Daffodil 'February Gold'
Narcissus 'February Gold' · Amaryllidaceae
Small, golden flowers with petals swept back from a long trumpet, like a face in the wind. One of the first daffodils to open.
- Size
- 12 in tall, 4 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid March to early April
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around daffodil 'February Gold'
The planner designed this bed around daffodil 'February Gold' 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 'February Gold' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 8, pink
- 2 Leadwort × 8, blue
- 3 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 4 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 3, purple
- 5 Arborvitae 'Mr. Bowling Ball' × 1, grey-green leaves
- 6 Bergenia 'Bressingham White' × 3, white
- 7 Daffodil 'February Gold' × 8, yellow
- 8 Star of Persia × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are open bowls, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 12 in it is seen over leadwort (10 in) in front of it.
- 8 plants in 2 groups (5 and 3). Seen again further along, the same plant ties the bed together.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From mid March to early 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: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The scheme leans cool (pink, blue and purple) and uses yellow for warmth, with white to calm things between them. The back corners are held by false sunflower 'Summer Sun' and Tatarian aster 'Jindai', the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 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 'February Gold' goes in a border
At 12 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is low (6 to 12 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
It flowers in March in most gardens, not February, but lasts for weeks in the cold. A reliable naturaliser that tolerates part shade.
- The earliest daffodils
- Naturalising under trees
- Rock gardens and pots
What to plant with daffodil 'February Gold'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Siberian squill: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for two weeks; low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
- Glory-of-the-snow: blue against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Crocus: purple against yellow, opposite each other on the colour wheel, if you choose those colours, in flower together for three weeks; low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about daffodil 'February Gold'
Does daffodil 'February Gold' need sun or shade?
Daffodil 'February Gold' 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 'February Gold' 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 'February Gold' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid March to early 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 | Late March to mid April |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 5 | Mid March to early April |
| Zone 6 | Early March to late March |
| Zone 7 | Early March to late March |
| Zone 8 | Late February to mid March |
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 'February Gold' be planted?
4 in (10 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 12 in (30 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daffodil 'February Gold' plants do I need?
At 4 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 107 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 31 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 343 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 eight in two groups.
Is daffodil 'February Gold' 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 'February Gold''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:
- 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.
- Garden chrysanthemum: 24 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower mid September to late October.
What does daffodil 'February Gold' look like in winter?
Daffodil 'February Gold' 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 'Dutch Master' Narcissus 'Dutch Master'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 12 in (30 cm) tall, 4 in (10 cm) wide
- Plant
- 4 in (10 cm) apart
- Height class
- Low (6 to 12 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid March to early April; trumpets; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine 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.