How to grow daffodils (2024)

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Daffodils range in height from about 5cm up to 45cm, and come in a variety of colours and forms apart from the usual yellow trumpets.

How to grow daffodils

Plant daffodil bulbs in autumn in moist but well-drained soil in full sun. They work well with a variety of other spring flowers, including wallflowers and primulas, and are perfect for a spring pot display. Deadhead after flowering and let the foliage die down naturally, for the best display the following spring.

More on growing daffodils:

  • Double daffodils to grow
  • Top 10 daffodils for your garden
  • How to cross-pollinate daffodils

Where to plant daffodils

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Daffodils do best in full sun but will tolerate light shade. Plant them in a moist but free-draining soil. Daffodils can be grown in containers, in borders or naturalised in lawns.

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Daffodils look fantastic when planted with wallflowers. Here, Monty Don explains how to plant daffodils with wallflowers:

When to plant daffodil bulbs

The best time to plant daffodil bulbs is autumn, from September to November. This gives the bulbs time to develop roots before temperatures drop, so they can put on new growth and flower as soon as temperatures rise again in spring.

This doesn't mean you can't plant them at other times of year. There are plenty of bargains to be had from November to January, with garden centres trying to sell remaining stock. Buying a discounted bag of daffodil bulbs and planting them in December is completely fine – just make sure the bulbs are firm and not showing signs of mould. You can plant daffodil bulbs as late as January. After planting, the bulbs may take longer to establish and flower, but they should catch up in years to come.

Find out about when to plant daffodils bulbs in pots, in our project for a spring pot display.

How to plant daffodils

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Always choose large and firm bulbs, avoiding any soft or visibly rotting ones. Dig over compacted soils and improve with organic matter such as home-made compost or well-rotted manure.

Most daffodil bulbs should be planted about 10cm deep, roughly twice the depth of the bulb itself (follow instructions given for individual varieties). In open ground, plant up to six daffodil bulbs together – any more than this and they will quickly become congested. In pots you can plant as many bulbs together as you like, because the display will be less permanent, and you can replant the bulbs in the ground in one to two years' time.

If planting daffodil bulbs in a container, use a peat-free John Innes No. 2 or 3 mix, and position the container in a sunny spot. Water pots so the soil remains moist but not wet. It's possible to leave daffodil bulbs in a pot for many years, but remove and replace the compost above the bulbs each year.

Watch our No Fuss video guide with Kevin Smith, on how to layer daffodils and other bulbs in a pot:

When planting daffodil bulbs in grass, the easiest way to create a natural look is to throw a handful of bulbs onto the lawn, and plant them where they land. Use a bulb planter to pull out plugs of soil and then pop the bulbs in the holes, pointy end up. Cover with the soil and turf you've just removed.

In this video clip from Gardeners' World, Monty Don explains how to naturalise bulbs in grass:

Bulbs can be planted into open soil using a hand trowel or bulb planter. Space bulbs two bulb-widths apart.

Here, Monty Don demonstrates how to plant daffodil bulbs in a border:

How to look after daffodils

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Apply a slow-release bulb fertilizer to pots each spring. Deadhead plants after flowering and leave the foliage to die down naturally, so the nutrients in the leaves are returned to the bulb (this improves flowering potential the following year). If growing narcissus in a grassy area then you might not be able to cut the grass until June.

In this short video guide, the experts at Taylors Bulbs share their top tips for growing daffodils, including how to ensure they flower year after year.

How to propagate daffodils

Established daffodil clumps can be divided in autumn. Lift clumps carefully with a garden fork and peel the bulbs apart. Replant straight away. If you have time and patience, you can grow daffodils from seed. Rather than deadheading after flowering, leave a few seedheads to develop and then sow the seeds when ripe. Bear in mind that it will take a few years before the daffodils flower.

Growing daffodils: problem solving

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Daffodils can suffer from 'blindness'. This is where they produce a healthy crop of foliage but fail to flower. There are several reasons why this may happen, including poor soil, overcrowding and shade. You can usually rectify the problem but it can take a couple of years for the bulbs to flower again. Simply dig them up in autumn and replant. If they were growing in shade, plant them in a sunny spot. If the bulbs are overcrowded then divide them and plant them in smaller groups. If the soil is poor then enrich with well-rotted manure or home-made compost. Water the bulbs in well and top-dress with organic matter. You should see daffodil flowers again within a couple of years.

Find out why your daffodils aren't flowering, in this video with Alan Titchmarsh

Advice on buying daffodil bulbs

  • Always choose healthy, firm bulbs with no signs of mould
  • Daffodils range in height, so make sure you choose the right one for the spot you have in mind

Where to buy daffodil bulbs

Daffodil varieties to grow

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  • Narcissus ‘Tete-a-Tete’ – a miniature with bright yellow trumpet flowers in April. Height of 15cm
  • Narcissus ‘Rip Van Winkle’ – a stunning multi-petalled daffodil flower that appears in April. Height 14cm
  • Narcissus ‘February Gold’ – popular thanks to its early bright-yellow flowers in February. Swept back outer petals. Height of 30cm
  • Narcissus ‘Fragrant Rose’ – a soft pink daffodil flower with scent in April. Reaches a height of 45cm
  • Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Golden Bells’ – March to April flowers that have just a trumpet and no outer petals. Reaches a height of 20cm

Frequently asked questions

Help! What's eating my daffodils?

Both the buds and open flowers of daffodils are popular with slugs and snails, which nibble holes in the blooms. Symptoms can be worse in wet weather, when the slugs and snails can travel more easily around the garden. You can either learn to live with the damage – which usually you don't notice from a distance – or go out at night and remove the slugs and snails manually. For daffodils grown in pots, physical barriers can prevent the problem – copper tape placed around the pots can deter slugs and snails from reaching the flowers.

