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Daffodils: How to Plant, Grow, and Enjoy Spring’s Cheerful Blooms

yellow jetfire daffodil flowers in the spring

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

Image Credit:
Alex Manders/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Narcissus spp.
Grown as
Perennial
USDA Zones
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Toxicity
Toxic
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Water Needs
Moderate
Height
Under 1 foot
Spread
Under 1 foot
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Spring
Flower Color
Orange
White
Yellow
Special Features
Container-Friendly
Cut Flower
Disease-Resistant
Low Maintenance
Deer-resistant
Rabbit-resistant
Resilience
Cold Hardy
Plant Type
Bulbs
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Nothing heralds spring like the cheerful daffodil! These sunshine-yellow flowers emerge at winter’s end to lift our spirits. Plus, daffodil bulbs are deer- and rodent-resistant (unlike tulips)! 

Learn more about how and when to plant daffodils—and the delightful variety of choices, from the classic yellow to mini daffodils.

Daffodils are hardy perennials that come back year after year, spreading and often naturalizing. They are fall-planted bulbs, 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-shaped central corona. Still, 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, on a border, or even in pots. We especially love daffodils in a woodland garden and 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, making 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 daffodil bulbs. See where to buy daffodil bulbs.

Planting

Where to Plant Daffodils

Daffodils do best in full sun, though they will grow in partial shade. They’re generally not picky about soil, but good drainage is vital as they are susceptible to rot when kept too wet. Hillsides and raised beds work well. Otherwise, improve clay soil by amending it (12 inches deep) with organic material such as well-rotted compost.

When to Plant Daffodil Bulbs

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

How to Plant Daffodil Bulbs

  • Plant the bulb with the top (pointy end) set about two to three 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 at least 3 inches of soil is covering the bulb.
  • Daffodils will tolerate crowding, but they prefer to be placed 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 oxalic acid—a substance that makes them unpalatable to most rodent pests. However, if pests are bothering your bulbs, consider adding 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 the 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 become 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 flowers. 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 (or pull lightly while twisting the leaves). You can also mow the area without worry.
  • Once daffodils (and tulips) have gone by, add bone meal 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 to hide the fading foliage.

Harvesting

  • When cutting daffodils, keeping these flowers in their own vase is best, 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.

Pests and Problems

  • 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 bulb scale mites, large narcissus bulb fly, narcissus basal rot, narcissus nematode, slugs, and other fungal infections and viruses.

Types

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 oversized trumpets. They bloom early, naturalize easily, and are great for planting in masses.

dutch master daffodil grove

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

white daffodils with yellow centers, barrett browning cultivar

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

tahiti daffodil flowers

  • ‘Tete-a-Tete’ is an adorable mini daffodil that flowers early and blooms for weeks as one of the longest-blooming varieties. Ideal for flower beds and containers and naturalizes with ease.

Tete-a-Tete mini daffodils

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

Jetfire mini daffofil flowers

  • ‘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 an excellent cut flower.
  • ‘Thalia’ is an all-white daffodil, making it wonderful for moon gardens. Learn about 20 pure white flowers to include in your garden.

See plenty more varieties here!

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, in 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

Bulbs

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening, so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 11/24/2014 - 09:56

Sandie, Cover your daffs with some mulch to help to protect them from the coming cold and any that follows—but do not remove the foliage. The bulbs get their energy from the foliage. This autumn growth will die back and turn brown. In spring, when the buls come again you can cut off the brown foliage for appearances sake. You bulbs should come back, unless you're also seeing bulbs emerge now, which makes their future harder to predict.

This early growth could be the result of exceptionally warm weather, the bulbs being too shallow (and so closer to the surface where the warmth is), or they were planted too early in season. These last two reasons may not apply to you, as it doesn't sound like your situation, but I share for other readers.

 <span>Anonymous</span> Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:22
My gardener was supposed to till up soil, add garden soil and plant 200 daffodils (northern Georgia). I had to leave, returned and checked daffodils. The 5-6 I found were laying on top of new soil with about 3" of mulch on top, most on their side (2 upside down). He and I dug through mulch/soil and replanted as many as we could reasonably find - maybe half. What is likelihood that flowers will grow if 1) laying on its side or upside down and/or 2) only covered with 3-4" of mulch? Thank you.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 11/11/2014 - 07:24

As you know, bulbs should be planted the pointy side up. However, even if they're planted wrong, they usually do find their way to the surface. 

The planting depth depends on size. Daffodils should be planted at least twice as deep as the bulb is high. In the case of smaller bulbs, a few inches should be fine. For larger bulbs, the depth is usually 5 to 6 inches.

If the planting isn't deep enough, your daffodils may grow but without flowers as shallow planting deprives them of the needed moisture. You'll have to see how they fare.

Be extra careful that your daffodils get needed moisture as well as the nutrients that come from rich soil; feed your daffodils regularly after flowering with a liquid fertilizer at intervals of 7 to 10 days. Continue this until foliage turns yellow.

 <span>Lyn Chapman</span> Fri, 11/07/2014 - 22:49
I have had to lift my daffodils before their leaves are yellow.I want to keep them and plant for spring.Will they be okay ,or shall I plant somewhere until the leaves yellow. It is coming up to summer here.
<span>Renee Dinnerstein</span> Sat, 10/18/2014 - 10:18
This will sound totally inane but last year I planted daffodil bulbs in my window box upside down! Can I replant them the correct way this year or have I destroyed the bulbs?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 10/20/2014 - 12:19

Hi, Renee: First of all, there's no such thing as an inane question! That's what we inane question answerers are here for! And BTW: You are only the umpteenth billion person to have done this -- not to worry! The answer to your question is: There is only one way to find out: Replant. But most bulbs will find a way to make it regardless of their planting orientation, so hopefully there isn't something else going on here, like rot or pests. But go for it!

 <span>James O.</span> Fri, 09/12/2014 - 21:53
I had planted some already-bloomed daffodils I bought at the store in a pot outside early spring this year (2014). It is now September and I want to bring the pot indoors and try to force bloom them for winter. There is still some lingering green foliage and I want to know the best way to force bloom them indoors. Do I cut the foliage down and refrigerate the bulbs until ready for replanting? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 09/15/2014 - 10:47

Hi, James: If there is any chance that the green foliage means that your plants are still alive, you should leave (sorry) them alone until they turn yellow. They are still providing energy to the bulb. Once you are confident that they have passed, then you can snip or twist off the plant from the bulb. Put the bulbs root down in shallow, loosely packed, well-draining, moist potting medium in a cool (40 to 45 degrees), dark area for at least 3 months, then bring out into the coolest area of your house and progressively move to warmer areas. Always be very careful and gentle with the bulbs/plants.

 <span>Carolyn O'nesky</span> Sun, 08/31/2014 - 14:54
We want to plant MANY daffodil bulbs on a hillside by our church this fall. If, after they have bloomed and gone dormant the site is sprayed for weeds will it kill the bulbs ?
<span>Rosalie Colombo</span> Sat, 02/14/2015 - 12:41
I have a square built with r/r ties around a tree and I planted King Alfreds a few years ago, covered with vinca minor. (Minor, not major) Beautiful each year and I leave the daffodil greens until they turn yellow and then just lift up the dead yellow parts to neaten the planter. Gorgeous. (Northern Sacramento Valley, California.)