Daffodil 'Dutch Master'
Narcissus 'Dutch Master' · Amaryllidaceae Popular
The classic golden-yellow trumpet daffodil: big flowers with a long, flared, frilled trumpet. What most people picture at the word daffodil.
- Size
- 18 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Early April to late April
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around daffodil 'Dutch Master'
The planner designed this bed around daffodil 'Dutch Master' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why daffodil 'Dutch Master' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dianthus 'Kahori' × 3, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 15, blue
- 3 Foxglove beardtongue × 3, white
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 4, purple
- 5 Globe arborvitae 'Danica' × 1, green leaves
- 6 Caucasian scabious 'Fama' × 3, blue
- 7 Daffodil 'Dutch Master' × 3, yellow
- 8 Schubert's allium × 2, pink
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are open bowls, dense clusters, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only yellow. The one hot colour: every other flower here is cool or neutral.
Why here
- Near the front. At 18 in it is the step between leadwort (10 in) in front and caucasian scabious 'Fama' (24 in) behind: each is seen over the one before.
- 3 plants in one group. Massed, one kind reads as a single shape. Scattered, it would look spotty.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early April to late April.
- Opens the season. In all that time nothing else on the plan is in flower.
- Leaves gone by midsummer. They die back and leave bare ground. A perennial that comes up late stands beside it, and grows over the gap.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 53% of the visual weight and the right half 47%. Cool colours (pink, blue and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 5 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where daffodil 'Dutch Master' goes in a border
At 18 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is short (12 to 18 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It has replaced the old 'King Alfred' and is usually what is sold under that name. Strong, early and good for forcing. Let the leaves die down for six weeks after flowering.
- Classic yellow daffodils
- Mass planting and cutting
- Forcing
What to plant with daffodil 'Dutch Master'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Grape hyacinth: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for two weeks; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Forsythia: in flower together for three weeks, from early April; tall enough (8 ft) to stand behind it.
- Daylily: carries the spot on into early August; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
Questions about daffodil 'Dutch Master'
Does daffodil 'Dutch Master' need sun or shade?
Daffodil 'Dutch Master' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day) and part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun).
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does daffodil 'Dutch Master' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 8. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does daffodil 'Dutch Master' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early April to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Mid April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 5 | Early April to late April |
| Zone 6 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Mid March to early April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should daffodil 'Dutch Master' be planted?
5 in (12 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 in (15 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 18 in (45 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daffodil 'Dutch Master' plants do I need?
At 5 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 74 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 26 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 238 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used three in one group.
Is daffodil 'Dutch Master' poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, especially the bulbs, cause vomiting if eaten, and large amounts can affect the heart. The sap can irritate skin.
Rated from the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
What can I plant to hide daffodil 'Dutch Master''s leaves after it flowers?
A bulb's leaves have to be left to yellow for about six weeks after flowering, to feed next year's flowers. Plant it among perennials that come up late and spread wide, and they grow over the leaves as they fade:
- Daylily: 2½ ft tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower late June to early August.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
- Catmint 'Walker's Low': 24 in tall and 2½ ft wide, in flower mid May to mid September.
What does daffodil 'Dutch Master' look like in winter?
Daffodil 'Dutch Master' is underground: it dies back after flowering and waits as a bulb until spring. Mark where it is, so a fork does not find it first.
More Narcissus
- Daffodil Narcissus
- Daffodil 'February Gold' Narcissus 'February Gold'
- Daffodil 'Ice Follies' Narcissus 'Ice Follies'
- Daffodil 'Jetfire' Narcissus 'Jetfire'
- Daffodil 'Tete-a-Tete' Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete'
- Daffodil 'Thalia' Narcissus 'Thalia'
- Jonquil Narcissus jonquilla
- Poet's daffodil Narcissus poeticus
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: April
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 18 in (45 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 in (12 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Early April to late April; trumpets; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
Checked against ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.