Planting Daffodils

27col

I have planted daffodils in considerable quantities over the years and usually after a very short period of time they stop producing flowers and just seem to produce shoots. When I see the beds planted on the traffic islands and roundabouts near me, the flowers seem to come back year after year. Do they use a differently treated/grown bulb. If so, where can I buy them. If not, what should I be doing to ensure that I do not just get a host of green shoots instead of a host of golden daffodils. Any comments gratefully received.

Farway

You may be planting them too shallow, or too close together

Not that I can talk, mine do the same despite my best efforts

kazwookie

They might be too close together, on council roundabout, they 'generally' put one in per hole and a gap between them to allow for year on year growth.

conradmum

It could be the position is too shady, unlike most roundabouts.

Whitefiver

You don't cut them down/mow them too soon, do you? They need some time with their leaves to "re-generate".

Regards,

White.

kimmee

Whitefiver wrote: »

You don't cut them down/mow them too soon, do you? They need some time with their leaves to "re-generate".

Regards,

White.

I read somewhere that you need to let the leaves die down for 6 weeks before you cut them back - looks messy I know but my daffs generally come back year after year. I also dead head them once the flowers have died off.

HTH

27col

I am already doing most of what has been suggested, but thanks anyway.

Mithos

The actual answer is... (IMO ) based on this premise:


"The first few years they flowered well... but in later years they stopped".


Daffs spread very very fast, I think they are one of the most prolific spreading bulbs, producing several bulblets a year and as soon as they get crowded they fight for resources and only produce leaves rather than the flowers. You need to separate them every few years.


If they only flowered once, then its the soil they are in, or not getting enough light to build up energy supplies for the next year. The first year bulbs use the energy created by the previous owner, i.e the nurserymen who sells them on. Daffs need quite a bit of sunlight to build themselves up, so if they only get a few hours a day you are not going to get the displays from the first year.