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Daffodils (Narcissusspp.)
are among the most popular, easy-growing spring-flowering perennial bulbs.
Most varieties have yellow blossoms, but there are alsowhite, orange,pink, and bicolor cultivars.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
In warm climates, daffodils are often purchased as prechilled bulbs and planted as annuals.
If cold weather arrives later in your area, you could plant as late as Thanksgiving.
They also look lovely planted in front of evergreens, which will give them wind protection.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
How to Plant
Plant the bulbspointed end up, about 3 to 6 inches deep.
In light soil, bulbs are planted about 8 inches deep.
Daffodil Care
Daffodils are a great entry-level plant for novice gardeners developing their green thumbs.
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Do not cut the foliage.
This approach allows the space vacated by fading daffodils to be filled with other plants for the summer.
Soil
Daffodils prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil pH of around 6.0 to 7.0.
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Water
Daffodils like to be watered regularly in the spring and fall.
But stop watering in mid to late spring, about three to four weeks after the flowers fade.
Daffodils go dormant during the summer and prefer drier soil at this time.
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Most daffodils need a cold dormant period, so they’re planted in the fall.
Most types are not well suited for warm southern climates unless planted as annuals.
Overall, daffodils do equally well in humid and arid atmospheric conditions, provided soil moisture is appropriate.
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Lightly feed again when they bloom.
For the amount to use, follow the product label instructions.
Types of Daffodils
There are more than 40Narcissusspecies and over 32,000 registered cultivars.
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The leaves should be left undisturbed for at least eight weeks after the flower has bloomed.
Cutting Daffodils for a Vase
Daffodils are lovely as cut flowers.
Here’s how to keep your garden daffodil plants alive and make a floral bouquet with daffodils last longer.
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This method is rarely used, except by professionals or serious amateurs experimenting with hybridization.
Then start all over again.
While they are in the pot, remember that daffodils will need the required chilling cycle each year.
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They cannot be grown as perpetual houseplants.
Depending on the cultivar and growing conditions, a succession of blooms may last up to six months.
As for in-ground daffodil bulbs, most will return each spring for many years.
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A colony of naturalized daffodils thrives for decades when given a light annual feeding with a granular bulb fertilizer.
The term jonquil is correctly applied to only oneNarcissusspecies,N.
Jonquils are among the daffodil species that are somewhat more tolerant of warmer southern climates.
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It is easy to naturalize early spring daffodils in your turf lawn.
If you use post-emergent weed killers, spot-spray individual weeds rather than broadcast spraying.
Planting daffodils among other vulnerable plants, such as tulips, helps protect them.
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But plants are only partially immune to feeding animals when other food supplies are scarce.
Daffodils need little care; they are easy to grow when given good drainage and medium-to-heavy loamy soil.
North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension.
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Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia.
MacMillan Publishing Company, 1986.
Narcissus (Group).
Van der Veek, Carl.Breeding Daffodils.
The American Daffodil Society.
University of Connecticut Extension.
Easy, Dependable, Beautiful Daffodils - a Sure Sign of Springtime’s Arrival.Penn State Extension.
