Daffodils

Narcissus

Yellow and white daffodils flower from late winter to mid spring. In sun or light shade, they come back for many years and slowly spread into clumps. The one thing to remember: let the leaves die back on their own after flowering, because they feed next year's flowers.

Looking after it

Water: Normal watering is enough for daffodils. Bulbs in the ground rarely need any, only in long dry spells while they are growing. Pots dry out fast, so water them until the leaves die down. Feeding: They need little food. In the ground they need no feeding at all. In pots, give a high-potassium liquid feed, such as tomato feed, from when the shoots appear until the leaves start to die down.

Cutting and after flowering

Snap off faded flowers so the energy goes back into the bulb. Leave the leaves until they turn yellow, about six weeks after flowering. Don't cut, tie or knot them. For the vase, cut daffodils when the bud is about to open. Cut daffodils ooze a sap that makes other flowers die sooner. Stand them in water on their own overnight before you mix them with others. Don't cut the stems again after that.

What can go wrong

No flowers (blind daffodils). You get plenty of leaves but no flowers, from crowded clumps, bulbs planted too shallow or leaves cut off too early. Once the leaves have died back, dig up crowded clumps and pull them apart. Replant the bulbs deeper.
Bulb fly. Thin, grassy leaves come up but no flowers and the bulb is soft with a fat grub inside. Throw away soft bulbs. As the leaves die back, firm the soil over the holes so the fly can't reach the bulbs.
Rotting bulbs. Bulbs go soft and rot from the bottom, in wet soil or in storage. Plant only firm bulbs, in soil that drains well. Throw away any that feel soft.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Daffodil care: RHS. pH: University of Connecticut soil testing lab. Pot size: Purdue University extension.