Daffodils Mother’s Favorite Spring

Flower

A Special Exhibit for the New Vernon Garden Club

Standard Flower ShowApril 28, 2008

by Denise Bridgens-Collins

Key Information Sources

Daffodils for North American Gardens by Brent & Becky Heath

The Book of Botanical Prints by Basilius Beslar

The American Daffodil Society for all photos except the photo from the 2007 Royal Horticultural Society Daffodil Show

The Royal Horticultural Society

A daffodil by any other name…

Genus: Narcissus ~ the formal Latin

term for the whole genus of these(often sunny yellow) bulbous

plants ofthe Amaryllis family

A daffodil by any other name…

Common name for all members of the genus Narcissus: Daffodil

A daffodil by any other name…

Are “jonquils” daffodils? Yes, and they are the seventh division of the

thirteen divisions of daffodils.

Sometimes daffodils are referred to by those in the

Southeast as “jonquils”.

A daffodil by any other name…

Are “buttercups” daffodils?

Some Midwesterners call daffodils “buttercups”.

Daffodil AnatomyCourtesy of Daffodils for North American Gardens by Brent

& Becky Heath

Best Bloom in Show at the Royal Horticultural Society Daffodil Show, London,

April 3-4, 2007

Division 1: Trumpet DaffodilsRoyal Horticultural Society

Daffodil Trivia or little known fascinating facts

about Narcissus

Great Britain leads the world in the creation of

hybrids & overall production of Narcissus bulbs.

During the depression, daffodils were known as the “poor man’s rose”.

Despite hard times, daffodil farmers found a ready market.

2007 National Gold Winner“Hartlebury”American Daffodil Society

The size of the bulb will often, but not always, determine the number

of blooms.

WendoverDivision 7: Jonquilla DaffodilsAmerican Daffodil Society

Mesa VerdeDivision 12: Miscellaneous DaffodilsAmerican Daffodil Society

Practically speaking, daffodils:

survive in all but the hottest (zone 10) & coldest (zones 1, 2, & 3) of areas.

are tolerant of most soils having good drainage.

Practically speaking, daffodils:

are drought tolerant in all seasons except spring.

are almost pest-free ~ deer pass them by.

Saint Louie LouieDivision 6: Cyclamineus DaffodilsAmerican Daffodil Society

WatieriDivision 13: Species, Wild Variants, and Wild HybridsAmerican Daffodil Society

An important fact

Cut daffodils secrete a fluid that will poison any other type of flower sharing a vase! Mother never mixes her cut daffodils!

But its fine to plant them in the ground next to any other plant.

Plant in the fall when the ground temperature is at or

below 60 degrees F, at a depth of 6 to 8 inches.

Hmmm, they seem easy to grow…and very pretty, so maybe I’ll plant some.

Any advice?

General rule of thumb for larger bulbs (2 to 3

inches in diameter): plant at a depth which

is 3 to 4 times the height of the bulb.

More on planting…

Create a bulb bed by building up the bulb bed

from grade level with hummus-rich soil,

approximately 6 to 8 inches above the surrounding site.

And yet more…

How far apart to plant?

3 X the width of the bulb.

Which end goes down?

How to position the bulb in the ground?

Plant with the bulb base down.

However if you accidentally plant it sideways or upside down, its strong roots will eventually pull the bulb into the correct position.

Cornish CreamDivision 10: Bulbocodium HybridsAmerican Daffodil Society

Q & A

My “easy to grow” daffodils have stopped blooming? What

happened?

Daffodils will cease blooming when the soil becomes deficient in certain nutrients. Top dressing in the fall with a 5-10-12 fertilizer or possibly 5-10-20 (5% nitrogen, 10% potash, 20% potassium) helps.

If you don’t fertilize in the fall, apply spring dressing of water soluble fertilizer (5-11-26 ) between emergence and blooming.

Q & A

My daffodils are looking pale, it seems like they’ve lost their vibrant color. Do I need

new bulbs?

