Daffodils are easy to grow with minimal care. Nurture the bulbs in your yard or flower garden by correct fertilizing, mulching, deadheading and division.
At planting, a daffodil is a preprogrammed, self contained flower machine ready to grow and bloom so flowering the first year is virtually guaranteed, assuming you planted it in a suitable location with ample sun and well drained soil. (If you are just starting with daffodils, see How To Plant Daffodil Bulbs.) After that, daffodils are usually long lived and require little care. These are some of the best low maintenance flowers you can grow. Follow this easy guide to ongoing care and maintenance of daffodils (also called jonquil or narcissus) for years of enjoyment and flowers from your daffodil bulbs.
Most Important: Care of Daffodil Foliage
The daffodil bulb renews itself through its foliage each year. After flowering, the foliage must be allowed to grow and mature and die back. The foliage is a nice green at first, continues to elongate, and then turns yellow and finally turns brown, falls over and dries up. This process is critical for the bulb’s ongoing health and blooming ability and it can look a little ugly.
If you remove the foliage prematurely, the bulb will suffer and blooming will decrease or cease altogether. So wait until the foliage is about half yellowed (or more) before you remove it. Do not braid the foliage as this reduces the surface area exposed to the sun light -- and is a lot of work, too.
It is not at all necessary to remove the dying foliage; you may leave it in place and allow it to complete its full cycle and serve as a bit of mulch. For me, browning daffodil foliage is a natural seasonal event and a fair repayment for the blooms I enjoy so much, so it doesn’t bother me to watch it.
For suggestions on how to hide the fading daffodil foliage with companion plants see Daffodil Planting Tips .
Fertilizer, Compost and Mulch for Daffodils
If your bulbs are planted in reasonably good soil or in a flower bed you may not need to fertilize them. However, you can top dress (sprinkle on the soil surface) with a bit of complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 or bulb fertilizer in early fall (when they are rooting) and very early spring (as they begin to emerge from the soil) if you wish.
You can certainly top dress with compost once or twice a year. Spreading organic mulch if they are in a bed, or mowing with a mulching mower blade if they are in a lawn, or allowing fallen leaves to stay in place if they are in the woods, also helps to feed the soil and keep the bulbs healthy.
Bulbs in a flower bed can be mulched in the fall. Apply mulch about three inches thick after several hard freezes have occurred. Waiting discourages rodents from nesting in the mulch. The mulch will help keep the soil temperature steady and minimize freeze/thaw effects.
When to Divide and Transplant: Why Daffodils Stop Blooming or Flower Less
Eventually your daffodil bulbs may become crowded and flower less as a result. You can lift and divide the bulbs in early summer as the foliage goes dormant. At that point you can replant the bulbs in their new location or you can store them in a dry and airy place for the summer and replant them in the fall. Larger bulbs will bloom better than small ones, but replant all of them. Small ones will bulk up and bloom in another year or two.
Your daffodils may bloom poorly if they are in a shady location. Sometimes nearby trees grow over time and shade a spot that was sunny back when the bulbs were planted. Transplanting to a sunnier spot will help. Give the bulbs a year or two to settle into their new location before blooming.
Deadheading and Self Seeding Daffodils
Deadheading means removing the flowers when they wilt and fade. Prompt deadheading can help the bulbs gain strength and produce bigger blooms the following year. If you do not deadhead, the plant uses some of its energy for producing seed rather than for rebuilding the bulb. This means blooms will be smaller next year. You may deadhead if you wish, it is not absolutely required.
If you are trying to naturalize your bulbs, skip the deadheading. The resulting seedlings help spread and increase your bulb planting. Depending on the growing conditions, it can take a few years for the seedlings to reach blooming size. You might opt to deadhead in alternating years to give the bulbs a boost while still encouraging some seeding. Whether or not to deadhead is a personal preference.
For More Information on Planting and Growing Daffodils, See
Copyright October 28 2006 Barbara Martin All Rights Reserved
The copyright of the article Daffodil Care in Flower Gardens is owned by Barbara M. Martin. Permission to republish Daffodil Care must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Nov 28, 2006 6:18 PM
Barbara Nicholson Bell
:
A local community center in one of our poorer neighborhoods gives away free daffodil bulbs every autumn to anyone who wants them, provided they are planted for the enjoyment of everyone. This year the nearby elementary school received about 1000 bulbs and the children planted them around the building. It will be a glorious sight next spring to see them bloom!
Nov 29, 2006 6:25 PM
Barbara M. Martin
:
What a terrific garden give-away! I am the biggest daffodil fan, there are NEVER too many daffodils in the spring. I love this idea.
