Daffodils are undoubtedly the most popular spring flowering bulbs. They are easy to grow and require very little attention. This How to Guide on growing Daffodils gives you some advice on when and how to plant your daffodils and take care of them so that you will enjoy them blooming in your garden for many more years.

Planting

When selecting Daffodil bulbs, make sure they are firm and not soft. Generally speaking, the larger the bulb, the better the flowering.

Plant Daffodil bulbs in a moist, well-drained soil in early autumn. As with most bulbs, daffodils prefer full sun although they will flower in light shade. 
 

Before planting, enrich the soil with generous quantities of Results compost or well-rotted organic material. Add either Blood and Bone, sheep manure pellets or bulb food to the area and mix into the soil. (View our Seeds, Bulbs and Growing Media products.)

As a rule of thumb, plant daffodil bulbs twice as deep as their width. For example, if a bulb is 4cm wide, plant it to a depth of 8cm.  

(For a range of useful garden hand tools go to our "Garden Hand Tool" products.)

Flowering

To help flowering, use a side-dressing of Bulb Food or Blood and Bone when the first leaves and buds appear, and then again straight after flowering. Be sure to protect new shoots from slugs and snails.

Daffodil bulbs can be left undisturbed for several years and only need lifting and dividing when they become overcrowded. Don`t be tempted to tidy up and cut the spent foliage back - the leaves contain the bulbs food supply for the following seasons flowering. Tie the foliage in a knot or fold the foliage over and secure with a rubber band to tidy them up. One way to disguise the foliage is to plant annuals and perennials around bulbs - they flourish in early spring as the daffodils die down. 

Lifting and Storing Daffodil Bulbs
Daffodil bulbs do not require lifting each year provided the soil is moist in winter and dry in summer. If the soil is too wet in summer (the bulbs resting period) they will deteriorate and eventually rot.

As your bulbs have finished flowering, fertilise them with bulb food. The bulb will use this food to feed the buld for next season's growth. 

Bulbs can be lifted out of the soil when the foliage starts to die down. Leave the foliage attached until it dries off naturally and then remove it. Store bulbs in a net bag or seed tray in a cool, dry, airy place. A dusting of Mite and Mildew Powder will protect the bulbs during storage.

If you know you are going to lift your bulbs, planting them in bulb baskets makes them easy to find and lifting easy.

Planting Daffodils in Pots 

Daffodils give a spectacular display when planted in pots. The shorter growing, and miniature flowered varieties are ideal for containers. Use a quality potting mix that contains a controlled release fertiliser such as Osmocote. It is important to keep the bulbs moist once they are planted so water them regularly. Place them in a shady place until shoots appear and then bring them out into full sun. Give the plant liquid feed when the foliage emerges, and then again several times throughout the season. This will benefit flowering. After flowering, when the leaves begin to yellow, cease watering. Let the potting mix dry out completely. Move the pot with the bulbs undisturbed to a dry place for the summer months. In autumn, knock off the old potting mix and replant into fresh mix or plant out in the garden in autumn.
 

Naturalising

Daffodils are the easiest bulbs to `naturalise`. Naturalising is where they are left in the soil for several years, or indefinitely, to multiply and flower year after year. Common places to naturalise bulbs are areas of the garden which do not get disturbed - under deciduous trees or grassy areas.

Vigorous growing varieties such as Earlicheer, King Alfred, or St Issey, are the best for naturalising. The most economic and least-expensive bulbs for naturalising are the mixed packs of daffodils. If naturalising bulbs in an area that is mowed, allow at least six weeks after flowering before mowing the area. This way, the bulb will have had time to store up food for next years flowering. 

(For advice on growing bulbs in general, refer to our "How to Grow Bulbs" guide.)
 
Types of Daffodils
There are different types of daffodils available. The St Issey is a large yellow cup daffodil with a long stem similar to the popular King Alfred. Then there is the all-time fragrant favourite Earlicheer, popular for its highly scented double creamy-white flowers. Or if you don`t mind taking pot-luck, a bag of mixed daffodils will be a nice spring surprise. Check at your local Mitre 10 store to see which type of daffodils are available and best suited to your area.

Spring Fling With Daffodils

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,

 She wore her greenest gown;

 She turned to the south wind

 And curtsied up and down.

 She turned to the sunlight

 And shook her yellow head,

 And whispered to her neighbour:

 "Winter is dead".

So wrote AA Milne in "When We Were Very Young". Is there a more lovely way to signal the end of winter and welcome in a new season than with a patch of nodding daffodils?