Daffodil
Daffodils are the least demanding bulb in the garden and the most often spoiled by tidiness. The leaves make next year's flower for about six weeks after the petals go, and knotting them, cutting them or mowing them in that window is exactly why a clump that was superb three years ago now produces leaves and nothing else.
Plant them in September, earlier than tulips, deep enough that a dry summer does not cook them, and then leave them entirely alone until the clump gets so congested that flowering drops off.
Care
Tolerant of most aspects.
Standard bulb watering.
Tolerant of most soils provided they're free-draining; naturalises well in grass.
Not applicable — deadhead spent flowers and leave foliage to die back naturally for at least six weeks before cutting or mowing over it.
Feed with a high-potash fertiliser after flowering and keep going while the leaves stay green — this is the single most useful thing you can do for next year's display. Leave the foliage to die down naturally; knotting or cutting it early starves the bulb.
Lift congested clumps once the foliage has died back, break the bulbs apart by hand and replant the larger ones straight away at three times their own depth. A clump that has gone blind is usually just overcrowded.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchDeadhead as flowers fade. how ›
- MayLeave foliage to die back naturally — resist the urge to tidy it early.
- SeptemberPlant bulbs this month, earlier than tulips.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchDeadhead as flowers fade. how ›
- MayLeave foliage to die back naturally — resist the urge to tidy it early.
- SeptemberPlant bulbs this month, earlier than tulips.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryDeadhead as flowers fade. how ›
- AprilLeave foliage to die back naturally — resist the urge to tidy it early.
- SeptemberPlant bulbs this month, earlier than tulips.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryDeadhead as flowers fade. how ›
- AprilLeave foliage to die back naturally — resist the urge to tidy it early.
- OctoberPlant bulbs this month, earlier than tulips.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Soft, hollow bulbs.
What to do. Lift and dispose of affected bulbs.
How to spot it. Bulb rot in wet soil.
What to do. Improve drainage.
How to spot it. Streaked leaves.
What to do. Remove affected plants, no cure.
Popular varieties
Questions
Daffodil: is it hardy?
H6: Hardy in the vast majority of UK gardens. It survives down to −20 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Standard bulb container culture.
Daffodil: when do you prune it?
Not applicable — deadhead spent flowers and leave foliage to die back naturally for at least six weeks before cutting or mowing over it.
Daffodil: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in February–April.
When do you feed it?
Feed with a high-potash fertiliser after flowering and keep going while the leaves stay green — this is the single most useful thing you can do for next year's display. Leave the foliage to die down naturally; knotting or cutting it early starves the bulb. Feeding months, UK: April–May.