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.
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
For several years I have
For several years I have forgotten to transplant the daffodils from our ranch to our home. Now, they are again coming up at the ranch, their leaves are about 6" high--no stalk emerging yet. Can I deeply dig a cluster of them and transplant as a group, if I don't disturb the roots? They've been there for 40 years!
Yes,I would dig some up! I
Yes,I would dig some up! I did the same thing at an abandoned homesite with success. I found it set the blooming back by one year but now they're blooming and increasing.
I bought a house in November.
I bought a house in November. Now it is Feb and I have noticed lots of leaves pop up that look like daffodils, but I don't think they will bloom because the places they are at are very shady. When is it safe to move them to try again in a sunnier spot next year?
You may still get some
You may still get some blooms. Wait until the foliage turns yellow. Then dig the bulbs and separate them. Add some compost to the new holes before planting the bulbs.
Here in northern CO, last
Here in northern CO, last spring produced green leaves but no flowers on daffodils and it was not just at my home.....seemed to be an epidemic. We did not have a lot of snow over the winter.
My question is should I water the plants that are now about a inch out of the ground like we water trees here in the winter? The mts are getting snow but we have not had much on the Front Range so far. Every other year since '98, my daffodils have been beautiful even through dry winters????
Thanks in advance...
You can give the daffodils
You can give the daffodils some water but be careful not to overwater. The daffodils may be crowded if you haven't transplanted them recently.
Thanks.....wondered if they
Thanks.....wondered if they needed transplanting from previous posts.
It's the end of January in
It's the end of January in the Dallas-FtWorth area. Is it too late to plant daffodil bulbs?
im over in Euless and the
im over in Euless and the yellow daffodils just bloomed in the past 4 days. it is jan 30, 2015 now
It's January in northern
It's January in northern Virginia. Is it too late to plant daffodil bulbs?
Daffodils need a period of
Daffodils need a period of chilling temperatures to bloom in the spring. If you think that you will have some more cold weather you can plant them now in the ground (if you can dig the soil) or in a container outdoors.
If I plant bulbs now to bloom
If I plant bulbs now to bloom in the spring early summer in my big pots and window boxes, do I need to pull them out before planting geraniums for the summer or can I plant the geraniums next to them and then pull the geraniums up in the fall before the ground freezes?
Hi Kristi, You can leave the
Hi Kristi,
You can leave the bulbs in the containers if there is room to plant geraniums between them. The spring bulbs' foliage will die back in late spring and you can add annuals (like geraniums) to the pots.
I live in Camp Verde, AZ
I live in Camp Verde, AZ which is in Zone 8 of the planting guide. I have successfully grown bulbs here for several years. We have had a warm fall and now my daffodils have sprouted (just leaves no blooms). We are starting to get freezing temperatures at night. What do I do now?
Sandie, Cover your daffs with
Sandie, Cover your daffs with some mulch to help to protect them from the coming cold and any that follows—but do not remove the foliage. The bulbs get their energy from the foliage. This autumn growth will die back and turn brown. In spring, when the buls come again you can cut off the brown foliage for appearances sake. You bulbs should come back, unless you're also seeing bulbs emerge now, which makes their future harder to predict.
This early growth could be the result of exceptionally warm weather, the bulbs being too shallow (and so closer to the surface where the warmth is), or they were planted too early in season. These last two reasons may not apply to you, as it doesn't sound like your situation, but I share for other readers.
My gardener was supposed to
My gardener was supposed to till up soil, add garden soil and plant 200 daffodils (northern Georgia). I had to leave, returned and checked daffodils. The 5-6 I found were laying on top of new soil with about 3" of mulch on top, most on their side (2 upside down). He and I dug through mulch/soil and replanted as many as we could reasonably find - maybe half. What is likelihood that flowers will grow if 1) laying on its side or upside down and/or 2) only covered with 3-4" of mulch? Thank you.
As you know, bulbs should be
As you know, bulbs should be planted the pointy side up. However, even if they're planted wrong, they usually do find their way to the surface.