Try this first: Sprinkle a ½ cup of Epsom salts per 10 square feet in the fall or early spring as a top dressing.

No guarantees but this is thought by some to increase the color intensity of those in the red and pink range.

Q & A

My daffodils aren’t reproducing…what should I do?

Fertilize!

Quiz

True or False

1. Deer find daffodils especially tasty.

Quiz

True or False

2. Other flowers do well sharing a vase with cut daffodils.

Quiz

True or False

3. Daffodil bulbs can be planted in spring or fall.

Quiz Answers

1.Deer find daffodils especially tasty.

False

Quiz Answers

2. Other flowers do well sharing a vase with cut daffodils.

False, cut daffodils will poison the other flowers.

Quiz Answers

3.Daffodil bulbs can be planted in spring or fall.

True, but they bloom only in the spring and if planted in the spring, will bloom the next spring.

Bonus trick question coming up next!

For the brave at heart and those

with a blooming sense of humor…

Bonus Trick Question

You have a lovely, small daffodil bed and decide to expand it.

If you carefully plant 5 dozen King Alfred daffodil bulbs under the full moon early one warm and lovely October evening and…

Bonus Trick Question, cont’d

Then, on a whim, plant 3 dozen Blue Giant hyacinth bulbs by tossing them over your left shoulder, in the general direction of the daffodil bed,

then sprinkle with a bulb booster, such as Bulb-tone, and top with good soil and…

Bonus Trick Question, cont’d

they don’t suffer drought in the spring or get dug up by the neighbor's dog (your dog would never do anything like that!)

Bonus Trick Question,

cont’d

in 2 and a half years, theoretically, how many total

daffodils should be blooming in your lovely bulb bed?

Bonus Trick Question, cont’d

Hint: Theoretically, each year a daffodil bulb is in the ground, it

doubles in number.

Answer to Bonus Trick Question

Answer is after the Credits slide.

Mother’s Favorite Recipe: Daffodillies

Dinner rolls, laced with dill weed ~ not daffodils…which is a good thing because daffodil bulbs, if eaten, might make one ill.

1 8 oz. can Pillsbury butterflake dinner rolls, separated into 12 pieces

Combine the following:1 3 oz. package cream cheese, softened1 T butter, softened½ tsp prepared mustard½ tsp dill weed

Place rolls onto cookie sheet and make indentation in the center of each. Fill center of each with a heaping teaspoon of the mixture. Bake for 10-13 minutes at 375 degrees.

Want to learn more?

The American Daffodil Society, www. daffodilusa.org

Books:Daffodils for North American Gardens by Brent &

Becky HeathNarcissus – A Guide to Wild Daffodils by John

BlanchardNarcissus by Michael Jefferson-BrownYearbook-Daffodils by The Royal Horticultural Society

Credits

Daffodils for North American Gardens by Brent & Becky Heath

The Book of Botanical Prints by Basilius Beslar

The American Daffodil Society for all photos except the photo from the 2007 Royal Horticultural Society Daffodil Show

The Royal Horticultural Society

Botanical prints courtesy of The Book of Botanical Prints by Basilius Beslar

Answer to Bonus Trick Question

It depends…

on how many daffodils were pre-existing in the bulb bed.

But, so you don’t feel cheated, see next slide…

Answer to Bonus Trick Question: the math

Here’s an example of how the daffodils would theoretically multiply:

• Let’s say the existing bed has 24 daffodils which bloom 4/08.• It’s now 10/08, you plant 5 dozen (60) more daffodils.

• 4/09: existing 24 daffodils multiply to 48 the 60 new daffodils bloom

• 4/10: the 48 daffodils multiply to 96 the 60 new daffodils multiply to 120

• 4/11: the 96 daffodils multiply to 192 the 120 daffodils multiply to 240

Grand theoretical total of daffodils in this bed on 4/11 is 432.

(192 + 240 = 432)

In one minute this presentation will restart.

Thank you for your attention. I hope you found this presentation interesting and informative.

Denise Bridgens-Collins