Would you like dwarf daffodils for spring colour in your garden? Some are guaranteed to liven up dull days with a zing of bright yellow sunshine! And others will bring a subtlety to your pots that glow softly when you return home from work in the dark evening.
If your answer is yes, then autumn is the time to be choosing and planting spring flowering bulbs as they need time and cool temperatures to grow. Daffodils, or Narcissi, to give them their Latin name, are probably the most popular of the spring flowering bulbs. And it’s easy to understand why, with a wide range of size, shapes and colours available from heritage varieties, native species and new cultivars.
We’re focusing here on dwarf daffodils, also known as miniature daffodils. The definition for them to be classed as a miniature, is that their flower, when flattened out, should be no more than 50mm wide. Of course, this measurement is really only critical if you’re thinking of showing your Narcissus blooms at a local horticultural or gardening club spring show. (Which is a fun thing to do by the way) For the purposes of growing and enjoying the dwarf daffodils in your garden, it doesn’t matter if they are 52mm in diameter. (Which would make them intermediate Narcissi – just in case you’re interested).
Where should you plant your dwarf daffodils for spring colour?
The obvious places are in pots and containers where they’re easily seen and enjoyed.
For example –
- do you linger by the back door with your morning cuppa?
- are you someone who likes to have a selection of pots on the garden table year round as you enjoy sitting there wrapped up and sipping a hot chocolate?
- or perhaps you hardly venture out into the back garden until the weather is warmer? In which case early spring flowers, particularly scented ones, near your front door would seem a better choice.
- if you have a small front garden, then decorative pots by the front door filled with dwarf daffodils for spring colour will give pleasure to passing pedestrians as well as to you.
- for those gardeners with small courtyard gardens, containers filled with sweetly scented Narcissi are a real bonus, Those smaller, more enclosed, spaces will enable you to fully enjoy the fragrance when windows are open on milder spring days.
- and a sunny balcony with pots of golden daffodils will encourage you to sit out even if it means wearing a coat. For some reason, the sight of yellow narcissus makes the sun seem warmer!
But remember the less obvious places too! Why not try these examples?
- plant miniature daffodils in small groups in borders where they’ll be a surprise and a delight to come across when you’re walking down a garden path.
- whether you choose bright or pale yellow flowered varieties they’ll look effective at the base of an evergreen hedge.
- do you have step over apples trees? dwarf daffodils are just the right size to sit under these.
- why not plant dwarf narcissi in plastic pots and sink these into empty raised beds in the vegetable plot?
A Few of my Favourite Dwarf Daffodils for Spring Colour
Whilst I do adore the sweet scent of Narcissus, I do sometimes fall in love with one purely for its flower shape or colour. From which you can probably ascertain that some, but not all of the following are chosen for fragrance! Hopefully there are some that take your fancy too.
Narcissus cyclamineus
This species daffodil is a native of Spain and Portugal, and is considered to be scarce in the wild. All the more reason, perhaps to grow it in your garden and keep the species viable. I love its reflexed petals. Almost as if the little daffodil is so bursting with life that the petals have been swept back in its enthusiasm!
Narcissus cyclamineus – hybrids and cultivars
Many of these that we grow today were developed by Alec Gray, who is considered the creator of the modern form of miniature daffodil.
And you couldn’t think of dwarf daffodils for spring colour without considering ‘Tete a Tete’, probably the most well-known of these Narcissi. First grown in the 1940s, Grey was initially unimpressed with this cultivar, but it has gone from strength to strength in popularity. By 2006 this one cultivar made up about a third of the total Dutch daffodil bulb trade.
Other well-known dwarf daffodils bred by Gray include ‘Minnow’ and ‘Sprite’.
Narcissus ‘Rip van Winkle’
This miniature daffodil is both an heirloom cultivar and unusual to look at. Each stem holds a double, golden-yellow flower which has many narrow petals packed tightly. An early flowering daffodil, it was introduced commercially in 1884. Its origins are not fully known and it was most likely a random find in an Irish garden.
Narcissus ‘Spoirot’
This bulbocodium daffodil is named after Agatha Christie’s detective Hercule Poirot. With greenish white petals and a green centre, the ‘modern’ colouring on the petals contrasts in style with its hoop petticoat flowers – and I love it. There are yellow flowered bulbocodium too, and their unusual shape is enough to confuse some of your visitors into thinking they may not be daffodils at all! Although they have been growing in British gardens since about 1630.
Narcissus cordubensis
Or more precisely, Narcissus jonquila fernandesii var. cordubensis, has more strongly scented flowers than my choices above. This is definitely one you’ll want to plant where you’ll enjoy the fragrance as well as the colour. Looking “more like a proper daffodil” than the others, there are still differences in flower form. The golden flowers are quite open, as the petals are slightly recurved (although not to the extent of cyclamineus) and they gently twist and splay out. It flowers best in a moist, fertile soil so remember to water if you’re growing it in a pot.
You may like to plant these dwarf daffodils for spring colour in tall pots, the better to appreciate their delicate features scent. The yellows and whites would look chic in tall stainless steel containers in an urban setting. And for a more traditional or upcycled effect, look for chimney pots in second hand markets and at vintage fairs.
Planting Daffodils – Tips
When planting bulbs in the ground –
You may need to improve your soil first. This is as much to ensure good drainage as anything. If you’re concerned the soil may stay wet overwinter, add grit to the base of the planting hole.
Confused about how deep to plant the daffodil bulbs? They should sit in a hole that, could you do so, would allow you to sit two more on top before reaching the surface. This is usually referred to as planting at three times the bulb’s size.
Allow 1 to 2 times the bulb’s width between each bulb to allow for growth, aka “bulking out” over the years.
When planting bulbs in pots –
You can buy a readymade bulb mix, but if you’re planting up a lot of pots that can get expensive. I like to mix up equal parts of top soil, multi-purpose compost and grit and use that. The soil can be your own garden soil or bought in.
Potted bulbs can be planted more shallowly than in the ground, but should be at least two times the bulb’s size below the surface. If you have a large enough pot 2 ½ to 3 times is better.
You can plant them as close as one bulb width apart to give a good display and still leave them in there for a couple of years.
And finally
Hopefully this blog has given some ideas and tips for growing your own dwarf daffodils for spring colour.
If you’d like an interactive talk or half-day workshop for your group on growing daffodils for your garden, in pots and perhaps how to be ‘brave enough’ to show then at local gardening clubs, please get in touch.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet – You could come and find us on Instagram Pinterest and Facebook too.
If you’d prefer hands-on personal help from yours truly to learn more about your garden and gardening, why not ask about our bespoke Gardening Lessons, where your classroom is actually your own garden. We can help you learn gardening basics, and also show you how to plan an ornamental border or kitchen garden. Have a read through this pdf download for info
And you can have a peek at the progress of my garden renovation, Spitfires and Slow Worms, on Instagram and Facebook You may even get to see it in person early 2025 as I’m planning a couple of workshops. I had hoped to do that already but house renovations have been as big a thing as garden reno so there hasn’t been the room. Keep an eye on the website and social media for an update.
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
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