Daffodills

chirpy999

Hi, I have a border about 30 feet by 4 feet which i planted with daffodills and tulips about 18 months ago last spring i had a good display. This year its not looking so good i think about 30% of the daffodills have shown so far and some look like they are just leaves no buds. the tulips are coming through but obviously not as close to blooming. 
So my question is what is the secret to getting the daffs to last more than one season? 
I have lived in this house for 16 years and this has happened in the past good show first year then very poor next year. Also why is it that some road verges seem to have bulbs every year no one cares for them so why do they reappear?

Thanks

Dave

Jason milly

I find that sometimes they are cut back to early before they properly died back I am guilty of this as needing to use the pots they have to make the flowers this year for next year, I would think the ones you mentioned about that are leafed to there own devices are thriving due to nobody intervening with them. 

Pauline 7

One thing you must do is to let them die back naturally when they finish flowering.  I give mine an extra feed as they are going over. 

Nanny Beach

Same here, you must leave the leaves at least 6 weeks after flowering, mine sometimes come up blind then the next year they will be flowering.  Agree about the roadside, in our village, there are masses on the grass verges, very unfair!

Busy-Lizzie

Mine do that too. This year they are poor. I think it's because it was hot and dry here in SW France last April so they didn't have enough water when the leaves were dying down. Also this year there has been a huge amount of rain, some snow and it's been cold.

Mary370

Does anyone know the reason why daffodils are shades of yellow/cream.....why there aren't other colours?

Hostafan1

Mary370 said:

Does anyone know the reason why daffodils are shades of yellow/cream.....why there aren't other colours?

genes: the same reason you don't get red forsythia or red or yellow "bluebells"

Mary370

@Hostafan1......daffodils must be one of only a few groups of flowers which have not been played with in order to introduce new colours 

Lyn

Their working on it, I bought some with pink centres but didn’t like them, just not the same.
Don’t know if these photos work, it’s the best I can do now😱😢

Pauline 7

They opened in a new tab for me Lyn. I don't think they look right, just my opinion.

Mary370

Ohhh they do look nice. ......I'm not a fan of yellow flowers.  I do love seeing the swathes of daffodils on the roadsides and on roundabouts.....but not a fan of too much yellow in the garden.