Carlton Daffodil Bulbs

Light Needs

Part Sun to Full Sun

(5+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

18 in.

Mature Spread

4-6 in.

Growing Zones

3 to 9

Carlton Daffodil Bulbs produce broad golden-yellow flowers with softly overlapping petals surrounding a wide, frilled cup. Blooms carry a light vanilla fragrance that becomes especially noticeable when several bulbs flower together in mid spring. Narcissus 'Carlton' stands about 18 inches tall. Each order includes 15 dormant 12-14 cm bulbs that can develop into increasingly substantial clumps as offsets form underground. 

Introduced in 1927, Carlton is an heirloom large-cupped daffodil with a long record of dependable garden performance. It is hardy in USDA zones 3-9 and perennializes readily in suitable ground, forming drifts along woodland margins, perennial beds, slopes, and large landscape plantings. The flowers are good for cutting, and the bulbs can also be chilled and forced in containers for an earlier indoor display. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, and voles usually avoid narcissus because the plant contains toxic alkaloids.

Carlton Daffodil Bulbs Care

Plant Carlton Daffodil Bulbs in fall once temperatures have cooled, ideally 4 to 6 weeks before the ground freezes, setting each bulb about 6 inches deep with the pointed tip facing upward. Full sun coaxes the heaviest flowering, but partial shade can work if plants still receive ample light during and after bloom. Grow them in moderately fertile, freely draining soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH near 6.0 to 7.0, keeping bulbs out of depressions where winter water collects.

After planting, soak the bed thoroughly so soil settles around the root plate, then allow rainfall to supply most of the moisture in fall unless the ground becomes dry. Once leaves emerge in spring, water during dry periods until flowering is finished and the foliage begins to lose its green color and enter summer dormancy. Feed in fall while new roots are developing with a low-nitrogen bulb fertilizer, or make the application in early spring as shoots first appear. A shallow mulch layer applied after cold weather arrives can help keep winter soil temperatures more stable.

Clip off finished flowers before seed develops and leave the stems and leaves to complete their work for about eight weeks after bloom; avoid tying, braiding, mowing, or removing the leaves prematurely. When an older colony becomes densely packed and flowering begins to decrease, lift and separate the bulbs after the foliage has withered, then replant the firm bulbs at the proper depth.

Carlton Daffodil Bulbs Spacing

Set bulbs about 4 to 6 inches apart for garden displays, allowing additional room between groups when establishing a naturalized planting that can expand over the years. For container growing, choose a pot at least 10 to 12 inches deep with ample drainage and enough width to hold several bulbs with a few inches between them. Potted Carlton daffodils need winter chilling outdoors or in a cold protected location, and containers in the coldest zones benefit from insulation against repeated hard freezes.

Carlton Daffodil Bulbs Companion Plants

Daylilies work well around established Carlton clumps because their expanding leaves take over the same garden area as daffodil foliage begins to yellow later in spring. Flowering quince can provide a woody background for a naturalized planting, pairing its early-season flowers with the yellow daffodils and leaving open ground around the bulbs for continued multiplication. Pansies make compatible container companions during the cool flowering season, covering the soil surface beneath the taller daffodil stems while sharing similar spring moisture needs. 

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