Who wouldn’t love an abundance of pretty and cheerful blooms in their garden during the spring season? Who wouldn’t want a garden filled with flowers that live long, multiply year after year and are easy to plant? If you are one of those gardeners, then make way for the daffodils! Daffodils are extremely versatile and carefree spring flowers which come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colours. With their diverse forms, they are flexible enough to suit beds and borders, containers, window boxes, and even rock gardens.
Daffodils are low maintenance producing flowers year after year once planted. Most are also fragrant, perfect to soothe your soul from the harsh cold months. They are hardy plants which are best planted in the fall and bloom in early to late spring. They grow best in moist soil and full sun. Usually, they are planted 2 to 3 times deeper than the size of the bulb. Learn more about planting flower bulbs here.
With the wide range of daffodils available for you, it’s best to know the different types so you can choose which ones you prefer to grow. Here are 11 different types of daffodils to delight in!
1. Trumpet or Long Cup Daffodils
Perfect choice for naturalizing, these daffodils are large with their long trumpets and mostly grayish-green foliage. They have one bold flower per stem with their trumpet as long as or longer than the outer petals. These flowers are vigorous and have prominent cups which can come in wide, narrow or flared varieties. They grow best in cold climates, blooming in early to mid spring. Ideal for any garden setting, they can be grown in sun or shade. They bloom perfectly in grass, rock gardens, or under trees.
2. Large-cupped Daffodils
One of the most popular group of daffodils, this group offers a wide range of colours from white, yellow, pink, peach or red. They also come in different cup styles such as flat, smooth or ruffled edges, bowl-shaped or trumpet-like. They have a single, big flower per stem with prominent cups. Ideal for every possible use, these daffodils are perfect for picking, naturalizing, bedding, forcing and showing. These are reliably perennial and bloom in mid spring.
3. Small-cupped Daffodils
Charming and attractive, this group has medium-sized flowers with one bloom per stem. Their small cup is less than one-third the length of their petals. They are mostly mid-season, fragrant bloomers. They come in pretty bi-coloured varieties with white and pale petals, and gorgeously coloured cups.
4. Double Daffodils
Sweetly fragrant and romantic, this group of daffodils come in beautiful styles of doubled trumpet, double row of petals or both. They usually have one or occasionally, two flowers per stem, resembling peonies or carnations. Perfect for cutting, colours of these daffodils range from yellow, white to peach, to pink or red. These incredible buds bloom in mid to late spring and are ideal for shrubs and under flowering trees.
5. Triandrus Daffodils
The distinguishing feature of this next group of daffodils is their reflexed or pulled back petals from their bell-shaped cup. Their white or yellow blossoms are usually downward-facing. In mid to late spring, they produce 2 or more small to medium-sized flowers per stem, which are often strongly fragrant. Sometimes called ‘Angels’ Tears,’ they have smaller flowers and shorter stems, perfect for containers or rock gardens. This variety grows well in slightly damp habitats, are shade tolerant and are good naturalisers.
6. Cyclamineus Daffodils
Resembling cyclamens, these daffodils have small, narrow cups and reflexed petals. Growing elegantly with small flowers and straight-sided trumpets, this type features one bloom per stem. They are shade tolerant, naturalise easily and blooms in early spring, perfect for your rock gardens and containers.
7. Jonquilla Daffodils
Wonderfully fragrant, these daffodils feature dainty small flowers, having usually 2 to 6 per stem. They have small cups and grass-like foliage. This type is ideal for naturalizing and forcing. They bloom in mid to late spring, growing best in sunny locations with warm soils and humid conditions.
8. Tazetta Daffodils
Less hardy than other types, this group of daffodils are perfect for forcing and naturalising especially in wet-winter and dry-summer climates. They produce mid-sized blooms in clusters, with short cups and an intensely sweet fragrance. Blooming in mid to late spring, these drought-tolerant flowers are ideal for cutting.
9. Poeticus Daffodils
If you’re looking for blooms in late spring, then this group of daffodils with big, white petals are perfect for you! Impressively fragrant, Poeticus have small, flattened cups rimmed with green, orange or red. This variety is an outstanding perennial usually having one flower per stem. They are excellent as cut flowers with their long stems. Growing best in damp soils, these look amazing with tall grasses or next to a deciduous tree.
10. Split Corona Daffodils
Blooming in mid to late spring, these unusual daffodils have split trumpet which are in segments or pressed back against the petals. Typically bicoloured, they have large flowers on strong stems making them ideal as a cut flower or placed in a vase.
11. Miniature Daffodils
Excellent for rock gardens, this group include daffodil varieties with petite flowers that are usually 6” or shorter. With their small sizes, they are also ideal in front of borders, beneath shrubs, and in perennial gardens where they produce less greenery than full-sized daffodils.
No matter what shape, size or colour you prefer, these broad range of daffodils are perfect to brighten up your spring garden!
If you have questions on the perfect type of daffodils for your garden, contact your local store where one of our helpful and knowledgeable staff will be happy to help and answer any questions you may have.