How to Grow Daffodils

Daffodils are the most forgiving spring bulb you can plant. They come back year after year with almost no care, animals leave them alone, and in the South they are the most dependable spring bulb. Most failures trace back to three things: wet soil, too much shade, or leaves removed too early.

Choosing daffodils for your region

Botanists call the whole genus Narcissus, and “daffodil” and “narcissus” are both correct common names for any of them. “Jonquil” properly means only Narcissus jonquilla and its close hybrids, the small, fragrant, cluster-flowered types. The American Daffodil Society sorts daffodils into 13 divisions, from trumpet and large-cupped forms to tazettas, poeticus and wild species. Mixing early, midseason and late kinds stretches the display; in the Midwest, Purdue notes you can have flowers from late March into early May.

In the North, nearly any type does well. The South is pickier. Clemson finds that jonquil, tazetta and poeticus hybrids and the species daffodils grow reliably across South Carolina, while many large-flowered, trumpet, double and late daffodils struggle in the warmer parts of the state. Large-flowered cultivars Clemson lists as dependable perennials there include ‘Ice Follies’, ‘Carlton’, ‘Fortune’, ‘Mount Hood’ and ‘Saint Patrick’s Day’, and it calls the tazetta ‘Erlicheer’ one of the best doubles for the South. Texas A&M AgriLife in San Antonio, where winters are too mild for tulips and hyacinths, steers gardeners to the tazettas ‘Grand Primo’, ‘Golden Dawn’ and ‘Early Cheer’. Travis County Master Gardeners around Austin rate the jonquil ‘Sweetness’ highest for fragrance.

Where to plant

Pick a spot with at least six hours of sun while the plants are in leaf. That still includes ground under deciduous trees, because daffodils finish their work before the canopy fills in. The flowers turn to face the sun, so put shady areas behind the planting rather than in front of it. UF/IFAS notes that blooms last longer in light shade.

Drainage matters more than anything else. Bulbs rot in soil that stays wet. Purdue recommends deep, fertile soil with plenty of organic matter and a slightly acid pH of about 6.0 to 6.5; don’t add lime unless a soil test calls for it. On low or heavy ground, build a raised bed or work in 2 inches or more of coarse organic matter. Avoid the dry strip right against a house foundation or under deep eaves.

How deep and how far apart to plant daffodils

Measure depth from the base of the bulb. NC State and Rutgers both plant full-size daffodils 8 inches deep; Clemson gives 6 to 8 inches, shallower for the little species bulbs. Purdue sizes it to the bulb: twice its width in medium or heavy soil, three times in sand. Err on the deep side, because Clemson lists shallow planting as a cause of sparse bloom.

Spacing is a tradeoff. Close spacing gives a fuller show sooner but crowds faster. NC State packs bulbs 2 to 3 inches apart (10 to 12 per square foot), Clemson uses 3 to 6 inches depending on size, and UF/IFAS spaces them 8 inches apart so they can go two to three years without dividing. Informal drifts look better than rows; Purdue suggests tossing a handful of bulbs and planting each where it lands.

Set each bulb with the flat root plate down and the point up, firm the soil, and water well. Rutgers prefers digging out the whole bed to depth rather than using a bulb planter, since a loosened bed drains better. Purdue recommends a 2-inch winter mulch the first year, especially for late plantings or warm south-facing spots where shoots can push up too early.

The dates for your zone above show the planting window. For the reasons behind it and regional differences, see when to plant daffodils.

Feeding daffodils

Daffodils need only average fertility. Too much nitrogen gives big blue-green leaves, fewer and poorer flowers, and bulbs that split. Use a low-nitrogen bulb fertilizer worked into the soil at planting, where the roots will reach it. Clemson and Illinois Extension feed again as shoots come up in spring, and Purdue and Nebraska make the yearly feeding right after the flowers fade. Rutgers and Illinois warn against feeding while plants are in bloom, which can encourage bulb rot. Daffodils naturalized in a fertilized lawn get enough from the lawn feed.

After the flowers fade

Snap off faded flowers so the plant doesn’t spend energy on seed, which Purdue says means smaller bulbs next year. Then leave the foliage until it yellows: at least a month by Purdue’s count, about six weeks by Clemson’s. This is when the bulb builds next year’s flower. If the leaves bother you, plant hostas, daylilies, ferns or pansies among the bulbs, as Rutgers suggests, so new growth hides them.

Purdue finds the best flowers usually come in the second, third or fourth year. When blooms get smaller and fewer, the clump is crowded. Dig it just as the leaves start to die back (the remaining foliage helps you find the bulbs), separate the bulbs, and replant right away or dry them in an airy, shady place and store them cool and dry until fall. Clemson divides large-flowered daffodils every three or four years.

Problems to watch for

• Rot. Basal rot starts at the root plate and moves up through the bulb. Buy firm, unblemished bulbs and plant in well-drained beds.
• Narcissus bulb fly. The larvae hollow out bulbs, leaving them soft. Discard soft bulbs at planting or digging time.
• Bulb mites and stem and bulb nematode. Both cause stunted, twisted growth and deformed flowers. Remove infested plants and avoid rich, constantly wet soil.
• Fire (Botrytis) and leaf scorch. Spots and blight on leaves and flowers in humid weather. Rake up and destroy old foliage.
• Slugs and snails. They chew leaves and petals.

Every part of a daffodil is poisonous, the bulb most of all, so keep bulbs away from children and pets.

Daffodils in pots and forcing

Rutgers fits four to six daffodil bulbs in a 6-inch pot, tips at the soil line. Keep the pots at 35 to 48°F for at least 12 to 13 weeks in an unheated basement, cold frame or similar spot, then bring them into a bright, cool room at 55 to 60°F. They flower three to four weeks later. Paperwhites, a tazetta daffodil, need no chilling at all: set them in pebbles with water just touching the base of the bulbs, and UF/IFAS says they reach full flower in about four to eight weeks.