How to grow daffodils and the best varieties

Daffodils (narcissus) are one of the most popular spring-flowering bulbs, a joyful herald of the season to come. 

They can add a vibrant splash of colour in a flowerbed, but can also look brilliant in pots and window boxes.

Which? Gardening magazine grew a range of popular varieties to see which would give us the best display.

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Key facts

• Plant type - Spring-flowering bulbs
• Position - Sun or partial shade
• Soil - Well-drained

How to grow daffodils: month by month

When to plant daffodil bulbs

Daffodil bulbs are best planted in early autumn. Plant them in a sunny sheltered spot, at three times their own depth, spaced 10-20cm apart.

Planting daffodil bulbs in pots

Plant bulbs in the autumn in a Best Buy compost for containers. It might be worth adding some grit if you live in an area that has a lot of rain. Plant the bulbs about 10cm deep and space them around one bulb's width.

Once your containers are in position they won’t need watering until the bulbs start to grow. Once they are growing, water only if the compost dries out.

When should you plant daffodil bulbs?

It’s so easy to buy bulbs and then forget to plant them or be tempted by reduced-price bulbs late in the season, but is it worth going to the bother of planting them if you’re late to the game? 

The Which? Gardening magazine researchers planted narcissus ‘Tête-à-tête’ bulbs into containers in September, October, November and December to see how it affected the flowering. 

Unsurprisingly, the first flowers appeared at the end of February on the September-planted bulbs, followed in early March by the October-planted bulbs. Both sets of bulbs flowered for around five weeks before going over. The first flowers on the November and December-planted bulbs appeared at the end of March and, possibly due to the warmer weather, flowered for only three weeks before going over. 

The most striking difference between the two sets of bulbs was in the height. Our September and October-planted bulbs reached around 19cm to 25cm tall, whereas the November and December-planted bulbs varied between 9cm and 21cm tall. 

The bulbs planted later gave just as attractive display as the bulbs planted earlier, even if it didn’t last as long. So while we think it’s best to plant narcissus in early autumn, it’s well worth taking a chance on planting any bulbs you find late in the season.

Best daffodil varieties

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Full testing results for daffodils

Dwarf daffodils for pots

Daffodils for borders

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How we test daffodils

We bought around 25 bulbs of 19 different varieties of daffodils and planted them in containers at the Which? Gardening magazine trial garden at Capel Manor in north London. We started assessing the plants from when the first blooms opened in February through to the last flowers in June.

Caring for daffodils

Deadheading

Remove the faded blooms and let the foliage die back naturally to help the bulb store energy and produce a good show of flowers the following year. Tying up daffodil leaves or cutting them back while they're still green could reduce flowering next year.

After flowering finishes

If you’re leaving your daffodils in the ground, sprinkle a balanced feed such as Growmore around the area after flowering. 

If you’re lifting your daffodils bulbs, you can do this once the foliage has died down. Allow the bulbs to dry out and store only large, intact, healthy ones. Keep them in a cool, dry place such as the shed.

Are daffodils poisonous to cats and dogs?

All parts of daffodils, including the bulbs, are poisonous if they're eaten. 

Common daffodil growing problems

Narcissus bulb fly

The large narcissus fly lays a single egg at the neck of each bulb and can infect up to 100 bulbs. Bright, still days outdoors, with temperatures above 18°C, and sunny days in greenhouses favour the fly, and most egg-laying occurs under these conditions. The egg-laying period stretches from early May until June. The egg hatches and the larva crawls to the base of the bulb where it tunnels inside. Once inside, it feeds on the fleshy leaves near the growing point. Eventually, a large cavity is produced. In spring, the larva moves into the soil where it pupates. Five or six weeks later, the adult emerges and the cycle begins again.

Bulbs that do not produce any leaves or produce only a few wispy leaves may be infected with large narcissus fly. Sometimes yellow, distorted leaves are produced. If no other obvious condition can be attributed to the poor growth, it will be necessary to dig up the bulb and examine the base. If the bulb has been infected by the large narcissus bulb fly, there will be a small, rusty-coloured hole in the basal plate. Further examination should reveal a hollow bulb, filled with pulpy tissue. If the bulb is inspected before March when the larva leaves the bulb to pupate, then a single maggot will also be visible. Bulbs infested by large narcissus fly can be recognised, when you lift them in late summer, by the entry hole in the base. This can be hard to find, however. The maggot continues to feed in the bulb in storage. It will become softer than sound bulbs, especially at the top.

To help prevent attack, as the foliage of healthy bulbs pushes through the soil surface, the soil becomes disturbed. Narcissus flies lay their eggs between May and June; they are less able to do so on the neck of the bulb if this soil is firmed down as the leaves begin to die off. When dead leaves are removed, rake over the ground to fill any holes left in the soil.Outdoors, susceptible or valuable bulbs can be covered with horticultural fleece or insect-proof mesh during May to prevent female flies from laying their eggs on the bulbs. Make sure they are not already infested or you will be trapping the flies with the bulbs. Always lift and inspect suspect bulbs, discarding any diseased or damaged ones. When you lift bulbs, don’t leave them outdoors, as they are vulnerable to attack by small narcissus flies at this stage. Instead, move them into a shed, or cover with a cloth until it is time to replant them.

All infected bulbs should be dug up as soon as possible and burnt or binned. If in doubt, carefully lift suspect bulbs and examine them thoroughly. Healthy bulbs can be replanted, and you can encourage better growth by feeding with a general-purpose fertiliser as the leaves appear. Regular watering during dry spells will also help.

Lack of daffodil flowers

If you’re buying fresh bulbs, they should flower the following spring. If you have bulbs that have been in a pot or in the ground for some time, they might come up ‘blind’, with foliage but no flowers. Avoid this by deadheading the faded blooms and leaving the foliage to die back naturally without tying it into a knot. Keep your plants watered and fed if they’ve been in the pot for some time as they will lack nutrients.

If the bulbs have been planted for some years, they might be getting crowded. Lift them and replant the larger, healthy bulbs as the small bulbs might take a few years to grow to a size that will produce flowers.