Daffodils For Hot Climates
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Daffodils Will Grow In Hot Climates If You Choose The Right Types
Choosing daffodils for hot climates can be a real challenge for gardeners. Some types actually need a period of really cold weather to bloom well and sometimes southern winters don't oblige. To make matters worse sometimes chain store garden centers are filled with flowering bulbs that aren't suitable for southern gardens.
Even if you live on the hot gulf coast there are narcissus varieties you can grow. I live in Northeast Alabama in USDA Zone 7b. I'll just share which varieties I grow in my garden and hopefully they'll do well for you,too.
If you've tried to grow daffodils in your hot southern garden and failed I hope this lens will convince you to give narcissus growing another try.
Even if you live on the hot gulf coast there are narcissus varieties you can grow. I live in Northeast Alabama in USDA Zone 7b. I'll just share which varieties I grow in my garden and hopefully they'll do well for you,too.
If you've tried to grow daffodils in your hot southern garden and failed I hope this lens will convince you to give narcissus growing another try.
Daffodils For Hot Climates Contents
Click On The Links To Go Directly To a Section
Want to know more about Jonquils? How about Large Cupped Daffodils?These links will take you directly to the Southern Daffodil info you need.
- Daffodil Bloom On Video
- Trumpet Daffodils That Do Well In The South
- Large Cupped Daffodils Perform Well In Southern Gardens
- Ice Follies
- No Southern Garden Is Complete Without Jonquils
- Narcissus Tazetta Is The Best Daffodil For Southern Gardens
- Triandrus Daffodils Are Great Mid To Late Season Bloomers
- Don't Forget Miniature And Species (Wild) Daffodils
- Narcissus Cyclamineus
- Some Daffodils Just Don't Like Hot Southern Weather
- Daffodils Grow Problem Free In Most Southern Planting Zones
- Daffodil Books
- My Other Daffodil Lenses
- Bookmark Daffodils For Hot Climates
- Your Comments Please
- Love This Lens?
Daffodil Bloom On Video
This is a wonderful example of time lapse photography
curated content from YouTube
Trumpet Daffodils That Do Well In The South
They Require A Little Extra Care But They're Worth The Trouble
If you live in frost-free zones 9 or 10 you can cheat by popping your trumpet bulbs in the fridge for 6-8 weeks and planting them after the nights are consistently cool. Unfortunately they are best treated as annuals in your mild Winter zone. You can dig them up after the foliage dies back in late Spring and repeat the process if you like a challenge but buy fresh bulbs anyway so you won't be disappointed. They usually won't bloom but once after getting a cold treatment. The blooms will last longer in the heat if plant them in a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
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Large Cupped Daffodils Perform Well In Southern Gardens
The Large Cupped Type Is One Of The Most Popular For Good Reason
A large cupped daffodil has a cup that almost qualifies as a trumpet and they are mostly early blooming. Large cupped Ice Follies is probably the most dependable early bloomer in my garden. In fact,Ice Follies grows well all over North America and Europe. It has a large flower with crisp white petals and a flat yellow cup that fades to ivory. If the weather is mild it often blooms in my garden in February! If the winter is colder it blooms in early March. This is a tough flower that stands up to early heat and surprise late frosts. It is listed to grow through Zone 8.
Two other large cupped daffodils that grow well in the South are St. Keverne and Carlton ,both yellow flowering. Both have large flowers that have cups almost as long as a trumpet. Carlton is the first bulb I planted in my present garden about 12 years ago. I bought a cheap bag of 100 small bulbs and planted them in a big rectangle. They still bloom like gang busters every spring even though I've never even divided them.This patch of Carlton is the backbone of my Spring flower garden.
Again,if you live in a hotter zone you can try growing these bulbs by giving them a cold treatment in the fridge for a few weeks and planting them outside when the nights have been consistently cool for a couple of weeks probably in late November or December. Plant them in a partially shaded spot so the blooms will last longer. If you're a beginner and you want guaranteed success stick with tazettas and jonquillas.

Ice Follies Large-Cupped Daffodil
Two other large cupped daffodils that grow well in the South are St. Keverne and Carlton ,both yellow flowering. Both have large flowers that have cups almost as long as a trumpet. Carlton is the first bulb I planted in my present garden about 12 years ago. I bought a cheap bag of 100 small bulbs and planted them in a big rectangle. They still bloom like gang busters every spring even though I've never even divided them.This patch of Carlton is the backbone of my Spring flower garden.
Again,if you live in a hotter zone you can try growing these bulbs by giving them a cold treatment in the fridge for a few weeks and planting them outside when the nights have been consistently cool for a couple of weeks probably in late November or December. Plant them in a partially shaded spot so the blooms will last longer. If you're a beginner and you want guaranteed success stick with tazettas and jonquillas.
Ice Follies
These Pics Should Definitely Convince you To Grow Ice Follies Daffodils
curated content from Flickr
No Southern Garden Is Complete Without Jonquils
Narcissus Jonquilla Is The Perfect Daffodil For Hot Climates
Yes narcissus jonquilla is the true Jonquil. Many Southerners refer to yellow trumpet daffodils as Jonquils but this is technically incorrect. Jonquilshave blue-green tubular foliage and two or more sweetly scented flowers per stem. Jonquils are always the last narcissus bulbs to bloom in my garden. They are native to the Mediterranean and appreciate the mild winters and baking hot summers of southern gardens. Any narcissus bulbs in the jonquilla division are good choices for the South.New Baby is a narcissus that closely resembles the wild jonquils of Europe.These jonquilla bulbs can be ordered now for planting as soon as they arrive. Ordering early ensures that your favorites will be available.
