How to grow daffodils / RHS Gardening (2024)

FAQs

How to grow daffodils / RHS Gardening? ›

Plant daffodil bulbs in early autumn, ideally September, and potted bulbs in spring before they come into flower. You can also plant 'forced' bulbs indoors in September – such as the fragrant paper-white daffodil (Narcissus papyraceus) – for flowering at Christmas or New Year.

The best time to plant daffodil bulbs is in the fall (exact timing can range anywhere from September to late November, depending on where you live). The soil needs to have cooled off, but the ground still needs to be workable when you plant.

Daffodils have two primary requirements: sunshine and drainage. To ensure your daffodils get full sun exposure in the spring, plant the bulbs in open spaces or under trees that lose their leaves each year. Give those bulbs the drainage they need by planting on a slope (never in a soggy spot). No slope, no problem.

Can you leave daffodil bulbs in the ground all year? Yes, as these spring-blooming bulbs naturalise you can leave them in the ground, and they will bloom year after year while multiplying.

For the best effect, we recommend planting daffodils in groups of five or more. Some gardeners, though, plant hundreds of daffodil bulbs to create a burst of color in the springtime. Daffodils contain a toxic liquid called lycorine in their bulb and stem, making them deer resistant.

Most daffodil bulbs will produce one to three stems the first spring after planting. Over time, the bulbs will divide and multiply, giving you more stems and more flowers, for an ever more impressive show of color.

Daffodils are said to have an indefinite lifespan, especially once a clump has naturalized and begins to multiply. Daffodils are often found growing on old homesteads where the original bulbs may have been planted a century ago or longer.

Daffodils will naturally produce new bulbs over time, expanding the clump gradually. You can also propagate them by: seeds. division.

Just pinch off the dead flower and the top inch or so of stalk, leaving the rest to photosynthesise and feed the rest of the plant as it dies back. Deadheading daffodils stops the plants wasting energy by making seed heads instead of returning it to the bulbs to prepare them for next year's blooms.

Energy Redirection: The Core of Deadheading

When we leave spent daffodil flowers on the plant, they naturally shift their focus towards seed production. It's a bit like investing in the future, but in this case, we want the investment to go back into the bulb itself, not into creating offspring.

What is the best fertilizer for daffodils? ›

The best fertilizer for daffodils in early spring is a balanced, slow-release product that comes in granular form. Kiersten recommends: 'Look for something with equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (like a 10-10-10 mix). This provides a steady nutrient supply without overwhelming their delicate bulbs.

Planting flower bulbs too close together can cause root systems to strangle each other or cause them to dehydrate or starve due to limited water and nutrition.

We also like to pair daylilies with daffodils, snowdrops and Dutch iris since the strappy leaves of the bulbs tend to blend right in with the strappy leaves of the daylilies like camouflage. Hostas are some of the best and easiest companions for spring blooming bulbs in partial to full shade.

How Deep to Plant Daffodils, Tulips, & Other Bulbs. The general rule of thumb for planting spring bulbs is to plant two to three times as deep as the bulbs is tall. This means most large bulbs like tulips or daffodils will be planted about 6 inches deep while smaller bulbs will be planted 3-4 inches deep.

Daffodils call for a slightly different approach. Since they are perennials and will multiply over time, it's good to start them out with a little more room. Give large daffodil bulbs about 5” of space between each bulb; for smaller bulbs, you can allow just 3” between bulbs.

How Deep to Plant Daffodils, Tulips, & Other Bulbs. The general rule of thumb for planting spring bulbs is to plant two to three times as deep as the bulbs is tall. This means most large bulbs like tulips or daffodils will be planted about 6 inches deep while smaller bulbs will be planted 3-4 inches deep.

Daffodils multiply in two ways: asexual cloning (bulb division) where exact copies of the flower will result, and sexually (from seed) where new, different flowers will result. Seeds develop in the seed pod (ovary), the swelling just behind the flower petals.

They come up every year. A couple of years ago they didn't flower because they were overcrowded. I dug them up, thinned them out, replanted some elsewhere, and they are all popping up now. Some one cut my daffodil flowers this year.

It's also best to plant them only when your zone's average nighttime temperatures are between 40-50 Degrees F. This is an excellent measurement to ensure your soil is cool enough. Most spring-flowering bulbs need several cold weeks of chilling time (12-15 weeks) to flower to their full potential in spring.