Daffodils, the hardy perennials known for their resilience, are a garden’s delight as they return each year to boost the beauty of your outdoor space. Typically planted in October, these flowers mark the end of winter and the onset of spring with their vibrant blooms. With a number of varieties available, the classic daffodil is often recognised by its bright yellow or white hues, six petals, and a distinctive trumpet-shaped core.
For those looking to see their daffodils flourish “bigger, stronger, and better” next season, gardening guru Fiona Jenkins from MyJobQuote has shared a “critical” post-bloom care tip and a few other ways to get the best out of this plant. She explained the importance of allowing the leaves to stay upright and open post-flowering, as this period of photosynthesis is crucial for the plants to generate and store sustenance for the next year’s blossoms.
Fiona imparted her wisdom, sharing a clever trick to keep fading plants from ruining the garden’s aesthetics: “Plants may look untidy as they wither away, but you can disguise them by planting evergreen perennials and later-flowering bulbs around them.”
Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of providing “critical” attention to daffodils after they bloom to ensure their prosperity for the next season.
The green-thumbed guru explained: “It’s critical to give your daffodils post-flowering care right by deadheading them because it will affect how well they grow the following year.”
She continued: “There is no need to remove the entire stem at the base. Instead, remove the dead flowers and the top inch or so of the stalk, allowing the rest to photosynthesise and feed the rest of the plant as it dies back.”
Emphasising the necessity of this task, she noted: “Deadheading daffodils prevents the plant from wasting energy by producing seed heads rather than returning them to the bulbs in preparation for next year’s blooms to grow back much bigger, stronger and better.”
To time the deadheading perfectly, Fiona advised that daffodils should be tended to when the blooms wilt and take on a brown, wrinkled appearance.
She detailed a handy tip for the future splitting of the plants: “Place a golf tee next to each spring clump that needs to be divided to make it easier to find them once they’ve died. Each clump should be dug up and the bulbs separated.
“Replant the largest bulbs at a distance of at least two bulb-widths apart. Prepare the soil as if you were going to plant new bulbs.”
For the best flowering results, daffodils must bask in ample sunlight, requiring a minimum of six hours of direct exposure daily; otherwise, they may leaf out without gracing gardens with their flowers. They are ideally planted in autumn, when the soil has cooled down but remains workable for planting.