Daffodils.

anniedt

For Spring flowering last year I planted 5 or 6 'Red Devon' daffodil bulbs in a pot and they were wonderful.  This year, I have one flower.    In the autumn I bought 2 packs of 'King Alfred', 10 bulbs in all, and planted them in a new raised bed.  I have two flowers.  Is it a bad year for daffodils?

Fairygirl

There could be several reasons for under performing. 
Did you allow them to die back completely? Did you give the potted ones some food while they dies back, to help build up the bulbs for this year? They need the soil/compost refreshed when in pots too, as they don't have access to the same amount of nutrients that they can get in the ground. 
Have they been overwatered, and rotted? It's worth taking a look. Some can withstand more water than others. I've lost a few this year to rotting. it can be difficult here anyway, and some are fonder of a drier soil. 
Were the King A. bulbs of a good size? Smaller bulbs don't flower so readily. 
Were they planted deeply enough too? 

Mr. Vine Eye

I’ve had the same, The daffodils I planted as bulbs in autumn 2018 grew and flowered last spring, but this spring only 1 of them has flowered. I let them completely die back last year before tidying them up.

the new bulbs I planted at my allotment for this year are all flowering. 

Dovefromabove

Mine are flowering well ... I deadhead and feed after they’ve flowered, and then I make sure they have a really good soaking. The soil down below the surface was very dry last year, resulting from the drought in 2018. 

And make sure they’re planted deep enough. 

🤞 

Fairygirl

If they've been planted too shallow, many will certainly have dried out in those long dry periods @Mr. Vine Eye, or they may just have become too dry anyway, and not had enough oomph for this year.
Too dry for a long time is never a problem here, but that's why it's hard to pinpoint problems exactly because of regional differences in conditions. Rotting is more of an issue for me, but pot conditions are always different from the ground too.
Too dry and too wet often result in the same problem though. @anniedt has had difficulty with newly planted ones though, so more info needed. 

PurpleRose

I have had a good crop this year although  few have just drown the leaves and a couple have rotted. 

Can I ask, what do you feed them with after they have bloomed?

Thanks 😁

Dovefromabove

I use Fish, Blood & Bone and water it in well. 

PurpleRose

Dovefromabove said:

I use Fish, Blood & Bone and water it in well. 

Thank you. I will give that a go

Dirty Harry

Any ones I planted last Autumn have done well this spring but the ones I planted in the ground in 2018 are either late or very poor.

anniedt

Some interesting comments, thank you all for responding.  I think drying out may have been a problem with the 'Red Devon' bulbs in a pot and I will certainly feed them this year with Fish, Blood & Bone.  I think I will also take them out of the pot and re-site them in the raised bed.  Regarding the newly planted 'King Alfred' in the raised bed, I'm pretty sure I planted them deep enough and, although we were away quite a lot, we do have an irrigation system.  So I will watch both lots more closely in the coming year and make sure to feed them.  Thank you all again.