Gardening Expert Warns People to Never Touch Daffodils — And He Has Convincing Reasons For It

It’s impossible to pass by a garden, or even a bouquet of daffodils, and not admire its beauty. The ornamental flowers, while delicate-seeming, are survival experts in disguise, avid gardener Adam Kirtland, who goes by @viewfromthepottingbench on Instagram, remarked. Founder of the podcast View From The Potting Bench, Kirtland, enlightens people with his deep horticultural knowledge and love for greenery. He also has a significant presence on social media, where his 176,000 followers tune in to listen to his gardening tips and hacks. In a recent video, the expert shared three “wild” facts about daffodils. One of them warned others to never touch a daffodil with bare hands, but people are in disbelief. 

“They’ve got more than a few naughty secrets!” Kirtland quipped in the beginning. While most people may be love-struck by their beauty, he explained that these flowers are packed with toxins which help them survive in the wild. “Animals just won’t touch them because they’re packed with toxins,” the creator said. Hence, daffodils will exist in gardens untouched and fresh. Stressing on the fact that these flowering plants don’t just look good, the gardening expert revealed its “secret medicinal powers” that are used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that affects over 55 million people worldwide, per Alzheimer’s Disease International. 

Kirtland highlighted that daffodils contain a compound called galantamine, which is a key component in the treatment. For the third and final “naughty secret”, he talked about the toxic sap that could potentially make humans and animals sick. “They’ve got seriously sneaky sap,” the gardener added. Physical contact with daffodil sap can cause “serious irritation” on the skin. Besides that, these flowers also give stiff competition to other flowers when packed together. “If you put them in a vase with other flowers, it can make them flop,” the podcaster said of his favorite blooms. In his concluding remarks, the green-thumbed gardener warned people to be careful of getting sap in their hands when handling daffodils. 

“Daffodils have a wild side! Do you love daffs? I’m crazy about them!” Kirtland captioned the post. His daffodil facts attracted quite a lot of attention on the internet as people shared their personal experiences with the flower and its toxicity. One person (@pamanoble) recalled a hilarious memory from her childhood. “My sister put them in a meatloaf when we were kids. She thought they were onions. We were then 6 kids puking in a '57 Chevy running red lights to the hospital. They tasted good, though. Sweeter than onions. I'm 73 now and no alzheimers.” Someone else (@bartssecretgarden) joked about their snails munching on the flowers. “So, for the snails that ate the flowers last year… it was their last supper?” 

A few people were happy that daffodils had medicinal properties, particularly for Alzheimer’s. “I didn't know any of those tips. My mum loved daffodils and she had alzheimers so it's nice to know one of her favourite flowers is helping in the fight against the disease,” wrote @hellyboo1973. Likewise, another internet user (@roof43) admired, “They are the only yellow flower that I like interesting facts about them, love the Alzheimer’s one.” It is worth noting that daffodil bulbs are often mistaken for onions, and there have been incidents that caused food poisoning, nausea, and vomiting in people. Public Health England wrote in a warning letter to major stores about the consumption of daffodil bulbs was an “emerging risk,” per BBC. 

You can follow @viewfromthepottingbench on Instagram for more videos.