Types of daffodils: 13 varieties for spring colour

Types of daffodils: 13 varieties for spring colour

If "daffodil" makes you picture one yellow trumpet flower, the official register will surprise you — the Royal Horticultural Society maintains 13 divisions covering more than 32,000 registered cultivars across the genus Narcissus. Trumpet, jonquil, paperwhite, and split-cupped collar daffodils all sit under the same umbrella. This guide covers one representative variety from each of the 13 RHS divisions, with bloom timing, height, fragrance, and the pet-safety warning every owner of a dog, cat, or horse needs. Pet safety is critical because the ASPCA confirms all daffodils (genus Narcissus) are toxic to dogs, cats, and horses due to lycorine and crystalline calcium oxalates in the bulb — bulbs are by far the most dangerous part.

Match daffodils to your spring bed: Photograph your border in Growli and we measure light, soil drainage, and existing plants — then rank the daffodil divisions most likely to naturalise where you live.

How the 13 divisions are organised

The RHS classification system was first introduced in 1908 and revised most recently in 1998, when it reached the current 13-division structure. Each cultivar fits into one of the first 12 divisions based on flower shape, corona-to-petal ratio, and the genetic background of its wild parent. Division 13 holds the wild species themselves.

Bloom timing splits the genus into early (February to mid-March), mid-season (mid-March to early April), and late (mid-April to early May) groups. Many gardens layer one cultivar from each timing band for a 10-week display of yellow and white from late winter into late spring.

The 13 types of daffodils

1. Trumpet daffodils — Narcissus Division 1

The classic single daffodil with one flower per stem and a trumpet (corona) that is as long as or longer than the petals (perianth). 'King Alfred' (the historical yellow standard, now mostly replaced by 'Dutch Master' and 'Standard Value'), 'Mount Hood' (pure white), and 'Spellbinder' (yellow trumpet fading to white) are the most-planted Trumpets in the US and UK. Reliable perennialiser and naturalises beautifully in lawns and orchard plantings.

Bloom time: Mid-season (March to early April). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Borders, lawns, naturalising.

2. Large-Cupped daffodils — Narcissus Division 2

One flower per stem with a corona between one-third and the same length as the petals. The largest division — many of the most-planted modern cultivars sit here. 'Carlton' (yellow on yellow, the single most-planted daffodil in the world), 'Ice Follies' (white with cream cup), and 'Accent' (white with pink cup, classification code 2W-P) dominate retail. Bloom mid-season.

Bloom time: Mid-season (March to April). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Borders, mass plantings, cut flowers.

3. Small-Cupped daffodils — Narcissus Division 3

One flower per stem with a corona less than one-third the length of the petals. More delicate proportions than Trumpets or Large-Cups. 'Barrett Browning' (white petals with orange cup) and 'Birma' (yellow with red-orange cup) are reliable cultivars. Bloom mid to late season.

Bloom time: Mid to late (March to April). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Borders, mixed plantings.

4. Double daffodils — Narcissus Division 4

Extra petals replace the corona, giving each bloom a peony-like ruffled shape. 'Tahiti' (yellow with orange-red flames), 'Sir Winston Churchill' (white with orange centre, intensely fragrant), and 'Replete' (white with apricot-pink centre) are popular. Heavy heads can flop after rain — plant in sheltered spots.

Bloom time: Mid to late (April). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Borders, cut flowers, fragrance.

5. Triandrus daffodils — Narcissus Division 5

Multiple flowers per stem, all nodding downwards with petals reflexed back. Bred from N. triandrus. 'Thalia' (the "Orchid Daffodil" — pure white, two to three blooms per stem, intensely fragrant) and 'Hawera' (lemon-yellow, very short) are essentials. Elegant in mixed borders and rock gardens.

Bloom time: Mid to late (April). Height: 8 to 14 inches. Use: Mixed borders, rock gardens, naturalising.

6. Cyclamineus daffodils — Narcissus Division 6

One flower per stem with strongly reflexed petals swept back behind a long narrow trumpet — the silhouette of a cyclamen flower. Bred from N. cyclamineus. 'February Gold' (deep yellow, one of the earliest daffodils to bloom), 'Jetfire' (yellow with orange trumpet), and 'Tete-a-Tete' (the bestselling small daffodil in the world) are the cultivars to plant. Naturalises spectacularly in lawns.

Bloom time: Very early (late February to March). Height: 6 to 12 inches. Use: Naturalising, rock gardens, containers.