Sometimes parks or municipal gardens will give away bulbs in the spring after they bloom, when they dig up the bulbs and plant annuals for the summer. (Then they plant brand new bulbs every fall.) A gardening friend of mine had tulips in every color of the rainbow by bringing home gobs of these freebies.
Any more ideas for free bulbs or ideas for community bulb planting?
May 8, 2007 1:52 PM
Patricia Chelius
:
I saw the messages about communities giving away bulbs after they bloom in the spring. What is the proper way to handle them? Can they be replanted right away?
May 8, 2007 2:06 PM
Barbara M. Martin
:
By the time they have been dug and set out for pick up I think it is probably better to hold them until fall for planting --unless they are very fresh. Air dry the bulbs for a few days before storing. Let the foliage dry up naturally, then remove it. Toss out any that have been badly scraped or bruised. Set them in a single layer with air space between them, in a closed paper bag or cardboard box (not plastic, too humid inside) or on a shelf in a dark place. It should be cool room temperature, maybe in a garage or shed. Check on them during summer and remove any that show signs of rot or mold. Also, protect them from rodents. (Daffodils will be okay but other bulbs are sometimes eaten.) Plant at regular bulb planting time in the fall. Having said that, I have been given daffodils that were pulled from the ground leaves and all and dumped in a paper grocery bag. They were eventually delivered all wilty after being in the bag for a day or two -- my husband brought them home from someone at the office, you know how these things go. I planted them "as is" and let the foliage cure. They were fine but they did not bloom until the second year. They were gorgeous, the original person didn't want them because they had stopped blooming --- they were just too crowded, nothing really wrong with them. I was delighted!
My caveat about planting them in the spring is the planting spot should be one that is not watered during the summer. That way they can cure and dry and rest with less danger of rotting.
May 8, 2007 2:11 PM
Patricia Chelius
:
Thank you for the response. I want to move some in my yard and don't want to wait. I think I'll move them now. It is a glorious day here in PA.
May 8, 2007 2:18 PM
Barbara M. Martin
:
If they are in your yard, you can move them essentially risk free --- dig with root ball intact and replant immediately, water to settle the soil They will not know they have been moved. Basically it is transplanting.
If you want to divide clumps, if you can, wait until the foliage has died back then move them or lift them. Dividing tends to set them back, this way at least they get the benefit of whatever foliage they do have for the year.
May 9, 2007 6:48 PM
Kate Copsey
:
curiousmom At the risk of offending Barb by answering: Flowering spring bulbs such as daffodils should not be dug up and divided the minute they finish blooming. Ideally you will let the foliage mature and turn brown. Unfortunately in public gardens this is not allowed to happen (aesthetics trump good growing practices). If you do get a bulb when it still has some green left,plant it as soon as you can so that it can maximize the time in the ground and hopefully give you a decent flower next yr. Kate
May 10, 2007 8:56 AM
Barbara M. Martin
:
Kate you are welcome to speak up any time. In my experience, there is usually a time lag by the time they are dug and distributed. If the roots have already dried out on the discard plants, in my mind there is no point in replanting them right away. But I would still leave the foliage intact until it dries up. Of course, that is NOT the ideal way to handle them!
If the question is, move it or lose it, I almost always say move it and give it a try.
If the question is, can I transplant? I say yes, if you dig a soil rootball and replant immediately. This is not the same thing as digging and dividing and having bare bulbs to work from. I have moved individual daffodils and "sods" of many minor bulbs "in the green" this way.
In my experience dividing always knocks all the soil off, so you have bare bulbs at that point. If the question is, can I dig and divide and replant while the foliage is still green, I say yes, you can do that, but it is not ideal.
If the question is, when is the best time? Then do what you said.
Sorry if my answer was not clear.
Jun 17, 2007 1:59 PM
linseyann1
:
any idea who would give free bulbs in colorado? i cant find Daffodils anywhere :( and i would love to have a Daffodil garden!!!
Jun 17, 2007 5:09 PM
Barbara M. Martin
:
Nooooooooo, sorry, I don't know anywhere to get free bulbs in Colorado. It is probably a bit late to be looking for them in June, but you could ask around at your county extension, garden club, parks, and so on and see if anyone knows of a place that usually does this. Then be ready next year!
But, daffodil bulbs are usually sold in the fall for fall planting. Keep your eyes open for sales! Or, you might look into early ordering from the bulb catalogs. They often have good prices (especially if you want a lot) and some offer an early-order discount.
