While daffodils and jonquils both belong to theNarcissusgenus, theyre different plants with different care requirements.
These plants look best when planted in drifts or groups, but also work beautifully incut flower arrangements.
Even better, most narcissi are naturally pest-resistant, yethighly attractive to pollinatorslike bumblebees and monarch butterflies.
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However, these spring bloomers have slightly different features.
Daffodilsare usually larger than jonquils with bigger flowers that come in an assortment of colors.
Jonquil (L) vs. Daffodil (R)Getty Images
Beyond that, daffodils are particularly cold-hardy and can be grown inUSDA growing zones 3 through 8.
Jonquil blooms are richly fragrant with a hint of a honey-like aroma.
These plants arent as cold-hardy as daffodils and they only grow perennially inUSDA zones 8 and up.
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Which One Is Right for You?
Whether you grow daffodils or jonquils will be heavily influenced by your growing zone.
No, daffodils and jonquils are not the same plant, although they are closely related!
Daffodil flowerKouichi Tsunod / EyeEm / Getty Images
Jonquils and daffodils both below to theNarcissusgenus and they have a similar appearance and growing needs.
No, daffodils will not turn into jonquils.
Daffodils and jonquils are actually two different plants, both within theNarcissusplant genus.
Jonquil flowersThe Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Technically, you could refer to a daffodil as either a daffodil or a narcissus.
Daffodils belong within theNarcissusplant genus, which also includes paperwhites and jonquils.
Put another way, all daffodils are narcissus, but not all narcissus are daffodils!
Daffodil Divisions Using the RHS System of Classification, The American Daffodil Society.