7. Jonquilla daffodils — Narcissus Division 7

Multiple small fragrant flowers per stem, often with narrow rush-like foliage. Bred from N. jonquilla. 'Quail' (deep yellow, three to four blooms per stem), 'Sailboat' (white with cream cup), and 'Pipit' (lemon-yellow fading to white) are popular. The strongest fragrance in the genus.

Bloom time: Late (April to early May). Height: 10 to 16 inches. Use: Fragrance plantings, cut flowers.

8. Tazetta daffodils — Narcissus Division 8

Multiple flowers per stem on a single thick scape — up to 20 blooms per stem in some species. Includes the paperwhites grown for indoor forcing. 'Paperwhite Ziva' (pure white, intensely fragrant, the standard supermarket forcing daffodil), 'Geranium' (white with orange cup), and 'Cragford' (cream with orange cup) are common. Less cold-hardy than other divisions — paperwhites only overwinter outdoors in zones 8 to 11.

Bloom time: Variable — paperwhites bloom indoors winter, garden Tazettas late spring. Height: 12 to 18 inches. Use: Indoor forcing, mild-climate gardens.

9. Poeticus daffodils — Narcissus Division 9

The "Pheasant's Eye" daffodils. White petals with a very small flat red-rimmed corona. Bred from N. poeticus. 'Actaea' (the most-planted Poeticus — pure white with green-and-red centre cup, intensely sweet fragrance) blooms latest of any daffodil division — late April to early May. The cultivar Wordsworth wrote about.

Bloom time: Late (late April to early May). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Naturalising, woodland edges, fragrance.

10. Bulbocodium daffodils — Narcissus Division 10

The "Hoop Petticoat" daffodils. Tiny plants with funnel-shaped trumpets and almost no perianth, looking like little flared skirts on grass-thin stems. Bred from N. bulbocodium. 'Golden Bells' and 'Spoirot' (white form) are available. Best in rock gardens, alpine troughs, and gravel gardens.

Bloom time: Early to mid (March to early April). Height: 4 to 8 inches. Use: Rock gardens, alpine troughs.

11. Split-Cupped daffodils — Narcissus Division 11

The corona is split for at least one-third of its length, opening into a flat or ruffled "collar" instead of a tube. Subdivides into Collar (11a, split corona segments lie flat against the petals) and Papillon (11b, butterfly-like). 'Cassata' (white with pale yellow split cup) and 'Palmares' (white with peach split cup) are popular.

Bloom time: Mid (April). Height: 14 to 18 inches. Use: Borders, modern garden designs.

12. Miscellaneous daffodils — Narcissus Division 12

The catch-all division for cultivars that do not fit divisions 1 to 11. Includes some interesting hybrids between species and named cultivars. Less commonly sold at retail.

Bloom time: Variable. Height: Variable.

13. Species and wild forms — Narcissus Division 13

Wild-type daffodils and species hybrids identified by botanical name rather than cultivar name. N. poeticus var. recurvus (Pheasant's Eye), N. pseudonarcissus (Wild Daffodil, native to the UK), N. bulbocodium (Hoop Petticoat), and N. cyclamineus (Cyclamen Daffodil). Best for naturalising in lawns, woodlands, and meadows where they self-seed.

Bloom time: Variable, mostly early to mid. Height: 4 to 14 inches. Use: Naturalising, woodland gardens, meadows.

PET SAFETY — daffodils are toxic to dogs, cats, AND horses (ASPCA)

The ASPCA toxic plants database lists Narcissus spp. (daffodil) as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The toxic principles are lycorine and other alkaloids, plus crystalline calcium oxalates concentrated most heavily in the bulb.

Clinical signs after ingestion include vomiting, hypersalivation, and diarrhea. Large ingestions of bulbs cause convulsions, low blood pressure, tremors, and cardiac arrhythmias — daffodil bulb poisoning is more serious than tulip bulb poisoning because lycorine is a potent emetic and the calcium oxalates cause direct mouth and gut irritation.

Bulbs are the most poisonous part. Daffodil bulbs look superficially similar to onions, leading to occasional accidental human poisonings as well as pet emergencies. Store bulbs before planting in dog-proof containers. After fall planting, cover beds with wire mesh or fencing for two to three weeks until the soil scent fades — the bulbs are most attractive to dogs in the weeks immediately after planting.

