. It blooms in mid- to late season and grows 12 to 16 inches tall.
‘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.
‘Rip van Winkle’ is a miniature double daffodil that grows 6 to 8 inches tall and looks great in a grove with many others of its kind.

Daffodils with white and orange.

Wit & Wisdom

Daffodils are a March birth flower.
Daffodils symbolize regard for someone. See more flower meanings.

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

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Reader Comments

Slouching Daffodils

I got some Daffodils around Easter and recently planted them, they are about 10 inches apart, in part/full sun, watered everyday and they are drooping. Not standing tall at all. Pick up stems and they fall. Not very sure what my problem is. Any comments?

Slouching Daffodils

If you had unusually cold temperatures or snow recently, that could have caused your daffodils’ bad posture. If not, it could be due to overwatering. Daffodils like to be kept moist, but don’t like to sit in too much water. Are yours in an area with well-drained soil? If you’re getting regular rainfall, that should be providing plenty of water to them.

Dividing daffodils

I need to divide my daffodils. I will wait till blooming is over & leaves are dead. Do I then plant the blubs or wait till fall? How would I store them? Thanks

Dividing Daffodils

Once you divide the daffodils, you should replant them right away. Plant them at the same depth that they were planted at before and space them about 6 inches apart for the best results.

If you did need to store them for some reason, you would want to keep them in a cool, dark place with relatively low humidity until you can plant them again.

Divide and plant daffodils

Greetings,
I am deeply interested in your question about dividing and replanting daffodils ! As I have the same question yet have not heard or learn the answer to the question. Someone had generously shared some wonderful bulbs with me.
Have you gleaned any information on the subject. If so do you mind sharing it with me? I would so appreciate your effort and time involved.
Sincerely,
Elaine

Daffodil

I have a single daffodil bulb that produced a bloom on a 34” stem. It grew up through an azalea and the yellow bloom opened up when it reached the top of the shrub. It seemed a rare occurrence to me. Do the stem heights generally vary depending on the location a bulb is planted?

Daffodil Stems

Daffodils will stretch until they get the light they deem sufficient. This is what yours did!

early blooming daffodils and tiger lillies

Question really. With milder fall weather, the shoots are emerging. Wonder if i am correct in thinking that they will get zapped if there are colder below freezing temps later and will that affect new growth in spring?

shoots shooting too soon

The best thing to do is to throw a couple/few inches of mulch on the shoots. They should perform as expected in the spring.

Planting daffodils

I am planting my first daffodils -- I always heard to put 3-5 bulbs per hole, but at the nursery they said 1 bulb per hole -- which is correct? I would like to have substantial showing of daffodils.

daffs in zone 3

How deep do I need to plant daffodils in zone 3 in Colorado? My soil is quite sandy (I'm near Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park), but I am growing daylilies & iris successfully here, so I thought I would try daffodils. Also, is it possible to grow daffodils in larger pots in zone 3? The pots I'm considering are unglazed terracotta & would be left out on my patio throughout winter, with south-southwest exposure...wondering if daffodils would make it through winter in that situation if I mulch the top of the pot for winter? Thanks for any advice!

Daffodils in Winter

Hi Teresa,

For planting daffodils in Colorado, plant the bulbs 1 ½ to 5 times their own length deep. Cover with 3 extra inches of soil. As for growing in pots, you could attempt growing daffodils in pots there, however there might not be enough insulation on the sides of the pot for the bulbs to do well. Experiment!

Daffodils in a field

I have two plastic grocery bags full of daffodil bulbs that a friend gave to me. I want to plant them all over a 3 acre lot. What would be the best/easiest way to do this?

Planting Daffodils

Each bulb should have at least 2 to 3 inches of soil covering it when it’s planted, so we wouldn’t recommend casting them into an area like you would smaller seeds, unfortunately, as they will be eaten, will not survive the winter, or simply won’t grow. A tool like a pole hole digger could make digging easier and faster. Plant the bulbs just a few weeks before the ground freezes this fall.

Dafadil

When the flower dies you get a lump where the flower was is that a bulb you can replant to make another flower

Daffodils

That is where seeds may form. It's best to remove this asap for best bulb development next year. The bulbs (underground) may form bullets that can be separated from the parent plant and replanted.

daffodils

the lump below the flower can it be planted to grow daffodils. Or should it be cut off asap as one person wrote in

A daffy bunch

Hi there. I have 3 large bunches of daffs that I inherited on my property. They grow densely and get to nearly 4' tall with tons of blooms. The only work they require of me is yelling at the hubby to "watch em" with the mower.These beauties back onto a barn wall and I'd love to fill in the gaps between them to create a full row. How would I go about splitting/replanting? It's been two years and I haven't had the courage to dig them up. Am I better off just planting more bulbs rather than splitting? Thanks a bunch

Dividing Daffodils

Hi Leslie,
If your daffodils are as densely packed as you say they are, they might actually benefit from a little more leg room! Wait until after they finish blooming and their leaves have mostly turned yellow and brown to dig them up. Bulbs are generally quite easy to divide: just carefully peel them apart from one another—leaving any remaining leaves intact and attached—and space them out as you like (4–5 inches apart, minimum). Plant them at the same depth that they are now and they should be happy.

Storing Bulbs till fall

I got some potted daffodils and I want to take them out of the pot and store till fall and replant is there a good way to do this Thanks

potted dafs

I was recently given several potted daffodils...my question is can i plant these right in the garden ? ...they are still blooming, but most of the blooms have now died off...these were daffodils in a store but unsellable with the blooms dying....thank you in advance for the reply...

daffodils

What do I do with them after blooming? Do I have to take the bulbs up or leave them in the planter till next blooming season?
Is it the same for hyacinth bulbs?

Planting and Storing Daffodils

After a daffodil finishes blooming, it’s still using its foliage to gather and store energy for next year’s bloom, so it would be best to wait to replant the bulbs until the daffodils’ foliage completely dies back. At that point, the bulbs can be removed from the pots and stored in a cool, dark, and dry place until fall, when they should be planted in the ground.

Do daffodils spread??

I started a front yard garden three years ago with perennials and the blooms are awesome. I've noticed that some of the daffodils have spread throughout the garden instead of just growing in the area they were planted in. Is this normal??

Thanks In Advance

Daffodils Spreading

Daffodils usually spread by producing new bulbs (bulbets) underground, which themselves grow into full plants and repeat the process. Daffodils are also capable of producing seeds after flowering, and these seeds may be spread by the wind. However, daffodil seeds take quite a while (5 years or more) to grow into full plants. If yours have somehow made it to undesirable places, feel free to dig them up and put them back in their own territory. Giving them a stern talking to may also help quell their wanderlust.

flowers not opening

Quite a number of my daffs didn't open this year. Some remained hooded and some even though the hood came off they didn't open. What can I do?

Daffodils not blooming

Daffodils aren’t usually troublesome, but if you remove their leaves before they died back last season, this would be a common reason for lack of bloom. Is it possible tha tthe leaves got removed as this is how daffodils store energy for the following year? Daffodils also need good drainage and lots of sun. Every few years, it also helps to “thin” or divide them in the fall. You must want to consider a soil test and see if they need a fertilizer boost.

Daffodils

I have heard that daff bulbs can be placed in the refrigerator for a period of time to simulate winter and then planted. True?

Chilling daffodils

Daffodils do not have to be refrigerated. Tulips should be chilled 8 to 10 weeks before planting.

Daffodil's

Last year I cut my daffodil plants down too soon.This year I have no flowers. Is there anything I can do to make them bloom ever again?? Please help.