How to Grow Daffodils

Sunny yellow daffodils are a cheerful harbinger of spring, and these early-blooming flowers are actually planted in the fall. Daffodils are one of the easier spring bulbs to grow, and have the added benefit of being unappetizing to deer, rabbits and other garden pests. Daffodils can be grown in USDA zones 3 through 8.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Daffodil bulbs
• Trowel, spade or shovel
• Compost or bulb fertilizer (optional)
• Mulch, such as leaves, grass clippings or straw

1. Select your bulbs. Daffodils come in many shades of yellow, orange, cream, white and even pink, and are available in a variety of flower shapes, with small cups, large cups, double blossoms and more. Buy your bulbs from a reputable garden center or garden supply catalog, and avoid discount stores, as their flower bulbs will be of low quality and may not germinate. Examine the bulbs carefully. Daffodil bulbs should be firm, not squishy or hollow, and should smell and look fresh. Larger bulbs will produce bigger plants. Buy your bulbs in the fall, just before you are going to plant them.

2. Plant your daffodils about 4 weeks before the ground freezes. This gives them time to develop roots and prepare for winter. Daffodils are a woodland flower, and do best in part sun to part shade, although they also tolerate full sun. Left to their own devices, daffodils will happily naturalize an area and do not mind being crowded, so when you are establishing a new bed, plant the bulbs just a few inches apart. Choose a site with well-drained soil, since daffodils do not like wet feet.

3. Use a trowel, spade or shovel, to dig a hole or trough three times deeper than the bulbs are wide. Daffodil bulbs are tear-drop shaped, and some bulbs may have visible roots on the round end and a fresh sprout on the pointy end. Gently place the bulbs in the hole pointy end up.

4. Bury the bulbs either with soil or with a combination of soil and compost. With high quality soil, it isn't necessary to fertilize daffodils at the time of planting, but a little compost will give them an added boost of energy to help them establish roots.

5. Cover the new garden bed with a few inches of light mulch, such as leaves, grass clippings or straw. This keeps down weeds and also helps regulate moisture levels and temperature.

6. Watch for your daffodils to bloom the following spring. If you choose to fertilize your daffodils, do so after the flowers have finished blooming, to encourage the roots to grow and the bulbs to multiply. Allow the tops to die back naturally after the flowers fade; this too helps provide the plant with the energy it needs to grow and spread.

Tips & Warnings

• Daffodils make a lovely, long-lasting cut flower, but removing the flower weakens the plant. To maintain your garden bed, do not cut every flower, and when cutting flowers avoid cutting the leaves. Spread compost or bulb fertilizer over the bed in late spring, to help it recover from cutting.