The Perfect Pair: Daffodils and Hostas
Daffodils blooming means spring has arrived and warmer days are ahead! I love seeing their bright yellow, orange and white blossoms popping up all over my garden and landscape. Unfortunately, daffodil foliage that hangs around too long is not what I wanted to see in my garden, so I needed a solution!
Daffodils and Hostas Are Perfect Partners
It’s important to let the daffodil foliage die back naturally because the bulb needs to build up food reserves to multiply and build up more flowers for the following year. Unfortunately, I don’t like the way that looks in my garden.
So a couple of years ago I planted daffodils in with the hostas along my walkway in the hopes that the hosta foliage would hide the dead daffodil foliage.
In mid-spring when the daffodils were at peak bloom, the hostas were just starting to unfurl their leaves. As the season progressed, the daffodil flowers faded and the hosta leaves got bigger. They overpowered the spent flower heads, yet allowed the daffodil foliage to continue growing and feeding the bulbs. I was so happy with the results!
By late spring, the hostas had completely filled out. When it came time for Allium Globemaster to bloom, the unsightly, faded daffodil foliage was completely hidden. The best part? I only had to clean up the garden once in late fall. Any dead daffodil foliage was raked up along with the hosta leaves.
If you love simple solutions in the garden, I recommend planting daffodils and hostas together. They’re better together!
I love this idea! I saw daffodils planted almost directly underneath hostas, and the outcome was amazing! I have yet to try this in my garden. Thank you for the inspiration!
Great! Happy gardening.
I’m actually doing this as we speak. I wanted a plant that would pair well with my hostas and for some reason instinctively picked the two to try. Glad I found this article
After a while do the daffodils die out? My hostas like to take over.
Hi – The daffodils should be able to come up, flower and begin to die back before the hostas are fully leafed out. Some hostas do get very large and it’s possible that they could eventually overtake the daffodils.
What is the specific variety of hostas that you used? I like their mint green color.
Hi Michaella – If I can track down the variety I’ll add it below.
I have a small hosta variety ‘Twilight’ which I plan to plant within tree rings around my Crepe Myrtles. I’ve already planted a few pink daffodils within these rings. This way I will have daffodil blooms, then pale purple hosta flowers-which will continue past the July-August pink blooms of the Crepe Myrtles.
sounds lovely!
I am so gonna do this this week! Thank you for the photos to give me better idea! Did you plant your Hosta from rhizome or you get the plant? I have 3 now but they remain so small, and sadly became bunnies and Slugs’s late night meals…they can’t even cover any of my dying daffodils…so I need to find solutions for that. Your Hostas looks tall too! Is that what I should look for? They are also gonna be under my Japanese maple tree….
Thank you!
Hi – there are thousands of hosta varieties to choose from, ranging in height from 4-inches tall to 4-feet tall. So do some research and choose varieties with the leaf color and overall size that will work best in your garden. You can plant hostas as bare root plants or as potted plants. You may also find local gardeners who are willing to give you some divisions. Unfortunately, slugs, rabbits and deer all like to eat hostas. Shop for varieties that have thicker leaves as they will be more resistant to damage. Many gardeners find that slug bait and scent deterrents are effective as long as you reapply as needed. Enjoy!
Your idea looks amazing for what I had in mind. How apart did you plant your daffodils, hostas and alliums? Did you plant them randomly or did you have a pattern? I’m new in this hobby and I have a whole back and front yard to landscape. This idea of yours would look awesome along my walkways in the front yard. Thanks!
Hi – Most flower bulbs (including daffodils and alliums) look best when they are planted in groups of 3 or 5 or 9 of the same type of bulb. Use the recommended spacing for the type of bulb you are planting. Plant as many of these groups as you can manage. You may want to plan on doing some each year. For hostas, the spacing needs to be based on the size of the mature plant. Some cultivars are only 12″ high and 12″ wide at maturity, while other can be 3-4 feet tall and even wider.
My hostas are mature in containers, when the hosta has died down, will I be able to plant daffodil bulbs or do you have to plant them together.
Hi – You can add the bulbs to the container this fall as long as there’s enough room to bury the bulbs 5-6″ deep. I’d recommend a relatively compact variety such as Tete a Tete. They are long-blooming and very reliable.