Daffodils and the Coming of Spring

The boys would kick them, the girls would collect them. Times seem to have changed though. Daffodils are appearing earlier and earlier, climate change being the apparent villain, but the beauty of spring bulbs is that they don’t have to flower in spring.

Any time from the dark days of December through to April is fine for the daffodil, and whilst everyone can identify a daffodil, there are many forms and varieties offering a range of colours, shapes and sizes.

Most daffodils are bought in unmarked bunches, but being specific can be advantageous. The small and delicate “Peeping Tom” variety can look great in a rockery or a window box, where it can be encouraged to bloom early. When growing in a wider flower bed, why not try the “King Alfred”, a much bigger variety, which is long loved and robust.

Robin Parker, of Gabriel Ash professes a love of our golden garden friends;

“Daffodils lift everybody’s mood. You get that lovely feeling that spring is on the way, that the weather is changing, and that there are better days to come.”

Once planted in a good, well drained soil, they require little attention for several years. The only time you will need to do anything is when they begin to colonise your whole garden!

Once your flowers have bloomed, leave them to die down naturally. The bulbs will feed on the decaying matter of the foliage. Chopping down the leaves early will cut off the bulb’s food supply, and will weaken it for next year’s bloom. If you are feeling generous, why not water the bulbs with a weak fertiliser? This will aid in the storage of energy for the next cycle.

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