If your garden to-do list includes planting drifts of naturalized daffodils, carefully arranged to look like they popped up and spread of their own accord, it’s important to choose the right varieties.
Cultivars that will work for this purpose might be described as “good multipliers,” “vigorous,” or “suitable for naturalization.”
And since daffodils can keep multiplying for decades, you’ll want to choose types that you love.
I’ve made a list of 15 beautiful varieties sporting flowers of different hues – white, yellow, orange, and even pink!
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All of the following cultivars will work well for naturalizing, and all of them have simple (rather than double) blooms, making them pollinator friendly.
Since you may want to organize your plantings to have a succession of flowers from late winter to early summer, I’ve listed the bloom time of each of these varieties to make your planning easier.
To learn how to create a naturalized planting of daffodils, with instructions and tips for selecting an area of the landscape to plant and how to create your layout, as well as determining how many bulbs you’re going to need, read our full guide.
15 of the Best Daffodils for Naturalized Plantings
1. Blushing Lady
This flower is sure to get a lot of compliments – and perhaps that’s why she’s blushing. Not only does ‘Blushing Lady’ have a unique color combination, she also has an outstanding fragrance.
‘Blushing Lady’ is a jonquil type narcissus with petals that are a soft, pastel yellow, and cups that are a salmon-pink hue.
This cultivar will bear up to three blossoms per 12-inch stem, and will bloom in late spring.
A hybrid, ‘Blushing Lady’ originated in the USA.
You can find ‘Blushing Lady’ bulbs in bags of ten available from Burpee.
2. British Gamble
Perhaps the only gamble with this variety would be in betting your friends and family that you can grow daffodils with giant blooms.
The flowers on ‘British Gamble’ are huge, reaching five to six inches across.
‘British Gamble’ has white petals with a frilly trumpet that is lemon yellow to coral pink. These hybrid plants from the Netherlands will reach 18 to 24 inches in height and have very large, showy flowers.
This cultivar blooms in early to mid-spring.
You can purchase six-packs of ‘British Gamble’ bulbs at Nature Hills Nursery.
3. Chromacolor
‘Chromacolor’ will make a bold statement in your naturalized drifts with its intensely colored corona.
This two-toned hybrid daffodil has overlapping white petals with a large, bright, coral pink colored cup. Blooms are very large, reaching five to six inches across.
‘Chromacolor’ will bloom in mid-spring to early summer. Plants grow 18 to 20 inches tall.
You can find ‘Chromacolor’ bulbs in bags of 10 available at Burpee.
4. Dutch Master
With their renowned reputation for breeding flower bulbs, it’s no surprise that the Dutch have created a master – a ‘Dutch Master,’ that is.
‘Dutch Master’ has yellow petals and a frilly, yellow trumpet. This is a tall plant, growing to 26 inches in height or more.
Blooms are very large, reaching four to five inches across. Heirloom ‘Dutch Master’ will bloom in early to mid-spring.
You can purchase ‘Dutch Master’ bulbs online from Burpee.
5. February Gold
Finding a flower that’s blooming in February is kind of like finding gold, isn’t it? ‘February Gold’ may make you think you have.
This cyclamen-flowered cultivar has yellow petals with a yellow trumpet, and blooms at the very tail end of winter, or very early in the spring.
An heirloom variety that originates in the Netherlands, ‘February Gold’ will grow to be eight to 12 inches tall.
You can find ‘February Gold’ bulbs in packs of 10 available at Burpee.
6. Fortune
You may not find gold bars when the winter snow melts, but you may find ‘Fortune,’ which isn’t such a bad recompense.
‘Fortune’ is an heirloom large-cupped variety, with rounded yellow petals and a very short, orange, funnel-shaped cup.
Large flowers are four to five inches wide and bloom in early to mid-spring.
This English daffodil hybrid will reach 18 to 20 inches tall, or sometimes more.
You can purchase ‘Fortune’ bulbs at Eden Brothers.
7. Geranium
Here’s a ‘Geranium’ that is hardy to -40°F.
Being the same species as the paperwhites you may be familiar with for forcing indoors in winter, Narcissus tazetta, this bunch-flowered daffodil species is more tolerant of mild winters than other members of the Narcissus genus.
‘Geranium’ has white petals with shallow yellow-orange cups. Another beautiful heirloom from the Netherlands, the blooms on this ‘Geranium’ are two to three inches wide.
Each stem can reach 14 to 16 inches tall – or sometimes more! – and will bear up to six flowers starting in mid- to late spring.
You can purchase ‘Geranium’ bulbs in a variety of package sizes at Eden Brothers.
8. Holland Sensation
Do you get the feeling that another Dutch variety is forthcoming? Maybe you picked up on that ‘Holland Sensation.’
‘Holland Sensation’ has white petals with bright yellow trumpets. Plants can grow to be 20 inches tall or more, and will hold aloft one flower per stem, blooming in mid-spring.