Narcissus Tazetta Is The Best Daffodil For Southern Gardens
These Sweet Smelling Beauties Will Grow Even Where There Is No Frost
The tazetta family also includes paperwhites which are usually grown indoors but can be grown outdoors as annuals in frost free areas. Paperwhites are the one type of narcissus that is not properly called a daffodil. Note: Some paperwhites have a strong musky odor that many people hate. This is due to a chemical called an indole which is similar to e. coli bacteria! If you don't like the scent of paperwhites try a variety called Grand Soleil D'or. It smells a lot like Geranium.
Geranium is my absolute favorite tazetta daffodil. It has a sweet perfume that smells like jasmine with a touch of fruitiness. There is no hint of musk in its fragrance. Geranium and its double form, Sir Winston Churchill, are late bloomers that will perfume your whole yard on April evenings if you plant enough of them.
Triandrus Daffodils Are Great Mid To Late Season Bloomers
These Often Overlooked Daffodils Are Dependable Performers
Tresamble is another good white triandrus for the south. It blooms a few days later than Thalia and has larger flowers. Triandrus flowers are borne in clusters of 2-7 flowers that hang downward from the stem. The most common form is a group of 3 blooms that form a triangle. Most commercial varieties of narcissus triandrus have white flowers but there are a few yellow and pink ones on the market. Don't bother with double flowered triandrus hybrids. The blooms won't stand up to rain or heat.
Don't Forget Miniature And Species (Wild) Daffodils
Your Narcissus Garden Isn't Complete Without A Few Of These Ancient Charmers
Bulbocodium or hoop petticoat daffodils are excellent for the deep South.This narcissus type has a huge bell shaped corona that is surrounded by tiny almost unnoticeable petals. It thrives in the hottest Summer areas. The most popular bulbocodium is the heavy flowering hybrid Golden Bells.
Cyclamineus daffodils are very early bloomers that have a prominent trumpet that juts straight out from petals that look as if they were blown backwards in a wind storm. February Gold and Peeping Tom are two well known types of this daffodil.Jetfire is another great performer in this division(see bellow.) Cyclamineus daffodils are not true miniatures and some of them have been highly hybridized but they have retained their wild looks so I included them here.

Bulbocodium Daffodil Golden Bells
Cyclamineus daffodils are very early bloomers that have a prominent trumpet that juts straight out from petals that look as if they were blown backwards in a wind storm. February Gold and Peeping Tom are two well known types of this daffodil.Jetfire is another great performer in this division(see bellow.) Cyclamineus daffodils are not true miniatures and some of them have been highly hybridized but they have retained their wild looks so I included them here.
Some Daffodils Just Don't Like Hot Southern Weather
It's Not You It's Your Lack Of Winter That Makes These Almost Impossible.
Some members of the narcissus family actually need to be planted in soil that freezes or has snow cover for extended periods. Let's face it. That's not us. Let's stick with the bulbs that like our weather so we won't get discouraged and give up on our flowering friends.One beautiful narcissus that is probably not worth the trouble is the famous and ancient Poet's Daffodil (poeticus recurvus), also known as Pheasant's Eye. I must admit that I do have a little patch of these in an out of the way corner of my garden but they only bloom every couple of years and heat or rain always cut the flowers down in their prime.
Most daffodils in the small cupped division have Pheasant's Eye parentage which makes them unreliable performers for the deep South. These are also the most expensive narcissus type. If you want to try this type choose early blooming varieties.Don't waste your money if you live south of Zone 7.
Large flowered double daffodils are another type that is generally a poor performer in southern gardens. Double daffodils are mostly late blooming which means they bloom during warm and rainy weather and this tends to ruin the large heavy flowers.
The exception to this rule is the lovely Cheerfulnessa late blooming poeticus/tazetta cross which comes in white and yellow and loves both warm and cool climates.
Daffodils Grow Problem Free In Most Southern Planting Zones
Daffodil Books
These Books Will Help You Grow Narcissus Like A Pro
My Other Daffodil Lenses
Your Comments Please
Do You Grow Daffodils? Are There More Good Types I Should Know About? Northerners Are Welcome To Share Too.
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poissonenciel
Apr 1, 2012 @ 4:08 am | delete
- Beautiful!
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mercin Mar 3, 2012 @ 8:32 pm | delete
- My wife forced some paperwhites this year. Good stuff!
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resabi Apr 1, 2011 @ 6:30 pm | delete
- What an excellent lens -- I love that you are sharing personal experience combined with fact. And I love daffodils. A great read for the first of April -- no fooling! Blessed.
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Geekgurl
Feb 22, 2011 @ 8:26 am | delete
- Great lens! I love Narcissus Jonquilla they are so cute.
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ElizabethJeanAllen
Feb 18, 2011 @ 4:26 pm | delete
- I really like daffodils. Every fall I plan on putting more in the ground but end up not getting it done. Next year...
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by TylaMac
I confess.I'm a narcissist.No, I'm not in love with myself. Daffodils are the object of my admiration. One of my earliest memories is posing with my b... more »
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