Planting Daffodils
Tips on Planting Daffodils
Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal; leaves reappearing on trees, grass becoming greener on lawns and the lovely, graceful blossoms, a result of planting daffodils in the fall, adding the first spots of color to the new season in your garden.
Daffodils are well known to be one of the very first flowers to appear in the spring. Beginning as a bulb, planting daffodils needs to be done in the fall. Through the winter, the bulb hibernates in the cold ground, to be awakened and revitalized by the first sunrays that warm the earth in the spring. This warmth stimulates the bulb to begin sending up shoots that will become the first blooms of the year.
There are different varieties of these flowers, so when planting daffodils pay careful attention to the information provided with the bulbs. Some daffodils are early season, others are mid-season and still others are late season bloomers. To get the most springtime blooms, choose several bulbs of each variety to enjoy the beauty from March to May. Actual blooming time of each daffodil can range between one to three weeks, depending on the weather conditions and the strength of the plant. By planting daffodils with different blooming times, one type of daffodil will begin blooming just as another type fades away.
Daffodil bulbs should be planted in the fall. If temperatures are too warm in the soil, there is a risk that the bulbs could begin to rot, so it is advantageous to wait until the promise of frost is close. The rule of thumb when planting daffodils is to dig the hole two times the depth of the size of the bulb. Place the bulb in the hole with the root side down, and cover with soil. To get the best visual appeal in the spring, plant bulbs of the same blooming season close together in a circular fashion; this will result in groups of color which will increase the effect.
As blooms fade away on the daffodils, remove the spent blossoms. Leave the stems and leaves to die away on their own, as this is the opportunity for the plant to regenerate the bulb. Planting daffodils is not a task that needs to be repeated each year, unless you wish to add more varieties and more colors. The bulbs planted will hibernate in the soil, gaining strength to enable them to bloom once again next season.
After the long winter months, it is a delightful experience to look in your flower bed and see the promise of spring in the form of flowers. Planting daffodils in the fall will bring this pleasure into your yard, and provide that anticipation needed as the last signs of winter are overtaken by the first harbingers of spring.