If you are a Seattle gardener looking for a beautiful flower that insects ignore, thrives in a rainy climate, and blooms in the early spring with amazing beauty and scent -- you should plant daffodils.
Not sure daffodils are worth the effort? Here's my full case for planting a lot more of them, wherever you can fit them in: Why Seattle Gardeners Should Be Growing Way More Daffodils.
In Seattle, daffodils are reliable perennials (which means they naturalized and come back year after year.) Plus they bloom waaaay earlier than most flowers in our area and are usually the first flower to bloom in March. (It's our first sign that Seattle's Great Grey is subsiding.)
Tips for planting:
Most of my advice for planting daffodil boils down to "dig a trench and throw 'em in."
But if you like additional guidance, here's my daffodil planting tips:
- Daffodils need a cold period before the bloom. Plant in the fall (late October, November and December all work) to enjoy their blooms in March and April.
- Plant in clumps or rows and space them 2 to 6 inches apart from one another. The bulbs will multiply over time. (I prefer to plant the bulbs about 2 to 4 inches apart because I like the look of daffodils when they are planted closer together.)
- Plant them 3 to 6 inches beneath the surface of the soil.
- Plant in full sun or partial shade.
I usually dig a trench a few inches wide, then zig-zag them (about two to four inches apart) in it.
Tips for success:
- To help the daffodils be successful for the following year, snip the blooms (either to bring them in the house to enjoy) or snip them off once they start to fade at the end of the season. (You want the plant’s energy to go back into the bulb — not into creating seed in the fading flower.)
- Let the foliage die back naturally at the end of the season. Yes, they look unsightly in June, but in order to bloom again the next year, they need to absorb the sunshine and send the energy back into the bulb.
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Once the foliage dies back, you can dig up the bulb and store it until fall, or you can leave it in the ground. (I plant daffodils in the landscape in a place where they can die back on their own and I don’t worry about digging them up.)
Plant Your Own Specialty Daffodils
Learn more about growing flowers in Seattle
Daffodils aren't the only flowers I love to grow. My blog, Growing Flowers in Seattle, has guides, posts, and how-to's on ranunculus, dahlias, and a lot of other flowers.
I also send out weekly-ish emails about what's actually happening on the farm — what's blooming, what I've killed, and first dibs on sales and discount codes before anyone else hears about them.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Planting Daffodils
Q: How deep should I plant daffodil bulbs in Seattle?
A: Plant daffodil bulbs 3 to 6 inches deep, pointy end up. In Seattle's mild, wet climate, planting a little deeper helps protect bulbs through a rainy winter.
Q: How far apart should I space daffodil bulbs?
A: Space daffodil bulbs 2 to 6 inches apart. Planting them closer together — toward the 2 to 4 inch range — gives a fuller, clumped look when they bloom in spring but you may need to dig them up in a few years to divide them.
Q: What should I do with daffodil foliage after it blooms?
A: Let the foliage die back naturally instead of cutting it. It looks messy for a few weeks, but the plant is sending energy back into the bulb, which fuels next year's bloom.
Q: Do I need to dig up daffodil bulbs every year?
A: No. In Seattle's climate, daffodil bulbs can stay in the ground year-round. Many gardeners, us included, leave them in place and let them naturalize and multiply over time.
Q: When is the best time to plant daffodil bulbs in Seattle?
A: Late October through December is ideal in Seattle. Daffodils need a cold period before blooming, so getting them in the ground in fall sets them up for blooms in March and April. If you are planting them late, and it is January or even February, it's worth sticking them in the ground. They will likely still bloom, but do it later in the spring.