The planting depth depends on size. Daffodils should be planted at least twice as deep as the bulb is high. In the case of smaller bulbs, a few inches should be fine. For larger bulbs, the depth is usually 5 to 6 inches.
If the planting isn't deep enough, your daffodils may grow but without flowers as shallow planting deprives them of the needed moisture. You'll have to see how they fare.
Be extra careful that your daffodils get needed moisture as well as the nutrients that come from rich soil; feed your daffodils regularly after flowering with a liquid fertilizer at intervals of 7 to 10 days. Continue this until foliage turns yellow.
I have had to lift my
I have had to lift my daffodils before their leaves are yellow.I want to keep them and plant for spring.Will they be okay ,or shall I plant somewhere until the leaves yellow.
It is coming up to summer here.
This will sound totally inane
This will sound totally inane but last year I planted daffodil bulbs in my window box upside down! Can I replant them the correct way this year or have I destroyed the bulbs?
Hi, Renee: First of all,
Hi, Renee: First of all, there's no such thing as an inane question! That's what we inane question answerers are here for! And BTW: You are only the umpteenth billion person to have done this -- not to worry! The answer to your question is: There is only one way to find out: Replant. But most bulbs will find a way to make it regardless of their planting orientation, so hopefully there isn't something else going on here, like rot or pests. But go for it!
I had planted some
I had planted some already-bloomed daffodils I bought at the store in a pot outside early spring this year (2014). It is now September and I want to bring the pot indoors and try to force bloom them for winter. There is still some lingering green foliage and I want to know the best way to force bloom them indoors. Do I cut the foliage down and refrigerate the bulbs until ready for replanting? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, James: If there is any
Hi, James: If there is any chance that the green foliage means that your plants are still alive, you should leave (sorry) them alone until they turn yellow. They are still providing energy to the bulb. Once you are confident that they have passed, then you can snip or twist off the plant from the bulb. Put the bulbs root down in shallow, loosely packed, well-draining, moist potting medium in a cool (40 to 45 degrees), dark area for at least 3 months, then bring out into the coolest area of your house and progressively move to warmer areas. Always be very careful and gentle with the bulbs/plants.
We want to plant MANY
We want to plant MANY daffodil bulbs on a hillside by our church this fall. If, after they have bloomed and gone dormant the site is sprayed for weeds will it kill the bulbs ?
For daffodils, you do not
For daffodils, you do not want to use any pre-emergent herbicides nor weed control chemicals from October through June. Herbicides usually should not be applied until after plants emerge and are established (April/May). Better to smother the weeds with an old carpet or mulch over the winter.
It depends on what your using
It depends on what your using and how much you use.....i would.recomend mulching the site and establishing a strong low lying (non-invasive ) ground cover...i like creeping phlox if its a shaded area. Weed by hand periodicaly...let them get big enough to pull but immature enough to not go to seed. Otherwise you leave roots behind that multiply.
I have a square built with
I have a square built with r/r ties around a tree and I planted King Alfreds a few years ago, covered with vinca minor. (Minor, not major) Beautiful each year and I leave the daffodil greens until they turn yellow and then just lift up the dead yellow parts to neaten the planter. Gorgeous. (Northern Sacramento Valley, California.)
I just brought home some
I just brought home some Daffodil Bulbs from my sister's garden in Missouri. She lives about an hour south of St Louis. I live in San Antonio, Tx so the climate and conditions are very different here on June 15th, than they were there. What do I do with the bulbs till Fall planting time....do I put them in breathable bag and keep in refrigerator till late Sept? Or do I plant now? Also, they have nice roots on them, do I take them off along with the dirt before store in refrigerator? thanks for any help!
I have lots of bulbs I
I have lots of bulbs I brought from my house when I moved. Can I plant or do I wait til fall?
Plant the bulbs now. Don't
Plant the bulbs now. Don't remove the roots or leaves. The bulbs will finish storing nutrients through the summer months and hopefully bloom beautifully next spring.
I live on the Georgia coast
I live on the Georgia coast with sandy soil. Have you heard of placing an oyster shell under each bulb when you plant to keep the bulb from burying itself? Also this might provide some lime.
Pages