GrowingHQ
OrnamentalbulbousStraightforward

Daffodil

Narcissus

Before you grow or eat this

All parts are poisonous, and the bulb most of all. Poisonings happen most often when a bulb is mistaken for an onion or a shallot in a kitchen, causing severe vomiting and abdominal pain. The sap also causes a contact dermatitis familiar to anyone who handles cut stems in quantity. Never store daffodil bulbs anywhere near edible bulbs. Wear gloves when cutting large quantities of stems, and seek medical or veterinary advice if a bulb is eaten.

The most reliable perennial bulb in British gardens: planted once in autumn, it flowers every spring for decades and increases. The one thing that stops it is cutting or tying the leaves down before they have yellowed, which starves next year's flower before it is formed.

Position
Full sun or Partial shade or Dappled shade
Water
low demand
Drainage
Free-draining
Grows to
15–45 cm × 10–15 cm
Hardiness
H6
Flowers
February to April
Difficulty
Straightforward

Described view

Daffodil foliage yellowing naturally six weeks after flowering, beside a clump cut down while still green

August

Nothing to do

No sowing, planting, harvesting or pruning window falls in August.

Coming next month: plant.

Daffodil’s year

Resolved for United Kingdom (general). Every window is stored against a climate event rather than a date, so a late frost pocket runs later than the band shows. What else August calls for.

ActivityJFMAMJJASOND
PlantSeptember. October.
In flowerFebruary. March. April.
PruneMay. June.

Timing that travels

The band above resolves this plant's windows into months for one region. These are the windows themselves, stored against a climate event rather than a date — which is the form that survives being carried to a colder garden, a frost pocket, or next year.

Conditions it needs

Light
Full sun, Partial shade, Dappled shade
Frost
Very hardy
Hardiness rating
H6 (RHS)
Grows best at
5–20 °C
Soil
Loam, Sandy, Clay, Chalky
Soil pH
6–7.5
Drainage
Free-draining
Water needs
low
Drought
good tolerance
Waterlogging
poor tolerance
Heat
moderate tolerance
Wind and exposure
good tolerance
Where these figures come from
LightSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — position

Checked 2026-08-13

FrostSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Hardiness ratingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: RHS hardiness ratings

Checked 2026-08-13

Grows best atSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — temperature

Checked 2026-08-13

SoilSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Soil pHSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Narcissus — culture

Checked 2026-08-13

DrainageSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — soil

Checked 2026-08-13

Water needsHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

DroughtHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Dormant and underground through the dry part of summer.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

WaterloggingHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

Bulbs rot in ground that stays wet in summer.

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

HeatHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Wind and exposureHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

On your soil

Computed by comparing this plant's recorded requirements against each soil's recorded characteristics. A recorded horticultural fact overrides the comparison where GrowingHQ holds one.

SoilVerdictWhy
Heavy clayWorks, with one conditionDaffodil will crop on heavy clay, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
SandyPrefers this soilSandy suits Daffodil as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Sandy soil is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test.
Chalky and alkalinePrefers this soilChalky and alkaline suits Daffodil as it stands: The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Chalky soil is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test.
LoamPrefers this soilLoam suits Daffodil as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
SiltyPrefers this soilSilty suits Daffodil as it stands: The pH suits it: it wants 6 to 7.5, and this soil is in that range. The free drainage is exactly what it wants. The soil holds moisture, which saves a great deal of watering.
Peaty and acidWorks, with one conditionDaffodil will crop on peaty and acid, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.
Shallow over rockPrefers this soilShallow over rock suits Daffodil as it stands: The free drainage is exactly what it wants. Loam is among the soils it is recorded as suiting. It stands dry conditions better than most, which this soil will test.
Made ground and urban soilWorks, with one conditionDaffodil will crop on made ground and urban soil, but one thing has to be dealt with first. It needs ground that drains, and this soil holds water. A plant that stays in the ground through winter with its roots in cold, saturated soil rots — which is what kills most of what fails on heavy ground, rather than the cold.Improve the drainage before planting — a raised bed, or bulky organic matter worked in over several seasons. Do not add sand to clay in small quantities; it makes the problem worse.

Not sure which you have? Four hand tests will settle it.