How do I remove daffodils from pots after flowering?

There's no need to remove daffodils from pots after they've finished flowering, but if you need to use the pot, you can dig up the bulbs and plant them in the garden. However, it's best to do this after the leaves have died down completely. Like all bulbs, daffodils should be left to die down naturally after blooming, so the leaves can carry on photosynthesising and return sugars to the bulb. This will ensure the bulb has enough energy to bloom the following year. If you want to use the pot to grow bedding plants, there's no need to remove the bulbs – simply wait for them to die down, remove the top few centimetres of compost and plant up the pot above the bulbs. They will remain dormant in the pot and then bloom the following year.

How to grow daffodils (2024)

FAQs

What is the best month to plant daffodil bulbs? ›

The best time to plant daffodil bulbs is in the fall (exact timing can range anywhere from September to late November, depending on where you live). The soil needs to have cooled off, but the ground still needs to be workable when you plant.

Can you leave daffodil bulbs in the ground all year? ›

Can you leave daffodil bulbs in the ground all year? Yes, as these spring-blooming bulbs naturalise you can leave them in the ground, and they will bloom year after year while multiplying.

How do you make daffodils thrive? ›

Daffodils can grow in just about any soil as long as it is well-drained and not too compacted. Daffodils need sun, but other than that, they need little maintenance. Gently sloping fields, meadows, or forest edges are ideal for naturalizing bulbs like daffodils.

How many daffodil bulbs should you plant together? ›

Consider good spacing for your bulbs. Keep them about three inches apart. This means that, for a 12-inch planter, you could plant three or four bulbs. Plant your bulbs at the same depth that you'd plant them in the ground, about two to three times the height of the bulb.

How many years do daffodils come back? ›

Daffodils, also known by their botanical name narcissus, are easy and reliable spring-flowering bulbs. They multiply quickly and return to bloom again each spring, year after year. They are not fussy about soil, will grow in sun or part shade and are not bothered by deer, rabbits and other pesky critters.

What happens if you don't deadhead daffodils? ›

While tulips should be deadheaded immediately after flowering, it is not necessary to deadhead daffodils. The vigor of tulip bulbs quickly declines if tulips are not promptly deadheaded and seed pods are allowed to develop. However, seed pod formation on daffodils has little impact on plant vigor.

How do you encourage daffodils to spread? ›

Strong, healthy daffodil bulbs produce offsets called "bulblets," which can be divided when flowering isn't as vigorous as it once was. "Just dig up the entire clump, shake apart the bulbs and spread them out," says Bennett. "Sometimes, clumps are so tight and dense, you'll have to take a shovel and cut them apart."

What is the lifespan of a daffodil bulb? ›

Daffodils are said to have an indefinite lifespan, especially once a clump has naturalized and begins to multiply. Daffodils are often found growing on old homesteads where the original bulbs may have been planted a century ago or longer.

Where is the best place to plant daffodils? ›

Daffodils have two primary requirements: sunshine and drainage. To ensure your daffodils get full sun exposure in the spring, plant the bulbs in open spaces or under trees that lose their leaves each year. Give those bulbs the drainage they need by planting on a slope (never in a soggy spot). No slope, no problem.

How many daffodils are in one bulb? ›

Most bulbs will produce one to three flowers the first spring, however, 'if they do not bloom in one season, it might be best to move them to a new location,' says the American Daffodil Society.

What is a good fertilizer for daffodils? ›

Mature daffodils respond well to early spring fertilizer. Use a gentle liquid fish emulsion fertilizer mixed in water for fertilizing daffodil plants and pour it around the bulb zone. You can also scratch a small amount of 5-10-5 granular food into the soil if spring rains will help wash it down into the root area.

Is Miracle Grow good for daffodils? ›

When your bulbs start sprouting in the spring, begin feeding them with a plant food such as Miracle Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food. After flowering, continue watering and feeding your daffodils until the leaves turn yellow to replenish the bulbs for next year's blooms.

How do you encourage daffodil bulbs to multiply? ›

The first way that daffodils can multiply is through seed production. If properly pollinated, daffodils will grow seeds in the seed pods behind their petals, which can be replanted to grow into the beautiful flowers we know and love.

How do I get more daffodil blooms? ›

Insufficient Sun

If planted in the dark recesses of your garden, your daffodils will grow weaker each season until they no longer have the stored energy to develop a flower bud. Solution: Dig them up and move them to a bed where they get about six hours of sunshine each day.

What is the latest date to plant daffodil bulbs? ›

Daffodil bulbs can be planted any time between the last weeks of August/September, all the way up to December. No need to worry if you've forgotten to get them planted out in autumn! You can also start planting forced daffodil bulbs for an indoor display from September, too.

How long to soak daffodil bulbs before planting? ›

Soak fall-planted bulbs for 12 hours in warm water before planting. This moisturizing method works with tunicate-type bulbs (neatly enclosed round or teardrop-shaped bulbs) and is not suitable for lily or other bulbs with loose, fleshy scales.

How deep should daffodil bulbs be planted? ›

How Deep to Plant Daffodils, Tulips, & Other Bulbs. The general rule of thumb for planting spring bulbs is to plant two to three times as deep as the bulbs is tall. This means most large bulbs like tulips or daffodils will be planted about 6 inches deep while smaller bulbs will be planted 3-4 inches deep.

Do daffodils bloom the first year they are planted? ›

Always plant daffodils in a sunny location. If you don't, they will likely bloom the first year but not in subsequent years. Also, take a look at where they're planted. If daffodils are planted in an area without adequate drainage it may result in bulb loss.

References

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