Daffodils
A beautiful, hardy flower.
The beautiful blooms of daffodils are a wonderful sign of spring—but do you know how to properly care for them?
Daffodils are a hardy and easy perennial that grows in most regions of North America, except in the hottest, wettest areas, such as South Florida. Few flowers are as cheerful as the yellow daffodil in mid-spring, and their unique shape trumpets the arrival of warmer weather like no other bloom can. Daffodils come in a variety of sizes and colors, and some have a light, sweet scent that is especially welcome in window boxes or near well-trodden garden path.
Growing Tips:
- Plant daffodil bulbs in the fall—about 2 to 4 weeks before the ground freezes. Check when to expect frost in your area!
- Select a site that offers full sun or partial sun, at the least. Daffodils will bloom best when given adequate exposure to early spring sunshine!
- Plant bulbs 1-½ to 5 times their own depth. Where winters are severe, make sure there are at least 3 inches of soil covering the bulb.
- Apply a low-nitrogen, high-potash (potassium) fertilizer after flowering if bulbs are not performing as desired.
- After daffodils bloom in the spring, allow the plants to grow until they die off. Do NOT cut down earlier. They need time after blooming to store energy in the bulbs for next year’s bloom.
- Once daffodils and tulips have gone by, add bonemeal to the soil for next year’s blooms.
Want tips on preparing your soil?
Do you know what to do when your soil is poor in nutrients?
More about the flower:
- Daffodils are both deer-resistant and rodent-proof, as these animals do not like the taste of the bulbs in the Narcissus family.
- Daffodils can also be toxic to pets, so make sure your animals don’t munch on them.
- The most common problems include large narcissus bulb fly, bulb scale mite, narcissus nematode, slugs, narcissus basal rot and other fungal infections, and viruses.
- When cut, daffodils should be kept alone in a vase, as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes the wilting of other flowers. If you must combine them, soak them by themselves for as long as possible, then rinse them and add them to the arrangement last.
Want to learn more? Check out the Wikipedia!
Coded by Brittany Rossi