Space and spacing

Mature height
15–45 cm
Mature spread
10–15 cm
Rooting depth
25 cm
Spacing
10–15 cm apart
Where these figures come from
Mature heightHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Mature spreadHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Rooting depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

SpacingSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodil — spacing

Checked 2026-08-13

How far apart to plant daffodilThree daffodil plants drawn in a row at their recorded spacing of 10–15 cm between plants. The spacing is drawn to scale against a one metre rule; the plants themselves are symbols rather than scale drawings, so the distance between them is the part to read.10–15 cm
Measured centre to centre. Plants set closer than this compete for light and water long before they look crowded, and the crowding cannot be undone once they are in.

In a container

Minimum volume
5 litres or more
Minimum depth
25 cm
Where the container figures come from
Minimum volumeHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Bulbs in containers

Checked 2026-08-13

Minimum depthHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Bulbs in containers

Checked 2026-08-13

One of the best container bulbs, and the depth matters more than the width — a daffodil wants 10–15 cm of compost above it and room for roots below that, so a shallow bowl gives a plant that topples. Layering works well: daffodils deepest, then tulips, then crocus above them, in one pot that flowers three times. Use loam-based compost, which holds the pot down in wind and does not collapse over winter.

Habit and ultimate size

What the plant becomes, rather than what it is when you buy it. The gap between the two is where most planting mistakes live.

In a container
Good in a container long-term
Where these figures come from
In a containerHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Bulb, corm, rhizome and tuber comparedFour underground storage organs drawn in section at the same scale. A true bulb is layered scales around a growing point on a flat basal plate, and multiplies by offsets that pull apart by hand. A corm is a solid swollen stem base with a bud on top, the previous year's spent corm beneath it and small cormlets at its sides. A rhizome is a horizontal swollen stem that sits at soil level with roots below and a growing point at one end, and must not be buried. A tuber is a swollen stem with growth buds scattered over its whole surface and no basal plate, so a cut piece without a bud on it cannot grow.True bulbbasal plateDaffodil, tulip, lilyPull offsets apart by hand.Cormspent corm below, cormlets asideCrocus, gladiolus, crocosmiaReplaced yearly by a new one on top.Rhizomesoil level — top stays exposedBearded irisCut with a knife. Must not be buried.Tuberbuds scattered, no basal plateCyclamen, potatoA cut piece without a bud will rot.
All four are sold as 'bulbs'. The differences are internal, which is why they are drawn rather than photographed — and each one changes what you physically do with the thing in your hand.
Storage organ
True bulb
Survives winter in the ground
Yes — plant once and leave it
Planting depth
10–15 cm
Naturalises
Increases and spreads where it is happy
Where these figures come from
Storage organSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — propagation

Checked 2026-08-13

Survives winter in the groundSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — hardiness

Checked 2026-08-13

Planting depthSourced guidancemoderate confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — planting depth

Checked 2026-08-13

NaturalisesHorticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Layered scales around a basal plate — an onion in cross-section. Multiplies by producing offsets alongside the parent, which can be pulled apart by hand when the clump is lifted.

How deep to plant a bulb, drawn to scaleEight geophytes drawn at one scale against a soil surface line, each at the depth the catalogue records for it. A bearded iris rhizome sits on top of the soil with only its roots buried. A cyclamen tuber and a nerine bulb are barely covered, at 2 to 3 centimetres, the nerine with its neck standing proud. Snowdrops and crocuses go at 8 to 10 centimetres, a daffodil at 10 to 15, a tulip at 15 to 20 and a lily deepest at 15 to 25 centimetres. Most sit at roughly two to three times their own height, and the shallow exceptions are shallow because the organ must bake in the sun to flower.soil surface5 cm10 cm15 cm20 cmBearded irison topon the surfaceCyclamen2 cmjust coveredNerine2 cmneck proudSnowdrop9 cmCrocus9 cmDaffodil13 cmTulip18 cmplant deepLily20 cmstem roots
Two to three times the bulb's own height is the working rule, and the four plants that break it are the four most often planted wrong. A bearded iris buried by mulch or a tidy neighbour will make leaves for years and never flower again.
After flowering. Leave the leaves alone for at least six weeks after flowering, until they yellow and pull away easily. Cutting or knotting them while they are still green stops the bulb rebuilding itself, and a clump treated that way goes blind — all leaves, no flowers — within two or three seasons.
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Where and how you can grow it

Each way of growing is assessed separately, and “not assessed” is a real answer rather than a gap we have filled in with a guess.

