Description:
After a long dull winter nothing is more welcome than the sight of drifts of yellow daffodils to herald the arrival of spring. Daffodils are excellent candidates for woodland settings, meadow gardens or rock gardens and grow well in perennial borders, too. Some varieties are suitable for indoor forcing. Daffodils bloom in shades of yellow, orange and white, often with contrasting cups of orange or pink, and in a variety of shapes and sizes. They happily come back year after year with their clumps increasing in size over time. As a bonus, neither deer nor squirrels are interested in eating them.
How to Grow:
Daffodils look best when planted as though they were always there. In fact, successfully naturalized daffodils can bloom for up to 30 or even 50 years. Many gardeners create their drifts by taking handfuls of bulbs and just scattering them, then planting the bulbs where they land. Plant daffodils (with the pointed end up) at least twice as deep as the bulb is high.
Light
Full sun to part shade.
Temperature
Daffodils are hardy from zones 3 to 8. Their roots grow better in cool soil, so plant them when the soil temperature is below 15° C. Typically this coincides with when the trees begin to lose their leaves.
Fertilizer
Mix in some granular bulb food at the time of planting. Fertilize again (use 20-20-20) after flowering.
Watering Needs
Water thoroughly right after planting and keep the soil evenly moist until freeze-up. During the spring growing season, daffodils require about 3 cm of moisture each week. Continue to water regularly until they have finished blooming, and then water the foliage for an additional 3 weeks.
Soil
Plant in well-drained soil. Bulbs rot in wet, soggy conditions. Daffodils prefer slightly acidic soils, so if your soil is very alkaline, add some garden sulphur.
When to Grow
Plant bulbs as early in the fall as possible to give them time to develop a strong root system before the ground freezes.
Tips:
Deadhead flowers when they have finished blooming. Never cut off the foliage until the leaves have turned yellow (usually 6 to 8 weeks after the flowers have finished).
Recommended Varieties:
Trumpet Daffodils
- Arctic Gold (goldenrod yellow)
- Golden Harvest (golden yellow)
- Vie en Rose (white petals with deep pink trumpet).
Small Cup Daffodils
- Barrett Browning (white with orange-red cup)
- Dreamlight (white with white cup, red centre and green eye), Edna Earle (white with yellow and dark orange cup)
Long Cup Daffodils
- Accent (white with salmon pink cup)
- Fortissimo (golden yellow with dark orange cup)
- Kissproof (pale yellow with red cup)
- Mon Cherie (cream with peachy-pink cup)
- White Plume (white with frilled white cup)
Double Daffodils
- Bridal Crown (creamy white and saffron yellow cup, 3-6 florets per stem)
- Cheerfulness (white with yellow cup, 2-3 florets per stem)
- Ice King (white with yellow cup)
- Tahiti (yellow with orange)