UK plant library · bulb

Daffodil

Narcissus · Amaryllidaceae

Iconic spring bulb, long-lived and low maintenance

Photo: Uberprutser, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sun: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Well-drained
Soil pH: Not fussy: acid, neutral or alkaline. Moist but well-drained soil matters more
Water: Water pots; beds rarely need watering
Hardiness: Fully hardy, RHS H6
Height and spread: 5-50cm depending on cultivar

Guv's tipLeave daffodil foliage for about six weeks until it yellows before you cut it. Tempting to tidy, I know, but resist.

Through the year

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Sow or plant

In flower

Timings are for the UK as a whole. Northern and exposed gardens often run a couple of weeks later.

When to plant

Plant bulbs Sep-Nov (Sep-Oct is best; can plant until Dec-Jan). Plant potted plants in spring

Flowering

Flowers Jan/Feb-early May depending on cultivar

Pruning

Deadhead. Leave foliage for about 6 weeks until it yellows before cutting

Making more plants

Division of congested clumps in autumn (or after foliage dies back), bulb chipping, seed (takes years to flower)

Watch out for

Pest

Slugs and snails

Look for: Irregular holes in leaves, slime trails, seedlings eaten

What to do: Hand-pick at night, barriers, beer traps, encourage predators; ferric phosphate pellets sparingly

Pest

Narcissus bulb fly

Look for: Soft bulbs with a single large maggot; grassy weak foliage

What to do: Firm soil over bulbs after foliage dies back, destroy affected bulbs

Disease

Narcissus basal rot

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. narcissi

Look for: Soft brown rot from bulb base

What to do: Discard affected bulbs; store bulbs cool and dry

Always read and follow the label on any treatment, and check it is approved for use where you live.

Safety and spread

Pets and people: Toxic: all parts are harmful if eaten, bulbs most of all (lycorine and other alkaloids). Sap is a skin irritant ('daffodil itch'). Toxic to dogs, cats and horses, according to the ASPCA. Medium severity

Weed risk: Not listed as an invasive plant in Great Britain; N. pseudonarcissus is native to Great Britain

Checked against two or more reputable gardening sources. How we check our facts

Growing somewhere else? See this plant for the USA.

Keep it by the back door

The Plant Doctor and the Guv's book

Printable pest and disease charts with real photographs, and all 50 UK plants in one book.

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