Where an ordinary daffodil shows a single trumpet, these blooms pack petal upon petal, in every shade of yellow as well as ivory cream, white and orange. Double-flowered daffodils (Narcissus) are perennial bulbs that return unaided: plant them in autumn and they will fill the border with April flowers.
Plant in fall, you’ll get tantalizing sensations when it blooms in spring.
Double daffodils are daffodils with many more petals than the usual.
Due to rare natural changes, petals appear instead of other plant parts: pistils, sepals…
Daffodil in spring
The corolla fills with petals, nothing else
This, a daffodil? Yes, it is! And it boasts double flowers, which means – logically! – twice as much pleasure! Double-flowered daffodils are true spring flowers and they’ll lead you to feel true happiness when they bloom in April. What makes this flower so special is that the corolla has several petals, to the point that the entire flower is pure petal goodness!
Double daffodils exist in all the possible shades of yellow, and also in ivory cream, white, orange and any combination of these you can imagine. And did you know they were perennials? They’ll come back all on their own next year!
Double daffodil varieties
Some varieties of double-flowered daffodil are much easier to find than others. This is due to how many bulbs are already in circulation.
Easy-to-find varieties:
Double-daffodils that are abundant and easy to find are the following:
‘Replete’ and ‘Abba’ are among the easiest to find
‘Replete’,
‘Abba’,
‘Ice King’
‘Tahiti’ (shown in the main picture at top)
‘Golden Ducat’
and ‘Rip van Winkle’
The ‘Bridal Crown’ double-flowered daffodil is mostly used as a potted bulb flower? You can bring it indoors instead of having to plant it in the garden.
Harder-to-find double daffodils:
Some of these strange daffodils are truly difficult to get your hands on, but they’re beautiful!
Anne Frank, a white and orange daffodil
‘Camellia’ daffodil, that has flowers similar to those of the camellia shrub
‘Double Campernelle’, rich yellow blooms just like a small rose
Which double daffodil to choose?
Some double-flowered daffodils are sold everywhere, while others are collectors’ finds. This table sorts the varieties named above by how easily you will track a bulb down and by what each one brings to the border or the pot.
Which double daffodil to choose?
Variety
How easy to find
What it’s known for
‘Replete’
Easy – plenty of bulbs in circulation
Abundant double-flowered daffodil
‘Abba’
Easy – plenty of bulbs in circulation
Abundant double-flowered daffodil
‘Ice King’
Easy – plenty of bulbs in circulation
Abundant double-flowered daffodil
‘Tahiti’
Easy – plenty of bulbs in circulation
The bloom shown in the article’s main picture
‘Golden Ducat’
Easy – plenty of bulbs in circulation
Abundant double-flowered daffodil
‘Bridal Crown’
Easy to find
Grown as a potted bulb flower
Anne Frank
Hard to find
White and orange flowers
‘Camellia’
Hard to find
Flowers resembling those of the camellia shrub
‘Double Campernelle’
Hard to find
Rich yellow blooms like a small rose
Whichever you pick, all of them are perennial and will come back on their own the following year.
Ah, Narcissus is in Love!
Where does the Narcissus name come from? It’s actually a dramatic episode in ancient Greek mythology:
Shades run from deep yellow to ivory cream
When the handsome youth Narcissus saw his own reflection in a pond, he fell insanely in love with his own reflection. And since every time he tried to touch his mirror-self, it wavered and disappeared, and he slowly withered away as he longingly sighed after himself. His body disappeared, but what was left was a beautiful yellow flower, the daffodil.
To this day, the flower commemorates this event through its symbolic name: Narcissus. This year, double daffs are all the rage, since this prize bulb won several prizes in shows!