MethodSuitabilityWhat it needs
Open groundWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Raised bedWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

ContainerWell suited
source

Sourced guidancemoderate confidence

  • Royal Horticultural Society: Growing method suitability

Checked 2026-08-13

Growing it

  • PruningLeave the leaves completely alone until they have yellowed, roughly six weeks after the flowers finish. The bulb rebuilds next year's flower from those leaves, and cutting, mowing, knotting or folding them over is the single reason daffodils 'go blind' and produce only foliage the following spring.
  • PlantingPlant deep — about three times the height of the bulb. Shallow planting produces smaller flowers and more offsets, which is why a clump that has worked up towards the surface stops performing.
  • WateringWater the ground once after autumn planting to settle it, and then leave it alone — British autumn and winter rain does the whole job, and a daffodil in open ground never needs watering again. The season that matters is the one nobody thinks about: from about June the bulb is dormant underground and wants to be dry, so avoid planting them where a border gets summer irrigation or under a lawn sprinkler. Bulbs in pots are the exception in both directions, because a pot can dry out completely in a March wind while the leaves are still working, and can also stay sodden all summer if it is left standing in the rain. Water pots while the leaves are green, then lay them on their side somewhere sheltered once the foliage has gone over.
  • FeedingFeed in the six weeks after flowering, not before it, and not in autumn. Next spring's flower is built during that window out of what this year's leaves manufacture, and a bulb fed at planting time has nothing to do with it. Use a high-potash feed — tomato food is exactly right and is what most people already have — every couple of weeks while the foliage is green and standing. Avoid anything high in nitrogen, including a general lawn feed drifting into a naturalised drift, because it produces lush leaves and fewer flowers and makes the bulb more prone to basal rot. A clump that has gone blind is nearly always short of two things: it was cut down too early, and it has been fed nothing for years while getting more congested.
Where this guidance comes from
PruningSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — aftercare

Checked 2026-08-13

PlantingSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — planting depth

Checked 2026-08-13

WateringSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodils — cultivation

Checked 2026-08-13

FeedingSourced guidancehigh confidence
  • Royal Horticultural Society: Daffodils — aftercare

Checked 2026-08-13

Where to make a pruning cutFour stems compared. The first is cut cleanly on a slope about five millimetres above an outward-facing bud, sloping away from it, and is labelled correct. The second is cut too far above the bud, leaving a long stub that dies back. The third is cut too close, into the bud itself, which loses the shoot. The fourth is cut sloping towards the bud so rain runs onto it rather than away, which rots it. In every case the bud points outwards, away from the centre of the plant.Correct5 mm, sloping awayToo highstub dies backToo closebud lostSloping inrain sits on the bud
The bud you cut to becomes the new shoot, and it grows in the direction it points — which is why an outward-facing bud opens the plant up and an inward-facing one crosses the middle.

What goes wrong

ProblemHow oftenNotes
Bulb foliage dying back after floweringcommon
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Congested bulb clumpcommon
source

Horticultural consensusmoderate confidence

No external citation — see the evidence type above.

Checked 2026-08-13

Start from what you can see

Safety and edibility

Cats and dogsCan be dangerous — treat as urgentListed at genus level

Listed as harmful to cats or dogs

Daffodil is listed as harmful if eaten. All parts contain lycorine and related alkaloids, and the bulb carries far more than the leaves. Eating it causes severe vomiting, abdominal pain, drooling and — with a large dose — cardiac arrhythmia and low blood pressure. Dogs that dig up autumn plantings are the usual case.
source

Sourced guidancehigh confidence

  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — toxic and non-toxic plant list — American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Narcissus — toxic plants list
  • Veterinary Poisons Information Service — VPIS, London: Narcissus — clinical effects

Checked 2026-08-13

Affected parts: bulb, all parts.

  • ToxicitychildrenpetsAll parts are poisonous, and the bulb most of all. Poisonings happen most often when a bulb is mistaken for an onion or a shallot in a kitchen, causing severe vomiting and abdominal pain. The sap also causes a contact dermatitis familiar to anyone who handles cut stems in quantity.
    source

    Sourced guidancehigh confidence

    • Royal Horticultural Society: Narcissus — toxicity
    • Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden: Narcissus — toxicity

    Checked 2026-08-13

    Never store daffodil bulbs anywhere near edible bulbs. Wear gloves when cutting large quantities of stems, and seek medical or veterinary advice if a bulb is eaten.

Sources for this page

GrowingHQ editorial synthesis · Plant Finder · Royal Horticultural Society

Each figure on this page carries its own citation, under the “where these figures come from” note in its section. Record last reviewed 2026-08-14.