Daffodil Companion Plants

Annuals

• Pansies, snapdragons and stocks are annual plants that prefer growing during the cooler days of spring when the daffodils are at their peak. These plants will tolerate light frosts, such as those that occur in late spring. Fall is the best time to plant pansies but if you did not get them planted then, go ahead and plant some in the spring. Fall-planted pansies will bloom on and off from the time they are planted until late spring or early summer, when the temperatures get too hot. Snapdragons and stocks are spring-planted annuals. An annual plant is one that grows, flowers, sets seed and dies in one growing season.

Bulbs

• Bulbs are a natural choice for planting with daffodils. Daylilies, grape hyacinths, tulips and peonies are ideal companion plants. By selecting the right varieties, it is possible to get the daffodils, grape hyacinth and tulips to bloom in unison, which can create quite a sight in the spring garden. Daylilies and peonies are good choices because their foliage will hide the dying daffodil foliage. Daylilies bloom during the summer and peonies in the late spring. It is possible by choosing late blooming varieties of daffodils and early blooming varieties of peonies to get these two plants to bloom at the same time.

Perennials

• Viola, penstemon, hellebore, hosta, forget-me-nots, yarrow, ferns and astilbe are just a few of the numerous perennial plants that make good companions for daffodils. Viola, hellebores and forget-me-nots will often bloom at the same time as the daffodils but, again, this depends on the exact varieties you choose. The purple foliage of penstemon contrasts nicely with yellow daffodils. The foliage of yarrow, ferns and astilbe create textural contrast. Hosta is an ideal choice for daffodils grown in the shade because the foliage of the hosta will hide the dying daffodil foliage. A perennial is a plant that comes back from its own root system year after year in the garden.

Shrubs

• Daffodils look good planted with shrubs such as daphne, flowering almond, forsythia and hibiscus. Depending on the layout of the garden, plant the daffodils around the shrubs or use the shrubs as a backdrop. Daphne, flowering almond and forsythia bloom around the same time that daffodils do. White or pink daffodils planted around forsythia look best, since yellow daffodils will blend in with the yellow forsythia flowers. Select pink or yellow daffodils to grow in combination with daphnes that have variegated foliage. Hibiscus is a summer bloomer and best used to hide the dying daffodil foliage.