Growing Daffodils - Ice Follies Daffodil

Daffodils are great. They are just about the first blooms we see each year and they happily announce that spring is on the way.  Daffodils are hardy perennials in most of the US and naturalize easily and freely.  And, as if that isn't enough, they aren't bothered (read, 'EATEN') by hungry or pesky critters unlike many other spring bulbs.

Daffodil Flowers

Growing daffodils is super easy.  You plant daffodils in the fall about a month before the ground freezes.  Just pop them in the ground at a depth of about 3 times the height of the bulb.  (Be sure to put the pointy end of the bulb up!)  They will multiply and come back year after year!

The only issue I have with these super-duper bulbs is their rather messy habit after they've finished flowering.  The plants continue to grow after they finish flowering as they work to create and store the nutrients they need to get through the winter. So, it's imperative that you do not cut them back or mow them until about 6 weeks after they've flowered. This 6 week period can be really tough for any neat freak because, believe you me, they make a mess.

Yellow Daffodil Flower

I plant daylilies and iris in front of the daffodils to help to hide their messy period. Both daylilies and iris come up and bloom later in the spring than daffodils and they usually get tall enough to hide the mess just as the daffodils start to get floppy.  It works for me!!

Apr 26 2013
Posted in: Flowers

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