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Daffodils - It’s Not Too
Late Because we live in Central Virginia.... ....it’s not too late to plant daffodils in November, or even up until Christmas. According to Brent and Becky Heath, owners of internationally known Daffodil Mart in Gloucester, Virginia, the best time to plant is when the ground temperatures are at or below 60 degrees F. This ensures the best root growth. They also say that if time has gotten away from you, and the calendar suddenly says February or March, you can still plant your bulbs, provided they’re still firm. They’ll bloom later than normal the first year, but they will catch up the following years. (In fact, most newly planted bulbs will bloom 1-2 weeks later anyway, because most bulbs come from Holland and England, where the summer temperatures are cooler, and the bulbs mature later.) About the only enemy of daffodils is poor drainage. I know we lost a number of daffodils last winter when the ground stayed wet for so long. As most of you know, daffodil bulbs are poisonous, so critters won’t touch them. So if you’ve lost daffodils over the years, don’t blame the critters, blame the planting location or the weather. An ideal planting site is on a slope, but for those of us who don’t have that luxury, properly prepared berms or raised beds work quite well. Most daffodils prefer full sun, although most will tolerate part shade. The ideal soil is a deep, rich sandy loam with plenty of well-decomposed organic matter. Since most of us here in Virginia do battle with heavy clay soil, we should amend our soil with organic matter and builder’s sand. Most larger bulbs (2-3” diameter) should be planted 6-8” deep (bottom of hole), though in heavy clay soils soils, it’s better to plant a little shallower. Medium bulbs (1-2” diameter) should be planted 3-6” deep, and miniature daffodils (1/2” - 1” diameter) should be planted 2-3” deep. The rule of thumb for distance between bulbs is about 3 times the width of the bulb. The moisture requirements of daffodils are “heavy and critical” during the spring growing season, almost none during summer when they’re dormant, “light and steady” during fall root growth, and light throughout the winter. When Nature doesn’t cooperate, provide ½”-1” of water every week during March - May - but don’t overwater. Mulch is critical for a daffodil bed - and the choice of mulch is yours. Just be careful with large hardwood mulch chunks which can foster fungus and the larger chunk size may prevent comfortable emergence of the daffodils. Do not use black plastic or landscape fabric! What about fertilizer? Well, if you’ve provided your newly-planted daffodil beds with the proper soil and amendments, no additional fertilizer should be added that first year, as it would not be needed and such fertilizer is likely to burn the young emerging roots. Beginning with the second year, top-dressing your daffodil bulbs will help to replenish the nutrients used by the bulbs their first year. The Heaths recommend a water-soluble formula such as “Peters Hydro-Dol” as a spring fertilizer between emergence and blooming time. Although traditionally bonemeal has been used for bulbs, the Heaths report that studies have shown that bonemeal is very incomplete as an fertilizer, and should not be relied on to replenish the used nutrients. Instead, they recommend two more complete fertilizers especially mixed for daffodils: their “ideal” organic formula is “Bulb Mate” by the Bricker Company; the ideal manufactured daffodil fertilizer is the slow-release “Daffodil Fertilizer”. These both contain the higher levels of potassium needed by daffodils, versus other bulb foods. Should spent daffodil flowers be deadheaded? Aesthetically this might be desirable, especially when the daffodils are close to your walkway, door or window. But it’s not necessary for the health of the plant. Most daffodils are hybrids which are not pollinated in the garden, and they do not self-pollinate. Rarely do daffodils go on to make seedpods, and usually when they do, the pods will be empty of seed. And what about all the theories on how to deal with the foliage after blooming? Do NOT braid the leaves, or bend them or bind them. They must continue to have maximum exposure to sunlight to replenish the bulb for next year’s bloom before going dormant. This means waiting for 8-10 weeks until the leaves turn yellow and fall over before cutting them. The better way to deal with the foliage as it becomes unsightly is to “hide” it with companion plantings. Examples include achillea, ageratum, aster, dahlia, dianthus, liatris, marigold, peony, petunia, salvia, shasta daisy, sweet william, verbena, and zinnias. A second benefit of companion planting in our region is that they provide shade for the bulbs during our hot and humid summers. In addition to planting in beds, consider planting daffodils in containers, and naturalized around trees, among tree roots, and in rock gardens. Daffodils are now available in so many colors, sizes and bloom times that it is possible to enjoy their cheerful countenances over several months. Enjoy! Fresh Air Garden Designs,
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