Northwest Blooms · Bulbs
Narcissus 'Actaea'
Poet's Daffodil
- Family
- Amaryllidaceae
- Height
- 14 to 18 in
- Flower color
- Pure white petals with a small golden-yellow cup edged in red to orange-red
- Foliage color
- Blue-green to medium green, narrow strap-shaped leaves
- Bloom time
- Mid to late spring
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low, remove spent flowers to prevent seed formation, allow foliage to yellow and die back naturally before removal
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 3 to 8
- Wildlife
- Occasional visits from bees and other spring pollinators
About this plant
Narcissus 'Actaea' bears crisp white flowers with a small, flattened cup edged in soft red, creating a refined look in spring gardens. Slender, blue-green foliage forms neat clumps that stay attractive through the bloom season, supporting graceful stems that hold each blossom upright. The overall effect is clean and classic, making this long-lived variety a dependable presence in seasonal displays.
This poeticus-type daffodil blooms in mid to late spring with single, open-faced flowers well suited for borders, cutting gardens, naturalized meadows, and woodland edges. Developed in Europe during the nineteenth century, it remains a favorite for mass plantings where performance brings continuity to spring displays.
Works well in
Borders · Cottage Gardens · Under Trees · Woodland Gardens · Containers
Companion plants
Hostas · Ferns · Creeping phlox · Columbines · Lungworts · Daylilies
Design tip
The early flowers arrive when the garden is still waking up, so give it a spot you pass often in spring. Drift them in uneven groups for a natural look, and interplant with perennials that fill the gap after the leaves die back.
