Daffodil
Narcissus · Amaryllidaceae Popular
The most reliable spring bulb: it comes back and multiplies for decades, and deer and rodents leave it alone. Let the leaves yellow fully before cutting them back.
- Size
- 16 in tall, 6 in wide
- Zones
- 3 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part sun
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Bulb layer
A bed built around daffodil
The planner designed this bed around daffodil 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 stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Moor grass 'Greenlee' × 11, tan
- 2 October daphne × 3, pink
- 3 False sunflower 'Summer Nights' × 3, yellow
- 4 Switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' × 3, purple
- 5 Dwarf English boxwood × 1, dark green leaves
- 6 Showy stonecrop 'Brilliant' × 3, pink
- 7 Daffodil × 8, white
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only trumpets. The others are spires, dense clusters, daisies and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for spring starflower. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only white. White sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- In the middle. At 16 in it is seen over moor grass 'Greenlee' (12 in) in front of it.
- 8 plants in 2 handfuls. In the gaps between other plants, which fill the space when the bulb is not in growth.
- Beside spring starflower. A recognised partner: the planner puts such plants together where it can.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From mid April to early May.
- In company. With spring starflower in mid April: 2 kinds at once.
- 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: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. False sunflower 'Summer Nights' and switchgrass 'Cheyenne Sky' anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. Moor grass 'Greenlee' repeats along the bed to tie it together.
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 goes in a border
At 16 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: bulb layer. Small bulbs planted in handfuls of five or seven in the gaps between other plants, for colour before the perennials wake up.
The leaves must be left to die down for six weeks after flowering, which looks untidy. The fix is placement: plant daffodils among daylilies or cranesbills, whose new leaves rise and hide them.
- Reliable spring colour that returns for decades
- Among daylilies and cranesbills that hide the dying leaves
- Planting that deer and rodents leave alone
What to plant with daffodil
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- 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.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': takes over when it finishes, flowering from early June; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves.
- Siberian iris: takes over when it finishes, flowering from late May; grows up in time to hide its dying leaves; tall enough (2½ ft) to stand behind it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Tulip vs Daffodil.
Questions about daffodil
Does daffodil need sun or shade?
Daffodil 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 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 flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to early May. 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 April to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to mid May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 6 | Early April to early May |
| Zone 7 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to mid 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 be planted?
6 in (15 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 16 in (40 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many daffodil plants do I need?
At 6 in apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 48 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 21 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 153 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as handfuls of five or seven, in the gaps between other plants.
In the bed above, the planner used eight in two groups.
Is daffodil 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 NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
What can I plant to hide daffodil'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.
- Cranesbill 'Rozanne': 18 in tall and 24 in wide, a recorded partner, in flower early June to early October.
- Lady's mantle: 18 in tall and 24 in wide, in flower late May to early July.
What does daffodil look like in winter?
Daffodil 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 'Dutch Master' Narcissus 'Dutch Master'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Bulb
- Size
- 16 in (40 cm) tall, 6 in (15 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6 in (15 cm) apart
- Height class
- Short (12 to 18 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Mid April to early May; trumpets; yellow, white, orange
- 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
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
Checked against NC State Extension and 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.