Spring and Daffodils

Daffodil Flowers by Petr Kratochvil

Perhaps, William Wordsworth did more than anyone for the daffodil by writing this verse:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Notwithstanding the snow flurries and the gray skies, spring has arrived.  So, it seems appropriate on a day like today to think of daffodils.  The daffodil or narcissus is a very popular garden plant found in many gardens.

Daffodils need little care in the spring.  The foliage should be allowed to remain on the plant undisturbed for eight weeks after bloom.  The foliage can then be removed after eights weeks by hand picking.  If the flowering is reduced or the flower size has become small, then the time for digging and dividing has come.

Dig the bulbs while the foliage is dying and can still be seen so the bulbs can be located.  Remove loose soil and allow bulbs to dry in shallow trays, onion sacks or old nylon stockings.  Do not let bulbs lie in the hot sun and never pile up bulbs while drying or those at the bottom of the pile will be ruined. Allow bulbs to dry in a cool, well-ventilated place for several weeks.

Plant the largest and healthiest bulbs in the fall. Daffodils should be planted six to eight inches apart.  If planted closer then the bulbs may need to be dug up and replanted every three to five years.

With a little work you can have these harbingers of spring and your own "host of golden daffodils"  in your garden.

Additional Resources

American Daffodil Society

Daffodils - University of Missouri

Cornell Flower Bulb Research Newletter

Cornell - Flower Bulb Research Program

International Bulb Society