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

It is hard for us to diagnose

It is hard for us to diagnose from afar but we can give you some guidelines for growing daffodils in pots. First, daffodils do need lots of water while they are growing. When you plant, heavily water so that the soil is completed saturated. Then keep them moist until rain comes. Water for 3 weeks after they bloom.
Of course, daffodils like a sunny spot. Also they must drain well. For growing daffodils in pots, we like to add one-third perlite to two-thirds sterilized soil. Also, was your pot big enough? Consider 1 gallon for a normal-size bulb, 2 gallons for 3 to 4 bulbs.
We hope others in our Web site community can weigh in!

Daffodils are one of my

Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers and I'm in tears because my husband cut all the leaves off before they turned yellow. He wasn't aware they would not bloom the following year. Is there anything I can do to help the bulbs to bloom next year? I have a large garden full of bulbs.

Hi Emily, There is really

Hi Emily,

There is really nothing you can do now. You may still get some blooms next spring and the bulbs will produce leaves. Next year let the leaves turn yellow on their own and you will have beautiful blooms the following spring.

My brother bought a house

My brother bought a house with beautiful gardens of daffodils planted by the previous owner. Since he is no gardner, the flowers have washed all over the property. After blooming, I dug them up (so I could remember where they were). I immediately replanted in the old gardens and the leaves wilted and turned yellow. What happened?

Hi, Mirinda, After booming,

Hi, Mirinda, After booming, and over the course of weeks or months, daffodil foliage does wilt, turn yellow, and dry up. It is during that time that the bulbs build up energy to bloom again next year.
Your digging them up interrupted that process. Now, undisturbed, they may be able to recover. You can't know until next year.
The next time you want to lift blubs, mark the area and wait until they have finished.

I have a lot of daffodils I

I have a lot of daffodils I would like to remove to plant grass. They have bloomed already how
long do I wait to dig up the bulbs? When I dig them up how do I save them to replant them in the fall? Thanks

Hi Pat, Let the foliage turn

Hi Pat,
Let the foliage turn yellow before digging the bulbs. Shake off any soil and place the bulbs in a well ventilated area in the shade to dry for about a week. When dry you can dust the bulbs with fungicide powder and then put them in a paper or mesh bag and store in a cool dark place.

I have had daffodils for

I have had daffodils for years most are outstanding and bloom yearly. But there are clumps that never bloom.
Can you help with a reason why this happens?

Daffodils grow best in full

Daffodils grow best in full sun. You may want to move the bulbs that don't bloom if they are in shade. Daffodils do get crowded after a few years and may stop blooming. If this is the case lift the bulbs and divide them before replanting. The daffodils may also benefit from a low-nitrogen, high-potash fertilizer.

I grow a lot of daffodils in

I grow a lot of daffodils in the garden.
After flowering can the bulbs be dug up ready for next year rather than waiting until they die off

The books will tell you to

The books will tell you to wait until the greens have time to die back and return energy to next year's bulbs. I have grown hundreds of daffodil bulbs for years and always followed this practice. Several years ago while working on a local public garden project with a new gardener, this inexperienced gardener lifted an overcrowded clump right out of the ground in full bloom, separated them, spread them out and replanted. While I was sure that would be the death of them, in fact they have come back each spring. Go figure!

There are a number of reasons

There are a number of reasons why daffodils might not bloom.
• they are in shade
• the soil they are in does not drain
• they are competing with other plants, e.g., evergreen trees
• they need dividing
Bingo! That sounds like your problem. Later in summer or early fall, lift the clump, pull the bulbs apart, and replant them in sun (not near evergreens) and in well draining soil.

Rotting Bulbs It's about time

Rotting Bulbs
It's about time for the daffodils in my garden (well-drained, sunny) to start growing or have started growing. This was the first time I planted any (last fall), so I'm not sure, but the hyacinths right beside them have started growing. I dug up a few daffodils and saw they were starting to rot and get moldy. they are still firm on the inside. Can I do anything to save them from rotting further?

Hi ! I live in the south of

Hi ! I live in the south of England, UK. My friend has some daffodils that are planted about 6 inches away from a 3 foot high garden wall, they are currently in flower but she wonders why they all face east? I said most flowers follow the sun, but she says they permanently face east! Is there any particular reason for this??

