Daffodils
Evening all,
Towards the end of last autumn I was kindly given a bucket of dug up bulbs that our neighbour no longer wanted. She said the were daffodil bulbs so I planted them in a variety of locations for spring flowering. To a great surprise, some bulbs have come up to be iris' and look great. However, every single daffodil (about 30) have come up blind.
I was wondering if there was a simple answer to this as I am in the initial years of my gardening life. Is daffodil blindness something that comes from not being planted at the correct depth or being mistreated when they last flowered?
Any guidance would be most appreciated.
Many thanks,
Stuart
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Stuart, usually they grow blind if they were previously in a congested clump or if the leaves were tied/prematurely removed. If you let this year's leaves die back naturally, they will build-up the bulbs and I'm sure you will be rewarded with a nice display from next year and onwards.
Hi Bob,
That's great to know, many thanks for the reply.
Stuart
Also did you plant them deep enough? I've replanted some of my blind ones about 4 inches deep and this time they've flowered. Maybe mine needed a years rest, but I think they were too shallow.
Thanks again.
Is this true for tulips as well?
Probably, yes...
I must have planted 3 clumps too shallow as no flowers 2 consecutive years - do i dig them up now, or at bulb planting time? I suspect now would be easier, dont know if i will be able to find them when the foliage has gone.
If you dig them up now you'll damage their roots and they'll suffer. I'd mark them with a cane or something and move them later in the summer when they've died down. Come to think of it, when you see the foliage dying will do.
I think tulips need to be good and deep, Twm, but also need good drainage - a handful of gravel underneath if you have soggy soil.