If a pet ingests any part of a daffodil, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 immediately. Veterinary emergencies after daffodil bulb ingestion are common in spring when dogs dig up sprouting bulbs.

One note about wildlife: lycorine is also why daffodils are deer-, rabbit-, vole-, and squirrel-resistant. The same toxin that endangers pets repels wild mammals, which is why daffodils naturalise so well where tulips fail.

How to choose the right type of daffodil

Stretch the bloom season. Early Cyclamineus types (Division 6 — 'February Gold', 'Tete-a-Tete') open in late February to March. Mid-season Trumpets and Large-Cups (Divisions 1 and 2 — 'Dutch Master', 'Carlton', 'Ice Follies') peak in March to April. Late Poeticus and Jonquilla types (Divisions 7 and 9 — 'Actaea', 'Quail') hold until early May. Planting one cultivar from each band gives 10 weeks of bloom.

Pick for fragrance. Jonquilla (Division 7), Tazetta (Division 8), and Poeticus (Division 9) have the strongest fragrance. 'Thalia' (Triandrus), 'Sir Winston Churchill' (Double), and 'Actaea' (Poeticus) are the most fragrant cultivars in their divisions.

Pick for naturalising. Trumpet (Division 1), Cyclamineus (Division 6), Poeticus (Division 9), and species (Division 13) all naturalise reliably in lawns and woodlands across USDA zones 3 to 7 and most of the UK. Avoid Double and Split-Cupped cultivars for naturalising — they need more attention.

Plan for pets. Every type of daffodil is toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. If you have pets that dig, fence newly planted beds or use bulb baskets. Where children might pick flowers, brief them — chewing a stem or leaf gives a mouth burn from the calcium oxalate sap.

Planting timing by USDA zone

Zones 3 to 4 (Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine): Plant September to early October when soil temperatures drop below 60°F. Mulch heavily after first hard frost.

Zones 5 to 6 (most of the Midwest, New England, central UK): Plant mid-September through October. The largest daffodil-planting window in the temperate world.

Zone 7 (Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, southern UK): Plant October through November. Most daffodils naturalise reliably here.

Zones 8 to 9 (Southeast US, coastal California): Plant November to early December. Choose heat-tolerant cultivars — 'Ice Follies', 'Carlton', 'Trevithian', and most Jonquils and Tazettas perform well. Trumpet daffodils struggle in zones 8 and warmer.

Zone 10 and warmer: Most daffodils need cold dormancy and will not return. Treat Tazetta paperwhites as indoor forcing plants instead.

Plant bulbs 5 to 6 inches deep (twice the bulb height) and 4 to 6 inches apart, pointed end up. Daffodils tolerate a wider range of soils than tulips — heavy clay is acceptable as long as it does not stay waterlogged through winter.

Common care across the category

Plant in full sun to part shade. Daffodils need at least four hours of direct sun during their spring growing season to recharge the bulb. Sites under deciduous trees work well — daffodils complete their season before the canopy leafs out.

Leave the foliage for six weeks after bloom. This is the single biggest mistake in daffodil care. Yellow, scruffy post-bloom leaves are doing essential photosynthesis to recharge the bulb. Do not braid, tie, mow, or cut them until they yellow naturally — usually six to eight weeks after the flowers fade.

Deadhead the flowers (not the leaves) to prevent seed set, which drains energy from the bulb. Pinch off the spent flower behind the seed pod.

Feed lightly in early spring. A handful of bone meal or balanced bulb fertilizer in late winter, before the shoots emerge, is plenty. Heavy feeding causes basal rot.

Divide congested clumps every five to seven years. When blooms decline despite full sun and good drainage, lift and divide clumps in late spring as the foliage yellows. Replant the largest bulbs and discard the small offsets, or give them to neighbours.

Try Growli: Snap a photo of any daffodil with Growli — instant ID and care plan in 60 seconds.

Related articles

• Types of tulips — 12 classic and rare varieties — the other spring bulb staple
• Types of flowers — 20+ annuals and perennials — the broader category
• Types of peonies — tree, herbaceous, intersectional — the late-spring perennial follow-up
• Pet-safe houseplants — 20 non-toxic plants — indoor alternatives for pet households
• Types of soil — clay, sand, loam, silt — for picking daffodil-friendly drainage
• Companion planting guide — what to plant between daffodils for summer interest

Reviewed and updated by the Growli editorial team. For questions about anything here, open Growli and ask — or email hello@getgrowli.app.