Why daffs are perfect pick

MUM’S THE WORD: Brighten her day next weekend

YOU COULD always tell it was Mother’s Day when I was a lad, because daffodils would mysteriously vanish from front gardens and arrive in hot, sticky handfuls at the back door.

They would spend a few days in makeshift containers on kitchen windowsills until the flowers were over and small boys needed their jam jars back for the start of the tadpole season.

Even though it takes more than a few spring flowers to drag today’s children away from their mobile phones and computers, daffodils are among the first kinds everyone learns to recognise.

They are the blooms that say spring has arrived and are still hugely popular as Mother’s Day presents – hopefully bought fresh from the florist next weekend or, better still, growing in pots from a garden centre.

STEP ONE

How to nurture potted daffs for instant colour

If you’re in the market for daffs right now, the only way to buy them is as growing plants, in pots.

But although they cost a mite more than dry, dormant bulbs (which are only available in the autumn), potted daffs are money well spent. Once you’ve seen them at their best in tubs and troughs on your patio, you still have the bulbs to replant in the garden, where they’ll flower again in future years.

Choose daffodils with healthy foliage that isn’t bent and plenty of buds that are still tightly shut.

That way, you can enjoy watching the flowers open over the next seven to 10 days. Once out, they’ll last for a few weeks.

You’d need dozens of pots of daffs to make much of an impact on a garden at this time of year, so the best place to use them is in tubs on the patio and round the front door.

STEP TWO

What to buy and why

Seek out dwarf daffs, which usually stand about 20-25cm (8-12in) high, in garden centres. being compact, these stand up to the weather best and they travel well.Very tall, plump varieties often flop in containers unless you put in a hideous cat’s cradle of twigs and strings for support, and they are far more fragile and more likely to end up being broken when you take them home by car.

If children get daffodil sap on their hands, wash it off as it can cause upset tummies.

THE DIFFERENT DAFFS

Big trumpet or cup daffodils are ideal for naturalising in woodland, growing under shrubs in a big border or massed in wild gardens.

Dwarf daffs are better for today’s smaller gardens, as there’s less foliage to leave looking messy after the flowers are over. Dwarf daffs are also first class for tubs and troughs. Petite miniature daffs are gems for raised beds, rock features and alpine troughs.

Exotics, such as double daffs and pink varieties, are more expensive than traditional types.

PLANTING POTTED DAFFODILS

Bulbs don’t like having their roots disturbed once they’ve started growing, so don’t risk tipping them out to plant properly. It could cause the flowers to turn brown instead of opening.

Simply sink several potfuls inside a large tub or patio planter. It doesn’t matter if it’s still full of last year’s compost – just take out any weeds first.

If you don’t want just daffs, team them with polyanthus, primroses or other spring bedding plants.You can lift out the daffs when they are over and drop new plants in the holes to keep your container display going longer.

Alternatively, you can also use pots of daffs under cover.When

Choose daffodils with healthy foliage and plenty of buds still tightly shut

the weather outside is poor, you can keep them in the porch, a conservatory or on a coolish windowsill indoors – but the warmer you keep them, the quicker the flowers go over.

Once potted daffs have finished flowering, put them in the garden until you have time to tip out and plant them. Choose a cool, semi-shaded place and leave the plants to die naturally.

The big trick for getting them to flower again another year is to fatten up the bulbs.

Plant them deeper than they were in their original pot – to twice the depth.Water them in after planting and all the time the leaves stay green, give them a weekly dose of diluted liquid tomato feed. Small bulbs won’t flower until they’ve grown bigger.