Daffodil 'Jetfire'
Narcissus 'Jetfire' · Amaryllidaceae
Bright yellow, swept-back petals and a long trumpet that deepens to vivid orange-red as it ages.
- Size
- 10 in tall, 4 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Late March to mid April
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around daffodil 'Jetfire'
The planner designed this bed around daffodil 'Jetfire' 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 'Jetfire' 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 'Jetfire' × 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 10 in it stands ahead of bergenia 'Bressingham White' (14 in) without hiding 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 late March to mid April.
- Opens the season. For its first three weeks 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. Cool colours (pink, blue and purple) with yellow as the warm note, and white to calm things between them. The flowers run from late March to early November: 33 weeks in all.
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 'Jetfire' goes in a border
At 10 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.
A small, early daffodil with strong colour that shows across a garden. It multiplies fast and is one of the best for pots.
- Early colour at the front
- Containers
- Naturalising
What to plant with daffodil 'Jetfire'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Grape hyacinth: takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid April; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
- Siberian squill: blue against orange, opposite each other on the colour wheel, in flower together for three weeks; low enough (5 in) to stand in front of it.
- English primrose: in flower together for three weeks, from late March; low enough (6 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about daffodil 'Jetfire'
Does daffodil 'Jetfire' need sun or shade?
Daffodil 'Jetfire' 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 'Jetfire' grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does daffodil 'Jetfire' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late March to mid 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 | Early April to late April |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 5 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 6 | Mid March to early April |
| Zone 7 | Early March to late March |
| Zone 8 | Early March to late March |
| Zone 9 | 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 'Jetfire' 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 10 in (25 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daffodil 'Jetfire' 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 'Jetfire' 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 'Jetfire''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 'Jetfire' look like in winter?
Daffodil 'Jetfire' 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 'February Gold' Narcissus 'February Gold'
- Daffodil 'Ice Follies' Narcissus 'Ice Follies'
- 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 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 10 in (25 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
- Late March to mid April; trumpets; yellow, orange
- Leaves
- Fine texture, summer-dormant; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- 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.