We are most curious about this!

I planted 280 daffodil bulbs

I planted 280 daffodil bulbs last fall...actually it was the end of August. I am in zone 3b. The year before I planted about 50 and not one came up. I dug around and did not even find anything I could recognize as a bulb so when I planted last fall I researched and bought a tool to plant with and put fertilizer in the bottom of the hole before I set the bulb. As of today... March 20th only 10% of bulbs have emerged. I dug around in the soil a bit and found a few mushy bulbs. I definitely planted deep enough. If I do not get more plants coming up in the next 2 weeks I will be beyond disappointed. The bulbs were purchased from a reputable supplier and looked healthy when I poked them in the dirt. I am at a loss. Any suggestions for future success?

If the bulbs didn't freeze

If the bulbs didn't freeze the reason for the daffodils not to grow could be poor drainage. You may need to amend your soil with compost to make it drain better.

I have planted with success

I have planted with success lots (100s) of daffodils (Z6). Clumps get bigger each year. Except: one spring I planted a small tree uphill from a large clump and I watered that tree often all summer. I killed every one of those daffodil bulbs. Apparently they don't like wet soils. The grape hyacinths were fine, I plant these with daffodils because you can always tell where the daffs are.

Every year my daffodils come

Every year my daffodils come up, bloom, and then bow their heads so that I can't see their beautiful trumpets! I notice my neighbors' daffodils do not do this. Any idea what causes this?

some daffodils are up-facing,

some daffodils are up-facing, but most are not. One that I have called 'Carlton' is up-facing and blooms early in the mid-season. It is two-toned with the petals being a lighter yellow.

Hi, stupid question, but can

Hi, stupid question, but can if i put fresh cut daffodils in water, is there any way to get them where i can replant and make more?

Hi Jennifer, Once the

Hi Jennifer, Once the daffodil has been cut for a vase, it can't be replanted. The best way to produce new daffodils is to remove offsets (baby bulbs) from the parent bulb.

I live in Philadelphia and

I live in Philadelphia and would love to get some daffodils in my outdoor planter for this spring. If I purchase some flowering plants from the nursery can I replant them now (with flowers on), or will the change cause them to wilt and die?

We bought our place in

We bought our place in Oklahoma City last year and moved in in mid spring. This year the Daffodil's are coming up all over the place. It does not look like they have been planted I any set pattern. They are scattered over most of the five acres. My question is do they get scattered by mowing or other methods such as birds etc.

Hi James, Daffodils are often

Hi James,
Daffodils are often used to naturalize (planted in a natural setting) in a lawn or under trees. They are not planted in a pattern and do multiply (some varieties better than others). The bulbs multiply under ground. The trick is not to mow or cut off the foliage before it has turned brown. The bulbs get their nutrients from the leaves.

Live in Athens, Ga. Need to

Live in Athens, Ga. Need to move my daffodils to the lake house. They are in full bloom.

? dig them up, each into a container w/soil and moe them

Then what? plant them in new location,
keep them in the pots till ?

If you can't wait until the

If you can't wait until the daffodils are done blooming you can dig them up. Try to get all the roots and some soil with each bulb. Put them in containers and then plant them as soon as possible in the new locations. Dig the holes big enough so that there is room for the bulbs and some of the soil from your garden.

For several years I have

For several years I have forgotten to transplant the daffodils from our ranch to our home. Now, they are again coming up at the ranch, their leaves are about 6" high--no stalk emerging yet. Can I deeply dig a cluster of them and transplant as a group, if I don't disturb the roots? They've been there for 40 years!

Yes,I would dig some up! I

Yes,I would dig some up! I did the same thing at an abandoned homesite with success. I found it set the blooming back by one year but now they're blooming and increasing.

I bought a house in November.

I bought a house in November. Now it is Feb and I have noticed lots of leaves pop up that look like daffodils, but I don't think they will bloom because the places they are at are very shady. When is it safe to move them to try again in a sunnier spot next year?

You may still get some

You may still get some blooms. Wait until the foliage turns yellow. Then dig the bulbs and separate them. Add some compost to the new holes before planting the bulbs.