Flower · Amaryllidaceae
When to sow daffodils
The most reliable spring bulb there is, and one of the few that improves rather than fades: a clump left alone thickens for decades. Poisonous to rodents, which is why daffodils survive in gardens where tulips are eaten.
Days to maturity
140-190
From sowing to a first picking.
Hardy in USDA zones
3a to 8b
Winter cold sets the limit here, not the calendar.
Frost tolerance
Very hardy
How much cold the plant itself will take.
Those weeks become real dates once you name a place.
Timing, in frost-relative terms
Daffodils are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the useful offset runs backwards from the end of the season instead of forwards from its start.
- Expect 140–190 days to maturity, counted from sowing.
- Hardy in USDA zones 3a–8b.
- Can also be sown in late summer for an autumn crop or to overwinter.
Getting the timing right
Plant early - four to eight weeks before the first frost, and earlier than tulips. Daffodils make roots in autumn warmth and want that head start. Plant at twice the bulb's height, and leave the foliage to yellow completely after flowering, because next year's flower is built during those six weeks.
Frost tolerance
Hardy to about -30C, and undamaged by frost on the emerged leaves; the flower buds tolerate a hard frost that flattens everything else. Needs around ten weeks below 9C, slightly less than a tulip, so daffodils persist a zone warmer than tulips do.
Classified as very-hardy, with damage expected below -30°C (-22°F)-22°F (-30°C).