Illustration
Photo credits and licenses
Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by jamie-aa / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by jamie-aa / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by jamie-aa / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Daffodil
Narcissus
Daffodil blooms from March through April.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Daffodil
Plant it in full sun. It prefers moderate water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 16 in tall and 6 in wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year (a house reading).
Is Daffodil toxic to dogs or cats?
- Listed as toxic to dogs and cats by NC State Extension, Pet Poison Helpline and Royal Horticultural Society.
- Listed as poisonous to people by NC State Extension and Royal Horticultural Society.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Daffodil
Daffodil is a fall-planted bulb: get it in the ground 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, typically September or October in zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8. It pays you back the following March to April.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in September. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Daffodil get?
16 intall5 ft 7 inan adult6 inwideSee Daffodil in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
Where these facts come from
Daffodil's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 17 published sources on October 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Iowa State University Extensionand Outreach, Yard and Gardenheight, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Penn State Extensionhardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Societyheight, water and bloom months and color
- extension.missouri.eduUniversity of Missouri Extension, guide G6610 Spring Flowering Bulbs:...sun, water and trait tags
- Clemson Home and Garden Information CenterClemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Centersun and trait tags
- Mississippi State University ExtensionServicehardiness zones and trait tags
- Van EngelenInc. wholesale flower bulbs, Narcissus Horticultural Tipssun and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardensun
- daffodilusa.orgAmerican Daffodil Societyheight
- Penn State ExtensionMaster Gardener, Luzerne Countysun
- u.osu.eduOhio State University Extension, Clermont Countysun
- University of Georgia ExtensionUniversity of Georgia Cooperative Extension, bulletin B918 Flowering B...height
- University of Maryland Extensionsun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 16 varieties across 4 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Across the group, bloom runs from March through May: Carlton Daffodil opens first (March) and Actaea is the last to finish (May).
- Actaea
- Carlton
- Cheerfulness
- Dutch Master
- February Gold
- Geranium
- Ice Follies
- Jack Snipe
- Jetfire
- Mount Hood
- Pink Charm
- Salome
- Sir Winston Churchill
- Tahiti
- Tête-à-Tête
- Thalia
Compare every variety in the Daffodils group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actaea | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 18 in × 6 in |
| Carlton | Yellow | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 20 in × 4 in |
| Cheerfulness | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Daffodilthis page | Yellow | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Dutch Master | Yellow | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 18 in × 6 in |
| February Gold | Yellow | Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 12 in × 5 in |
| Geranium | White | Apr | Zones 5–9 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Ice Follies | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Jack Snipe | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 8 in × 4 in |
| Jetfire | Yellow | Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 10 in × 5 in |
| Mount Hood | White | Mar–Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 18 in × 6 in |
| Pink Charm | White | Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 18 in × 6 in |
| Salome | White | Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 18 in × 6 in |
| Sir Winston Churchill | White | Apr–May | Zones 3–9 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Tahiti | Yellow | Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 16 in × 6 in |
| Tête-à-Tête | Yellow | Mar | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 7 in × 4 in |
| Thalia | White | Apr | Zones 3–8 | Full sun | 14 in × 6 in |
Good to know about Daffodil
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Safety
Every part is poisonous, the bulb most of all; the alkaloid lycorine sickens dogs, cats, horses and people. Handling the sap or bulb can cause a skin rash. per ASPCA and NC State
Worth knowing
The same lycorine that makes daffodils poisonous is why deer, rabbits and most pests leave them completely alone. The toxin doubles as the plant's own defense. per NC State
How deep to plant
Sources measure differently: Wisconsin counts soil cover, Clemson counts total depth. They agree in practice, about 6 to 8 in for a standard bulb, deeper in sandy or cold soil. per Wisconsin and Clemson
Let the leaves die back
After bloom, leave the leaves until they yellow and die down, at least about six weeks. They feed the bulb for next year; deadheading spent flowers is fine. per Wisconsin and Clemson
Leave it to naturalize
Leave the bulbs in the ground year-round; they need no lifting and multiply into larger clumps over years. Divide only when a crowded clump stops blooming well. per NC State
Bulb rot in wet soil
Fusarium basal rot rots the bulb from its base up; there is no cure once infected. It thrives in warm, wet soil, so sharp drainage is the main defense. per NC State and Frontiers in Plant Science
Narcissus bulb fly
A bee-mimic hoverfly whose single fat maggot bores into the bulb and hollows the center, so it rots or throws only thin grassy leaves the next year. per NC State
What pairs well with Daffodil
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Decadence Dark Chocolate False Indigo
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Color Guard Yucca
Shares full sun and moderate water; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Idaho Fescue
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Rocky Mountain Penstemon
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Prairie Junegrass
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; leafs out to hide the ripening bulb foliage as it dies back; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months.
Feather Reed Grass
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in early summer, extending the bed's season; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Inkberry Holly
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Berry Box Pyracomeles
Shares full sun and moderate water; blooms in late spring as this one finishes; both are strong pollinator plants, and they feed in different months; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Featured in these guides
Explore similar plants
You might also like
Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.