Narcissus 'Best Friend' (3) | daffodil 'Best Friend'

RHS

Bulbs

A small-cupped daffodil, 32-67cm high, with grey-green leaves, and downward-facing flowers, about 10cm across, composed of light yellow perianth segments and bowl-shaped, darker yellow coronas with orange rims, in mid-spring

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure: Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H6

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Amaryllidaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming
Potentially harmful: Harmful if eatenskin irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets (dogs, cats, tortoises): Harmful if eatenskin irritant. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Genus: Narcissus are bulbous herbaceous perennials with linear leaves and leafless stems bearing flowers, which may be solitary or in umbels, with 6 spreading perianth segments and a cup or trumpet-shaped corona
Name Status: Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: Small-cupped daffodils have solitary flowers with the cup one-third the length of the perianth segments, or less, usually flowering in early and mid-spring

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant bulbs in autumn, in moist but well-drained soil, 16cm apart, and at one-and-a-half times their own depth, slightly deeper in light soils and in grass, in full sun or light dappled shade; for more advice, see daffodil cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division: separate and replant offsets as the leaves fade in early summer, or in early autumn before new roots are produced

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Low Maintenance
Cut flowers
Flower borders and beds
Banks and slopes
Underplanting of roses and shrubs

Pruning

Deadhead as the flowers fade, but allow the leaves to die down naturally

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, snails, large narcissus bulb fly, narcissus eelworm, and pollen beetles

Diseases

May be susceptible to narcissus basal rot, narcissus leaf scorch, narcissus smoulder, tulip grey bulb rot, other fungal diseases, narcissus yellow stripe virus, and other virus diseases