All About Daffodils - Little Bites Of Joy

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All about daffodils! Learn about colors, varieties, when to plant, how to harvest, store, grow and keep daffodils!

You may be wondering why I’m posting this in October, but if you know, then you know: Bulbs are planted in the fall. With all the blooms that will come next spring, it’s currently the perfect time to think about planting daffodils.

When I was younger, I’m embarrassed to think that I didn’t consider then to be more than I did. They were beautiful, but back then I considered them too common (not as dramatic as peonies, for instance). I didn’t thoroughly love them until I grew them myself. I realized that there are so many varieties, with different fragrances, colors, ruffles, single petals, poofy petals, double petals, pink, salmon, crimson, white, yellow with white, white with yellow. There are so many to name, and honestly, I don’t have enough space for all the daffodils I’d love to have. So of course, my tune has changed. They truly are beautiful, a gesture of sunshine in spring, one of the first to show up after a long and cold winter, and a welcomed sight to any gardener.

The Gift of Daffodils

Last year, a friend that lived down the street sold her house. For years, I was envious of her front yard, as it bloomed with an overabundance of daffodils, peonies, roses, hyacinths, butterfly weed, and more. The family who moved in decided to create a lawn in place of the garden (for their kids) and soon thereafter all of the bulbs were found on the curb. I quickly got to work, asked them if I could take the plants to give them a new home. They graciously accepted, and I brought back with me 4 boxes of various plants. I had no idea what color they were, clearly, and the next spring I received a wonderful surprise. Every color and height you could imagine were found in my garden. I took photos to send to my friend and thank her for the continuous color that erupted in the following weeks. It was a gift for me to give them a good home, to have them bloom in my garden, and I appreciated all the hard work and years of love that my friend gave to these plants.

What’s In A Name?

There is a difference between daffodils, narcisus and jonquils. According to “Homeguides”, “Common names for the lovely spring-bloomer, like daffodil, narcissus and jonquil, can be confusing. In general, “daffodil” refers to the large-flowered varieties, “narcissus” to small-flowered and early-blooming types bearing clusters of blossoms, and “jonquil” denotes N. jonquilla, often with fragrant, yellow flowers.

The ones pictured below are named Jonquils.

Planting

You want to order daffodils in late summer/early autumn and plant as soon as they arrive. They’ll take all winter to “sleep” and then they rise in the spring.

Growing Daffodils

People plant them in bunches, rows, and any combination thereof. I love to sprinkle them throughout the garden for color all around. After the flowers dry up and the foliage starts to droop, it’s important to not cut back the greens. They will provide nutrients for the bulb so it can grow again the following year. If you want to clean them up a bit, feel free to tie the greens in a knot or make it into a braid for a cleaner look. But only cut them down when they turn brown.

Daffodil Growth

According to Erin Benzakein of “Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden“, daffodils multiply rapidly and in “2 or 3 years after planting, yo’ll have at last double what you started with”. She recommends dividing them after the leaves turn yellow in early summer by dining them up with a pitchfork and gently separating them. This should be done once every 4 years.

Cutting Daffodils For Arrangements

Try to cut daffodils before they’ve fully opened, for the longest shelf life (about 1 week ~ according to Erin of “Floret”, previously mentioned). Also, daffodils when cut leave a sap that is poisonous to other plants in the arrangement and will shorten the life of the arrangement. Either create a solo arrangement of daffodils only, or prepare the daffodils in the following manner: leave them on their own in a vase of water for about 2-3 hours. The cut will start to heal and will no longer ooze sap. They can then be planted with other flowers (just don’t cut them again when moved to another vase).

Ordering Bulbs

I love Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. I’ve ordered from them and was happy with the delivery and plants.

Other sites to consider are: Dutch Grown and Dutch Bulbs.

Colors, Colors, Colors!

There are so many colors to choose from. Here is a small little gallery to reflect on.

Variations

What is your favorite daffodil variation? For me, it’s so hard to choose. Truth be told, they form the most amazing display when you include as many varieties as possible. I’ve also noticed that different varieties bloom at different rates (the very short jonquils ones bloom first, then the taller daffodils). With that in mind, it’s lovely to have a cascading effect of blooms in the spring so we can enjoy them week after week.

Planting and After-bloom Care

Depth: You can read specific instructions that are contained on the daffodil package you buy. They are usually planted 2.5 times the size of the bulb.

Distance between bulbs: Since daffodils do multiply and I’d personally rather not divide when they get too crowded, I do plant my daffodils about 4 inches apart so they have room to grow.

After-bloom care: After the blooms are spent in the spring, I usually leave the greens to turn yellow on their own. If they are unsightly, you can simply tie them in a knot so they’re closer to the ground and less noticeable. In the early summer, I often plant annuals such as mini dianthus or impatients to fill up the area where the daffodils grew. I often stagger these and plant seedlings while the daffodil greens are still up. The daffodils descend and die, and the seedlings rise up and grow. It works!

Spring Blooms CSA

Did you know we have a spring blooms CSA? A CSA (community supported agriculture) enables you to buy 5 shares of flowers (or bouquets) in advance of our growing season. Our spring blooms CSA includes tulips, lilacs, some hyacinths, apple blossoms, and of course daffodils. You can find out more here! Here’s a quick gallery of our Spring 2022 CSA.