Daffodils 101
A blast of 500,000 daffodils heralds the arrival of spring in Niagara Falls’ Queen Victoria Park.
Colourful tulips, crabapple, Japanese cherry and lush magnolias will soon join the floral chorus — it’s a great time for a walk in the park.
Our home garden echoes the chorus, with creamy Ice Follies and yellow King Alfred style daffodils trumpeting a welcome to spring. A quick survey around the garden turned up 14 varieties in bloom over the Easter weekend.
Ice Follies (creamy white with butter yellow trumpets), King Alfred’s (sunny yellow) and Jet Fire (yellow with orange trumpet) have naturalized and filled the garden with colour, while unique varieties such as Pink Parasol, Barret Browning, Thalia and Cheerfulness and miniature Tete-a-Tete (to name but a few) have been introduced over the years.
With the local garden centres brimming with potted daffodils, I treat myself to several pots to fill the containers on the deck. The bulbs will be recycled and planted in the garden after they finish blooming — it’s a great way to add extra colour to your garden.
Recycle potted daffodils by planting them in the garden after they have finished blooming. The advantage of planting potted bulbs now is that you can easily spot areas of the garden that could use a boost of spring colour. In a deep border, position bulbs toward the middle or back of the bed — they will show up nicely in the spring and the aging foliage can be camouflaged with later blooming perennials such as peonies, day lilies or echinacea.
Dig a hole that will comfortably fit the potted bulbs, remove the plastic pot and gently position the bulbs (soil and all) in the hole. Firm the topsoil around the bulbs and give them a drink of water, if they are dry. To give recycled bulbs a good start, top dress the planting area with compost or sprinkle a granular fertilizer such as 5-10-10 around the new plants. The bulb foliage should be encouraged to grow for the next four to six weeks. When the bulbs have matured, the foliage will turn brown and can be easily pulled away and discarded.
Recycling also works for other hardy bulbs. A few years ago, I was looking for some early spring bulbs for our son’s B.C. garden. I happened upon a display of potted snowdrops, that were just beyond their peak and discounted for quick sale. I snapped up the pots and tucked them into the quiet corners of the garden, making sure they would be visible from the kitchen window when they bloomed the following year. Snowdrop, grape hyacinth, hyacinth and crocus are good candidates for this strategy; plant them in the garden and they will successfully bloom again in subsequent years.
To increase your stock of daffodils at this time of the year, look for potted daffodils on sale. Don’t worry if the flowers are past their prime, so long as the leaves are still looking fresh, the bulbs will be worth your investment. Look for flowers with unusual colours or forms if you already have a supply of standard daffodils. leaves continue to grow and feed the bulb for the coming season. This important process takes four to six weeks to complete. Do not be tempted to cut or braid the foliage to get it out of sight. Water during dry spells and allow the leaves to die back on their own. Daffodil bulbs can be planted toward the centre or back of the garden and interplanted with later-blooming perennials to screen the fading leaves.
Daffodil bulbs can be left in the ground and treated as perennials. When happily sited, they will multiply over the years. If they become overcrowded, they may stop blooming. Dig up the bulbs, separate them and replant 15 centimetres apart and 15 cm deep. You can replant immediately, or dry the bulbs in the shade and replant them in the fall. — Theresa Forte is a local garden writer, photographer and speaker. You can reach her by calling 905-3517540 or by email at theresa_forte@sympatico.ca.