Is Daffodil deer resistant?
Narcissus spp.
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Daffodil
Contains lycorine, an alkaloid that is toxic to deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles alike. Nothing eats daffodils, which is why they are the standard answer when someone loses a hundred tulip bulbs overnight. Plant them at roughly three times the height of the bulb, pointed end up, in autumn while the soil is still workable. They want sun in spring, which means under deciduous trees is fine because they finish before the canopy closes. The one rule that matters afterwards is leaving the foliage alone. It looks untidy for six weeks after flowering and every instinct says tidy it, but that is when the bulb is building next year's flower. Cut it green, or tie it in knots, and you get leaves and no blooms the following spring. Wait until it yellows and pulls away easily.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Low
- Spacing
- 4 to 6 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- Low
- Containers
What to plant it with
- Hosta
Daffodils flower and die back just as hosta foliage unfurls to cover the fading leaves. Same hole, two seasons.
Similar to Daffodil
Other bulbs with the same deer rating.
- Autumn CrocusColchicum sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BluebellEndymion sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Crown ImperialFritillaria imperialisZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- Ornamental OnionAllium giganteumZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Siberian SquillScilla sibericaZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- SnowdropsGalanthus nivalisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Where Daffodil grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Daffodil belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Daffodil
- Is Daffodil deer resistant?
- Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Daffodil grow in?
- Daffodil is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Daffodil grow in shade?
- Yes. Daffodil tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Daffodil get?
- Mature height is roughly 8–18 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Daffodil bloom?
- Daffodil flowers from March–May.
- Is Daffodil toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Daffodil as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.