Lighten heavy clay soils with sand or Perlite spaded into the bed. Soil should be free of tree and shrub roots. Daffodils, like most perennials, do not do well with root competition from trees or shrubs. A well-prepared bed pays dividends for years to come with bigger flowers and bigger bulbs. Daffodil foliage should not be cut or braided as this reduces the ability of the plant to produce and store energy for next year's growth and flowering.
All daffodils do well with morning sun, then partial shade or dappled shade the rest of the day.
The early-blooming varieties also do well with full sun all day. Heat and intense sun late in the blooming season cause flowers to fade sooner. For maximum flowering, daffodils should be watered deeply once a week from the time the foliage breaks ground in early spring until the blooms have faded. After that they can be ignored. Daffodils will rot if soil is not well drained.