Double daffodil (Narcissus 'Tahiti')
Narcissus 'Tahiti' is a showy Double daffodil featuring yellow petals and orange-red cup, thriving in Zones 4-8.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ offers a spectacular display, standing out among spring bloomers with its bold, multi-layered coloration. This variety is classified as a Double daffodil (Division IV), meaning its structure is far more complex than the classic trumpet form. Gardeners prize this bulb for the vibrant contrast of bright yellow perianth segments against shorter, intense red-orange interior segments.
As a reliable spring-flowering bulb, Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ effortlessly enhances borders and beds, emerging reliably after the winter chill. It provides essential early-season color when few other perennials are active. This low-maintenance variety is favored for its ability to naturalize, reliably returning year after year to brighten the landscape.
Planting these bulbs in early to mid-fall ensures they establish a strong root system before winter. Once established, these hardy perennials offer excellent value, requiring minimal intervention while delivering maximum visual impact each April, making the Double daffodil a core element of any spring bulb collection.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Amaryllidaceae
- Plant Type: Bulb
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-8
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 1-1.5 ft
- Spread: 0.75-1 ft
- Bloom Time: April
- Bloom Description: Yellow and orange-red (double)
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Medium
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
The ideal time to plant Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ bulbs is in the early to mid-fall season. Select locations that offer full sun to dappled part shade, ensuring the area receives ample light to support strong flowering. Good soil drainage is paramount; this bulb thrives in average, medium-moisture, well-drained soils, performing best in organically rich loams. Avoid overly wet spots, as poor drainage leads quickly to bulb rot.
When planting, ensure each bulb is placed 2 to 3 times as deep as the bulb is tall, creating at least 3 inches of soil cover above the top. Spacing should range from 4 to 10 inches apart, depending on the bulb size, allowing space for the clumps to fill in over time. The foliage must be left completely intact after flowering; do not cut it back until it naturally yellows. This allows the leaves to gather energy needed to fuel next year’s spectacular bloom for your Double daffodil.
During the active growing season, aim to keep soils uniformly moist. While the plant tolerates drought once dormant, consistent moisture during spring growth is beneficial. Deadhead spent flower stems by removing the top portion to prevent seed formation, but otherwise, this hardy plant requires very little fuss. Clumps of Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ can remain undisturbed for years; however, if bloom quantity wanes, divide the clump just after the foliage dies back.
Landscape Uses
Daffodils are unparalleled as reliable, multi-year performers, making them superior landscape investments compared to many annual bedding plants. Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ is ideally situated in large sweeping drifts or massed plantings rather than solitary placement, as quantity enhances their dramatic visual effect. They are superb for planting at the front of borders, tucked into woodland clearings, or utilized in layered beds against evergreen shrubbery.
Because the foliage yellows and fades after blooming, strategically site these bulbs where summer bloomers or groundcovers can eventually fill the visual gap. They mix wonderfully with other early spring bulbs like Muscari or early tulips, extending the season of interest. Furthermore, Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ is excellent for naturalizing in lawns, provided you commit to delaying mowing until the foliage has fully yellowed in late spring.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Narcissus is a genus of about 50 species of bulbous perennials from Europe and North Africa. They are a mainstay of the spring garden. Depending upon species or hybrid type, flowers appear singly or in clusters atop stems rising from 6-30” tall. Flowers generally feature a trumpet or cup (the corona) surrounded by six petals (perianth segments), in colors ranging from white to yellow to orange to pink to bicolors. Flowers are sometimes fragrant. Flowers bloom in early spring. Narrow, linear to strap-shaped, green leaves appear in erect to sprawling clumps. Cultivated daffodils have been organized into 13 divisions based on the characteristics of the blooms.Genus name honors a beautiful youth who became so entranced with his own reflection that he pined away and the gods turned him into this flower.‘Tahiti’ is a double daffodil (Division IV). A double daffodil features a double flower in which the corona (cup) and/or the perianth segments (petals) are doubled. ‘Tahiti’ rises 12-14” tall in spring. Each double flower (4 1/2” across) features blooms with yellow perianth segments and shorter red-orange corona segments in the center. Blooms in midseason (April in St. Louis). Narrow, strap-shaped green leaves in clumps
Tolerances
- Rabbit
- Deer
- Drought
Potential Problems
Daffodils, including the spectacular Narcissus ‘Tahiti’, are generally known for being almost pest-free when planted in the right conditions. The most significant threat comes from improper site selection; bulb rot is a common issue resulting from planting in poorly-drained soils. Ensure excellent drainage before planting.
Infrequent pests might include slugs and snails, which thrive in damp conditions, or occasionally the narcissus bulb fly. For viral concerns, Narcissus yellow stripe virus is an infrequent possibility that may cause discoloration. If pests become an issue, cultural management, such as improving soil aeration and ensuring prompt cleanup of dead foliage, is usually more effective than chemical controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Double daffodil suitable for?
Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ is best suited for gardeners residing in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 8.
How large does Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ grow?
This variety typically reaches a mature height between 1 and 1.5 feet tall, with a spread between 0.75 and 1 foot wide.
When does Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ bloom?
These distinctive flowers open in April, providing mid-season color described as yellow and orange-red double blooms.
What sun exposure does Double daffodil need?
Planting in full sun to part shade allows optimal performance, though ensure any shade is positioned toward the rear of the planting to encourage flowers to face the sun.
Conclusion
The Double daffodil, Narcissus ‘Tahiti’, provides unmatched early spring drama with its textured, bicolored blooms, establishing itself as a low-maintenance garden superstar. Their reliable perennial nature and resilience against common garden pests like rabbits and deer make them an excellent choice for lasting spring color. Before the first frost approaches, ensure you plant your Narcissus ‘Tahiti’ bulbs at the correct depth in well-drained soil for a stunning revival next April.
Companion Planting
When planning spring displays around your Narcissus ‘Tahiti’, focus on plants that complement the early bloom time and whose foliage emerges slightly later. Pairing early-blooming tulips, grape hyacinths (Muscari), or Scilla provides a fantastic textural backdrop. Consider planting early-season perennials like Hosta or early Iris behind the daffodils; as the daffodil foliage yellows, the foliage of these summer stars will emerge to mask the decline.
Another excellent strategy involves using contrasting foliage. Blue-leafed plants, such as creeping sedum varieties that emerge early, offer a fantastic cool contrast to the warm yellow and orange hues of the ‘Tahiti’ bloom. Since daffodils naturalize well, ensure any companions you choose are robust enough to handle root competition over successive years without becoming overly aggressive.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Spring care for the Double daffodil revolves around foliage management. Once the striking yellow and orange-red flowers fade, resist the urge to trim the stems. Allow the leaves to photosynthesize and store energy in the bulb, which is crucial for next year’s display of Narcissus ‘Tahiti’. This process takes approximately six weeks after blooming ceases.
In late spring or early summer, once the foliage has completely yellowed or browned naturally, you can then cut the leaves back completely. Fall planting is the critical step; plant bulbs after they have been chilled, generally aiming for early to mid-fall planting time. Minimal summer watering is needed unless you are experiencing an extreme drought, as the dormant bulbs prefer dryness.
