Every spring, in every
town and every garden, bright yellow daffodil trumpets cheerfully announce that
spring has sprung. Their appearance might seem to be as inevitable as
lengthening days and April showers but actually daffodils will stop flowering
faster than you can say "fluttering and dancing in the breeze" if you don't
treat them right. Mess with daffodils too soon after they've flowered, for
example, and the year after they'll produce nothing but masses of dull green
foliage.
The
dull green foliage is in fact the powerhouse of the daffodil and the source of
its luminous yellow flowers. Never cut it back or move daffodils too soon. If
you do, you will deprive the plants of the nourishment they need to flower next
year. Wait at least six weeks before removing the fading leaves. Fading flowers,
on the other hand, should be removed immediately so that all the plant's energy
is spent replenishing the bulb for next year's display. The yellowing leaves
left behind can look untidy so hide them among other later flowering bulbs.
Another sure way to starve
daffodils of the nutrients they need to flower is to plant them too shallow. In
borders, plant them at a depth of three times their height, and in grass
slightly deeper. Similarly, crowded daffodils are hungry daffodils and hungry
daffodils won't flower. If necessary, divide clumps in late summer and replant
them. That way, after several years a few sparse daffodils will become a golden
drift of flowers, without your having to buy hundreds of bulbs.
Late planting is
another path to flowerless daffodils: they'll need a least a season to recover
their strength. Daffodils should be planted between August and November. Lastly,
watch out for signs of parasites. For example, the larvae of the narcissus bulb
fly will eat their way through the flowers before they've even gotten off the
ground. A good first step to disease-free plants is to buy bulbs that are firm
and healthy. Then plant them as quickly as possible.
Choose varieties that suit
your purpose. For borders and cut flowers, cultivars with big bold flowers,
borne one to a stem work well. They include the popular 'King Alfred', which has
deep yellow flowers and grows to 17 inches and the award-winning 'Tahiti', which
has striking orange and bright red central petals. New cultivars are being bred
all the time, so keep your eye out at your garden center or nursery. A daffodil
breeder's wish list includes sun-resistant color, strong stems, round petals and
leaves that don't obscure the flowers. Plants with these qualities are rewarded
by horticulture and daffodil societies and they will give an excellent display.
Award-winners include 'Mount Hood', which has elegant ivory flowers that fade to
purest white and 'Saint Keverne', which has golden yellow flowers. Most daffodil
cultivars, which are crossbreeds of other daffodils, are easy to grow and
tolerant of most soils and positions, although they usually prefer sunny or
slightly shady well-drained soils.
For naturalizing in
grass, species daffodils work well. They occur naturally in the wild and unlike
hybrid daffodils will grow true from seed. For something different, try Hoop
Petticoat Daffodils (Nacissus Bulbocodium 'Atlas'). Their delicate
petticoat-shaped flowers and spiky glossy dark green leaves look magical in
short grass. They like damp grass that dries out in summer. Plant them in drifts
and plant bulbs deep enough: at twice their height and above one inch of good,
acid, moist compost. Water moderately while the plants are growing but keep them
almost dry while they're dormant. In the summer, harvest seeds and sow them in
late summer or autumn to get even more flowers in a few years.
In pots, miniature
daffodils, with their delicate flowers, work very well. For example, 'Jetfire',
which has golden and tangerine flowers and the popular 'Jack Snipe', which has
dark yellow flowers. To get the most prolific pot display, plant as many bulbs
as possible at different depths. You can also mix daffodils with different
flowering times to prolong the display. This is a good tip for border displays
too. In fact, with one daffodil variety or another flowering from mid December
to April, you could enjoy the uplifting spring glow of daffodil flowers during
winter and summer too.
