What a joy to see your lawn strewn with real daffodils (Narcissus jonquil) of a sunny yellow that will brighten up the garden from the month of February! The daffodil belongs to the genus Narcissus. It is also a narcissus, but make no mistake, the other narcissus are not daffodils! Anyway, we can absolutely plant them together because they all have the same needs. By slightly staggering the plantings of these bulbous plants, you can even enjoy a magnificent staggered flowering until April/May. Let’s take stock of the culture of daffodils and other narcissus.
Plant daffodils
This is between september and november that we plant the daffodil bulbs which will give several flowers per stem. They are grown in the ground or in pots, as is the case for all narcissus elsewhere. These bulbous plants are renowned for their hardinessknowing that they brave without flinching temperatures down to -15°C.
The daffodil is not not very demanding. Admittedly, it does not like calcareous soil, which is too heavy, but tolerates other types of soil, sandy or clay, without stones, when they are fresh, fertile, deep and well drained. she likes in the sun or in partial shade. It is therefore the bulbous plant that delights all gardeners, even the less experienced.
The method of planting daffodils is very simple since all you need to do is:
- Dig holes with a dibble, 10 to 15 cm deep and spaced about ten centimeters from each other,
- Put a little sand at the bottom to promote drainage,
- Arrange the bulbs in the planting holes, making sure to point the tip upwards,
- Cover the bulbs with soil,
- Tamp lightly by hand,
- Give a little water if the soil is dry.
Daffodils and narcissus are planted in beds and borders, at the foot of trees and shrubs, in rockeries or even scattered in the lawn.
For a potted cultureit is essential to choose containers fully drilled so that the water flows perfectly. The ideal is to cover the bottom with a draining layer such as clay balls or gravel and then plant 3 or 4 bulbs in a good soil ensuring that the tips are flush with the surface of the substrate. All that remains is to install the pots on the terrace, window sills, or even on the balcony, in the sun or in partial shade.
Maintain the daffodil
This bulbous plant requires very little maintenance.
watering
Better have a light hand because too much water leads to rotting of the bulbs. In the vast majority of cases, spring rains are enough for daffodils. In case of early drought, you can water moderately at the beginning of flowering. It is enough from time to time to spray the substrate of the potted daffodils.
Mulching
It is not essential to lay down a mulch after planting the bulbs. However, some gardeners opt for this precaution, which keeps the soil cool, which is essential during the flowering period and slows the development of unwanted weeds, which eliminates long and tedious weeding sessions.
For narcissus grown in the ground, you can therefore install a mulch of dry leaves or any fertilizing mulch. On the other hand, fertilization is unnecessary if they are planted in a pot in a potting soil.
Pests and diseases of daffodils
There’s not much to worry about with his plants insensitive to pests and diseases. It should be noted, however, that the field mice are attracted to their bulbs. To avoid finding them nibbled, many gardeners have found a solution: they plant their daffodils and other narcissus in plastic baskets and bury it all. This constitutes a good bulwark against the attacks of field mice.
Daffodil bloom
The secret to stagger flowering of these beautiful bulbous plants over several months from February, consists in associating different varieties of narcissus but also in planting part of them in the shade and the rest in very sunny areas.
After flowering, when the stems are totally dry, they are cut at the base but the foliage is kept as long as it has not faded. Thanks to them, the bulb builds up its stock of nutrients. It is therefore necessary to wait for the leaves to take on brownish coloring to cut them at the foot. As for the bulbs, they can completely spend the winter in place. But you can also dig them up and then brush them to remove the soil. They can thus be stored in a cool and dry place until it is time to replant them, that is, in the fall.