Best daffodil cultivars by bloom time (early, mid, late)

I've planted daffodils at my Long Island house for eight consecutive falls -- a few hundred bulbs total, scattered through the beds along the front walk and into the lawn edges. The reason to use daffodils in deer-pressure gardens is simple: deer don't eat them. Per the American Daffodil Society,.

I've planted daffodils at my Long Island house for eight consecutive falls — a few hundred bulbs total, scattered through the beds along the front walk and into the lawn edges. The reason to use daffodils in deer-pressure gardens is simple: deer don't eat them. Per the American Daffodil Society, all parts of Narcissus contain lycorine and calcium oxalate crystals that are toxic and unpalatable to deer, squirrels, and most other mammals. In a garden where hostas and tulips get eaten routinely, daffodils perform consistently every year.

Understanding daffodil classification

Per NC State Extension, the Royal Horticultural Society divides daffodils into 13 divisions based on flower form. The most useful divisions for home gardeners:

• Division 1 (Trumpet): single flower per stem; trumpet = or > petal length. Classic 'King Alfred' type.
• Division 2 (Large-cupped): single flower; cup more than 1/3 but less than = petal length.
• Division 5 (Triandrus): drooping flowers, 2—6 per stem; includes 'Thalia'.
• Division 6 (Cyclamineus): strongly reflexed petals; includes 'Jetfire', 'Tête-à-Tête'.
• Division 8 (Tazetta): 4—8 fragrant flowers per stem; includes 'Avalanche', 'Minnow'.
• Division 9 (Poeticus): white petals, small red-rimmed cup; intensely fragrant; the latest-blooming division.