And yes, this hybrid variety was created in the Netherlands.
You can purchase an eight-pack of ‘Holland Sensation’ bulbs at Nature Hills Nursery.
9. Ice Follies
Fragrant flowers in early spring? Sound crazy? Maybe it sounds like ‘Ice Follies.’
‘Ice Follies’ has slightly overlapping white petals with large, frilled cups that are yellowish green fading to cream.
This large-cupped hybrid variety will grow to be 16 to 18 inches tall. Each stem bears a single three- to four-inch flower.
Flowers are fragrant and bloom in early to mid-spring.
You can purchase ‘Ice Follies’ in packets of eight bulbs at Nature Hills Nursery.
10. Mount Hood
Evoking the snowy peak of the famous volcano in Oregon, ‘Mount Hood’ has overlapping white petals with wavy margins, and cups that are white to cream-colored.
The long-lasting flowers on this heirloom daffodil variety are very large, reaching four to five inches across.
Plants grow to 15 to 17 inches in height and bloom in mid-spring.
You can purchase ‘Mount Hood’ bulbs in a variety of package sizes at Eden Brothers.
11. Pink Parasol
If you’re looking for something unique in your daffodils, you might choose one of the pink varieties, such as this pink-hued trumpet cultivar.
‘Pink Parasol’ has overlapping white petals and salmon-pink trumpets. Plants reach 14 to 16 inches in height and bloom in mid-spring.
This gorgeous two-toned hybrid daffodil originated in the Netherlands.
You can purchase six-packs of ‘Pink Parasol’ bulbs at Nature Hills Nursery.
12. Professor Einstein
Perhaps gazing into the deeply contrasting cup of this spring flower will cause you to ponder the nature of the universe, in honor of its namesake.
‘Professor Einstein’ has overlapping, rounded white petals and a wide, reddish orange, crimped, disk-shaped cup.
These large-cupped daffodils grow to 12 to 26 inches tall and bloom in late spring.
You can purchase heirloom ‘Professor Einstein’ bulbs at Nature Hills Nursery.
13. Regeneration
Daffodils provide a sunny burst of color at the end of winter, but ‘Regeneration’ takes this idea rather literally, rising up to greet you in very early spring.
Its trumpet looks like a burst of white spreading onto a background of yellow petals.
‘Regeneration’ is a jonquil type hybrid that has lemon yellow petals, a creamy center, and a creamy white corona.
Each stem bears three to five flowers, and stems can reach between 12 to 26 inches in height.
‘Regeneration’ bulbs are available in packets of ten at Burpee.
14. Smiling Maestro
When this maestro stands up, everyone will give its bright flowers their full attention.
‘Smiling Maestro’ is a large-cupped hybrid daffodil that has rich yellow petals and a striking reddish-orange corona.
Flowers are large, reaching four to five inches wide, posed on top of tall stems that reach 20 to 22 inches in height and bloom in mid-spring.
You can purchase ‘Smiling Maestro’ bulbs in bags of ten from Burpee.
15. Thalia
‘Thalia’ is a cultivar of N. triandrus, a species commonly called “Angel’s Tears.” Perhaps the angels are crying with joy because they’re just as happy at the return of spring as we are.
This heirloom variety has bright white petals and bright white cups, with two to four flowers per 14 to 20-inch stem.
‘Thalia’ will bloom in mid- to late spring.
You can purchase ‘Thalia’ bulbs in packs of 10 at Burpee.
Daffy for Daffodils
I don’t know about you, but after this deep dive into the eye-catching attributes of these varieties, I’m feeling a bit giddy and want to plant enough drifts to include them all.
I’ll admit, though, I have a particular penchant for those with pink tones, and those are the ones that will find a home in my soil this fall.
Don’t forget to check out our full guide to growing daffodils to learn more, then grab your gardening journal and start planning!
Which daffodil cultivars have turned your head? Let me know in the comments below.
If you enjoy learning about growing daffodils, I’ll bet you enjoy these articles too:
- 7 Reasons Why Daffodil Foliage Turns Yellow
- How to Divide and Transplant Daffodil Bulbs
- How and When to Fertilize Daffodils
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When evaluating naturalized daffodils you need to imagine seeing a mass of the flowers from a distance. A pale flower with a pale pink or salmon colored corona will not pop. A bright yellow petal and corona is great, and the flower must be large, otherwise it looks like a buttercup. A deep red-orange corona is very good. These should be tall with strong stems. White is sweet, especially ivory or just a shade off pure white. Some, but not all of your suggestions satisfy.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for weighing in with your thoughts. This is a very good point! If the naturalized area is meant to be enjoyed from a distance, colors that pop, as you say, may work best. However, some of us may be enjoying our plantings from a closer angle, and may enjoy mellower color combinations.