Growing Guide
 
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Daffodil (tazetta cultivars)

Spring-Flowering Bulb

Also known as Tazetta Daffodil, Tazetta Narcissus
Narcissus sp. Tazetta cultivars
Amaryllidaceae Family

Flowering in spring, daffodils are reliable, easy to grow, deer-resistant and great for naturalizing. Tazetta Narcissus plants bear many flowers per stem, nearly two dozen small flowers or up to four larger flowers. The flowers have open perianths and small cups.

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Site Characteristics
Sunlight:
  • full sun

Soil conditions:

  • requires well-drained soil
Prefers moist but well-drained soil.

Hardiness zones:

  • 4 to 9

Special locations:

  • outdoor containers
  • rock gardens
  • indoors as a houseplant - Bulbs can be forced inside for winter bloom.
Plant Traits

Lifecycle: perennial

Ease-of-care: easy

Height: 0.75 to 1.75 feet

Spread: 0.25 to 0.5 feet

Bloom time:

  • early spring
  • mid-spring
  • late spring

Depends on variety.

Flower color:

  • orange
  • yellow
  • white

Often white, cream or yellow perianths with yellow or orange cups.

Foliage color:

  • medium green
  • dark green

Foliage texture: medium

Shape: upright

Shape in flower: flower stalks with upright spikes

Blooms borne in clusters on erect stems rising above the foliage.

Special Considerations
Special characteristics:
  • deer resistant
  • non-aggressive
  • non-invasive
  • not native to North America - Product of horticultural selection.

  • fragrant - Most cultivars have sweetly scented blooms.
Special uses:
  • cut flowers - Some varieties are especially long lasting.
  • naturalistic garden
Growing Information
How to plant:

Propagate by division or separation - Plants the bulbs 5" deep. Divide after flowering or in the fall.

Maintenance and care:
Deadhead the plants to keep appearance tidy. Do not cut back the plants until the foliage begins to fade (about 6 weeks). Apply low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertilizer after blooming if bloom performance was poor.

More growing information: How to Grow Bulbs

Pests:
Narcissus bulb flies
Bulb scale mite

Diseases:
Narcissus nematode
Narcissus basal rot
Narcissus yellow stripe virus
Varieties
‘Avalanche’: 1’ tall plants with small (1 ½” wide) blooms borne in bunches of 10 to 12 per stem. Flowers are white with yellow cups.

‘Cragford’: 1 ¾’ tall plants with small, fragrant blooms borne in clusters on each stem. Blooms have a white perianths and white and orange interspersed corona segments.

‘Geranium’: 1’ tall plants with fragrant blooms with pure white perianths and orange red cups. Up to 6 blooms per stem.

‘Golden Dawn’: 1 ¼’ tall plants with golden yellow perianths and orange cup. Bears 1 to 3 blooms per stem.

‘Highfield Beauty’: 1 ¾’ tall plants with bright yellow perianths and darker yellow cups. Up to 3 blooms per stem.

‘Hoopoe’: 1 ½’ tall plants with fragrant blooms with yellow perianths and orange cups. 2 to 3 blooms per stem.

‘Minnow’: 8” tall plants with cream-colored perianths and pale yellow cups.

‘Pride of Cornwall’: 1 ½’ tall plants with fragrant blooms with white perianths and bright orange, red-rimmed cup. 2 to 3 blooms per stem.

‘Scarlet Gem’: 1 ¼’ tall plants with clusters of fragrant blooms with yellow perianths and orange-red cups.

‘Silver Chimes’: 1’ tall plants with clusters of up to 10 fragrant cream-colored blooms, the cups tinted with pale yellow.