The bright yellow blooms of daffodils are a wonderful sign of spring—but do you know how and when to plant them properly? Here are tips on planting daffodil bulbs, caring for daffodils, and what to do after they flower.
About Daffodils
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. Daffodils are a fall-planted bulb, so plant them in autumn and they will bloom in late winter or early spring.
The traditional daffodil flower may be a showy yellow or white, with six petals and a trumpet-shape central corona, but many cultivated varieties (“cultivars”) exist today. Leafless stems bear between 1 and 20 flowers; sometimes the flowers need to be staked so that they don’t weigh down the stems.
Daffodils are suitable for planting between shrubs or in a border, or for forcing blooms indoors. They look wonderful in a woodland garden and in large groves. You’ll find that many gardeners plant the bulbs not just by the dozens but by the hundreds! Daffodil flowers also make for great springtime cut flowers.
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Replanting
I was gifted a large planter full of daffodil bulbs. They are very crowded in the planter. Can I plant them in the ground now or should I let them rest till fall. I have not had much luck letting bulbs rest during the summer
a planter full
We would advise that you let them rest. If you uproot them now, you are interrupting their natural cycle. If the pot has a drainage hole (or a few) you could leave it outdoors for the summer, as if in the ground, and then lift and plant the bulbs in autumn.
Wilting
I just recently bought my the daffodils from a store and they were standing tall and blooming but when I repotted them the flowers look like they're wilting and dying. What did I do wrong. They're in the same pot as tulips I don't know if they had any effect on them but usually when I buy a plant from the store and repot them I'm able to keep them alive so I'm just wondering what happened to my flowers
repotting daffs
By transplanting the bulbs, you interrupted them. Imagine: They are putting on their best show and you pull the rug (soil) out from under them. Their roots were getting what they needed in terms of nutrients and moisture in place and the transplanting put an end to that. They had to get new footing in a new pot and plants, especially bulbs, don’t do that. (Did you notice the thin white roots coming out of the bulbs’ bottom? That’s their life line.) So they collapse, exhausted from the transition. Don’t mean to sound harsh but that’s essentially what happened. (BTW, this is a common error, usually only made one time.) Will they come back? Not this season. You might put them aside, remove the flowers, let the foliage die back on its own, and keep them in a cool, dry place. Try planting them in fall. And wait and see.
Slouching Daffodils
I got some Daffodils around Easter and recently planted them, they are about 10 inches apart, in part/full sun, watered everyday and they are drooping. Not standing tall at all. Pick up stems and they fall. Not very sure what my problem is. Any comments?
Slouching Daffodils
If you had unusually cold temperatures or snow recently, that could have caused your daffodils’ bad posture. If not, it could be due to overwatering. Daffodils like to be kept moist, but don’t like to sit in too much water. Are yours in an area with well-drained soil? If you’re getting regular rainfall, that should be providing plenty of water to them.
Dividing daffodils
I need to divide my daffodils. I will wait till blooming is over & leaves are dead. Do I then plant the blubs or wait till fall? How would I store them? Thanks
Dividing Daffodils
Once you divide the daffodils, you should replant them right away. Plant them at the same depth that they were planted at before and space them about 6 inches apart for the best results.
If you did need to store them for some reason, you would want to keep them in a cool, dark place with relatively low humidity until you can plant them again.
Divide and plant daffodils
Greetings,
I am deeply interested in your question about dividing and replanting daffodils ! As I have the same question yet have not heard or learn the answer to the question. Someone had generously shared some wonderful bulbs with me.
Have you gleaned any information on the subject. If so do you mind sharing it with me? I would so appreciate your effort and time involved.
Sincerely,
Elaine
Daffodil
I have a single daffodil bulb that produced a bloom on a 34” stem. It grew up through an azalea and the yellow bloom opened up when it reached the top of the shrub. It seemed a rare occurrence to me. Do the stem heights generally vary depending on the location a bulb is planted?
Daffodil Stems
Daffodils will stretch until they get the light they deem sufficient. This is what yours did!
early blooming daffodils and tiger lillies
Question really. With milder fall weather, the shoots are emerging. Wonder if i am correct in thinking that they will get zapped if there are colder below freezing temps later and will that affect new growth in spring?
shoots shooting too soon
The best thing to do is to throw a couple/few inches of mulch on the shoots. They should perform as expected in the spring.
