Daffodil
Narcissus spp.
Family Amaryllidaceae
Gold that comes back bigger every single spring — daffodils are the one bulb that behaves like an investment, multiplying into drifts that outlast the gardener by fifty years. Squirrels won't dig them, deer won't touch them, voles won't gnaw them; the whole plant is politely poisonous, and that's the feature.
Naturalize them in rough grass, ring them around fruit trees the way food-forest planners do, or line the walk you use in the gray end of winter. They bloom when hope is scarcest and ask nothing after. A single bag planted this fall becomes a tradition.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Low water
Spring ephemeral growth
Deer-resistant
Attracts butterflies
From the print shop
Growing daffodil? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries daffodil — Narcissus, print Nº 148, “Daffodil.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what daffodil actually needs.
Hardy inZones 3-8Daffodil · Common problems
Common daffodil problems
Daffodil · Growing & propagation
Growing daffodil
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Water
- Low
Soil- Any drained soil · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- Bulb feed in fall
Bone meal folklore optional
Pruning- Let foliage yellow fully (6 weeks)
Braiding or cutting early starves next year's bloom — Deadhead if tidy-minded; divide crowded blind clumps after foliage dies.
Spacing- 4-6 in apart, 6 in deep
How to plant & propagate daffodil
- Propagate
- Offsets, division, or bulbils
Daffodil · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Daffodil · Yearly calendar
The daffodil year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomFebruary to May
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Daffodil · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Narcissus spp.
Daffodil in the garden system
- Pest control
- Attracts
- Butterflies
Habitat- Woodland
Moisture- Upland / dry
- Deer
- Resistant
A safer unfenced choice
What daffodil is grown for
⚠ Toxic if eatenToxic — which is exactly why nothing eats them
Use- Naturalizing drifts
- Use
- Orchard guilds
- Use
- February hope
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Daffodil · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a daffodil variety
'King Alfred' type (the yellow trumpet); 'Ice Follies' (reliable white); 'Tête-à-Tête' (mini); 'Thalia' (fragrant white); pheasant-eye poeticus (late, perfumed)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
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Daffodil
Narcissus spp.
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Narcissus spp.
- Plant family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Growth habit
- Bulb · Perennial
- USDA plant symbol
- NARCI
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Daffodil
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Daffodil questions, answered straight.
Do deer eat daffodil?
Rarely — daffodil is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.
Is daffodil safe for kids and pets?
No — treat it as toxic if eaten. Toxic — which is exactly why nothing eats them Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate daffodil?
Offsets, division, or bulbils.
Elsewhere
Where daffodil sits in the library.
Sunflower
Zinnia
Peony
Daylily