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What to do with dead flowers/Tulips/Daffodils

DeebugDeebug Posts: 12
in Plants

Hello

I planted lots of tulips and daffodil’s last year, and they have come up and now I have some questions.

1. What should you do when the flowers die?  (do they need digging up etc)

2. Is there any way of preventing daffodils flowers collapsing on their own weight...some of the flowers fall after they get big.

Regards

 D

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Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,639

    Remove the dead flowers and their stems and put them in the compost.  Feed the bulbs with something like blood, fish and bone or pelleted chicken manure so they can fatten up for next year's show and then either leave the foliage for at least 6 weeks before cutting it off or else let the leaves die down naturally whilst other plants appear around them to disguise the fading leaves - assuming you have them in a mixed border with perennials.  If not, just plant small annuals and perennials in amongst them to grow up and continue the flowering succession through the summer.

    The larger flowered tulip hybrids don't always coem again but will if they were planted deep enough.   The smaller species tulips usually flower year after year if the conditions are right for them.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • DeebugDeebug Posts: 12

    That's great many thanks image

  • Mr McGregorMr McGregor Posts: 15

    Thanks also as was searching forvthis question too. As i am new to gardening please excuse the dumb question...Why do we leave the leaves for 6 weeks?

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    Hi Nick, the leaves will feed the bulb ready for next years flowers.  Bulb flowers are produced almost entirely from the stored goodness in the bulb, so if you cut the leaves off straight after flowering, there will be no flower the next year.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Mr McGregorMr McGregor Posts: 15

    Thank you Bob. That makes perfect sense. Much appreciated. Nick

  • Wanna be GardnerWanna be Gardner Posts: 66

    Hi I am  new to gardening as well. My Tulips bulb were bought from DIY store and had a very big flowers and they are not the normal tulip you see in fields of Holland. I planted them in a pot. the flowers are now died do i need to feed the plant and follow as per above to feed them. and at what point shall i dig it out of the pot for storage for next year..

    Many thanks

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,212

    Yes, feed now and wait until the leaves have died down, then dry and clean the bulbs and store cool and dark over Summer for replanting in Autumn.

  • hwadehwade Posts: 5

    I had found this link http://financialinteractive.com/world/12-things-you-can-do-with-old-flowers, I also wants to know how to decompose dead flowers,that's why I search for this.

  • JaynJayn Posts: 6

    I used to tie leaves and stem in a sort of knot above the bulb and when they died they were easy to collect up and were not flopping all over the ground. However I realise this might be a bit over obsessive!  It worked for me though and kept the garden tidy.

  • Michael IzzardMichael Izzard Posts: 1

    Yes but they make the Garden look untidy for six weeks when you need to nurture the next flowers,by this time the wallflowers are allmost finished too.

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