Planting daffodils
I am planting my first daffodils -- I always heard to put 3-5 bulbs per hole, but at the nursery they said 1 bulb per hole -- which is correct? I would like to have substantial showing of daffodils.
daffs in zone 3
How deep do I need to plant daffodils in zone 3 in Colorado? My soil is quite sandy (I'm near Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park), but I am growing daylilies & iris successfully here, so I thought I would try daffodils. Also, is it possible to grow daffodils in larger pots in zone 3? The pots I'm considering are unglazed terracotta & would be left out on my patio throughout winter, with south-southwest exposure...wondering if daffodils would make it through winter in that situation if I mulch the top of the pot for winter? Thanks for any advice!
Daffodils in Winter
Hi Teresa,
For planting daffodils in Colorado, plant the bulbs 1 ½ to 5 times their own length deep. Cover with 3 extra inches of soil. As for growing in pots, you could attempt growing daffodils in pots there, however there might not be enough insulation on the sides of the pot for the bulbs to do well. Experiment!
Daffodils in a field
I have two plastic grocery bags full of daffodil bulbs that a friend gave to me. I want to plant them all over a 3 acre lot. What would be the best/easiest way to do this?
Planting Daffodils
Each bulb should have at least 2 to 3 inches of soil covering it when it’s planted, so we wouldn’t recommend casting them into an area like you would smaller seeds, unfortunately, as they will be eaten, will not survive the winter, or simply won’t grow. A tool like a pole hole digger could make digging easier and faster. Plant the bulbs just a few weeks before the ground freezes this fall.
Dafadil
When the flower dies you get a lump where the flower was is that a bulb you can replant to make another flower
Daffodils
That is where seeds may form. It's best to remove this asap for best bulb development next year. The bulbs (underground) may form bullets that can be separated from the parent plant and replanted.
daffodils
the lump below the flower can it be planted to grow daffodils. Or should it be cut off asap as one person wrote in
A daffy bunch
Hi there. I have 3 large bunches of daffs that I inherited on my property. They grow densely and get to nearly 4' tall with tons of blooms. The only work they require of me is yelling at the hubby to "watch em" with the mower.These beauties back onto a barn wall and I'd love to fill in the gaps between them to create a full row. How would I go about splitting/replanting? It's been two years and I haven't had the courage to dig them up. Am I better off just planting more bulbs rather than splitting? Thanks a bunch
Dividing Daffodils
Hi Leslie,
If your daffodils are as densely packed as you say they are, they might actually benefit from a little more leg room! Wait until after they finish blooming and their leaves have mostly turned yellow and brown to dig them up. Bulbs are generally quite easy to divide: just carefully peel them apart from one another—leaving any remaining leaves intact and attached—and space them out as you like (4–5 inches apart, minimum). Plant them at the same depth that they are now and they should be happy.
Storing Bulbs till fall
I got some potted daffodils and I want to take them out of the pot and store till fall and replant is there a good way to do this Thanks
potted dafs
I was recently given several potted daffodils...my question is can i plant these right in the garden ? ...they are still blooming, but most of the blooms have now died off...these were daffodils in a store but unsellable with the blooms dying....thank you in advance for the reply...
daffodils
What do I do with them after blooming? Do I have to take the bulbs up or leave them in the planter till next blooming season?
Is it the same for hyacinth bulbs?
Planting and Storing Daffodils
After a daffodil finishes blooming, it’s still using its foliage to gather and store energy for next year’s bloom, so it would be best to wait to replant the bulbs until the daffodils’ foliage completely dies back. At that point, the bulbs can be removed from the pots and stored in a cool, dark, and dry place until fall, when they should be planted in the ground.
Do daffodils spread??
I started a front yard garden three years ago with perennials and the blooms are awesome. I've noticed that some of the daffodils have spread throughout the garden instead of just growing in the area they were planted in. Is this normal??
Thanks In Advance
Daffodils Spreading
Daffodils usually spread by producing new bulbs (bulbets) underground, which themselves grow into full plants and repeat the process. Daffodils are also capable of producing seeds after flowering, and these seeds may be spread by the wind. However, daffodil seeds take quite a while (5 years or more) to grow into full plants. If yours have somehow made it to undesirable places, feel free to dig them up and put them back in their own territory. Giving them a stern talking to may also help quell their wanderlust.
flowers not opening
Quite a number of my daffs didn't open this year. Some remained hooded and some even though the hood came off they didn't open. What can I do?
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