Daffodils are among my favorite spring flowers. Those cheerful faces in various shades of yellow grin and bear it, even on the coldest of spring days. The flowers are easy to snip for a vase to bring that cheerfulness indoors. And, if you plant a variety with different bloom times, you can stretch out your daffodil season. Knowing when to plant daffodil bulbs (and when to order or buy them) is a good way to ensure you’ll have some flowers opening at a time of year when we’re all eager for signs of life in the garden. In this article, I’m going to share tips on when to plant daffodil bulbs, where to dig them into the garden, how far apart to space them, and a few other helpful tips.
One of the reasons I love daffodils is the squirrels don’t go near them. I live on a ravine and there is a regular squirrel party in my front and back gardens. Tulip bulbs are tasty snacks to discover, and the flowers are appealing to the neighborhood bunnies and deer.
Autumn is when to plant daffodil bulbs. Bins or bags of bulbs usually start to appear at the garden center in early. If you think about it in the summer, you can order bulbs from a number of sources online that probably offer a great breadth of selection.If you can’t plant your bulbs right away, store them in a cool, dry place.
If you are in a store, make sure the bulbs are firm to the touch to give them a little squeeze, and not totally desiccated or moldy looking.
Generally a package will provide all the growing information you need, including depth, spacing, and timing. I find there are a couple of tools that make easier. One is a bulb planter, which works well when the soil is fairly friable. It usually has a ruler on the side, so you can place it in the ground to the correct depth and it put the soil out of it. Pop the bulb in the hole you created and then release that soil back in place from the tool. Easy peasy!
The bulb should be planted with the roots pointing downward and the neck of the bulb pointing upwards It’s a great tool to create a hole (one with a ruler is handy to see the correct depth), place the bulb, and cover with soil. A trowel can also get the job done, if that’s what’s in your collection.
If you’re planting a ton of bulbs, a bulb auger like the ones offered by Power Planter, gets the job done quickly and easily.
Space your daffodils about two bulb widths apart. You may also want to mix your planting design with other bulbs. As you would with perennials, planting in drifts, in odd-numbered groups of five or seven, makes for a lovely display.
Plant your bulbs around perennials that back completely in the fall. The daffodils will start coming up in spring, but then as they yellow and fade, the foliage from other perennials will start filling in to cover it up.
