Is It Too Late To Plant Daffodil Bulbs?

*Photo By Tyla MacAllister January 2009



If you still have daffodil bulbs sitting in the crisper drawer of your fridge or in bags in your garage you're probably wondering if it's worth it to bother planting them at this late date. Well I say if they are still alive and your ground isn't frozen you should get to digging and get those bulbs in the ground.There is still about 8-10 weeks of cool weather left in the late winter and early spring and this should be enough to get your bulbs growing although it is somewhat of a gamble. Be aware that you might have few or no blooms this year especially if your daffodils are a late blooming type. But it's still better than just letting them wither and die.

For Warm Winter Climates
If you live in a warm Southern planting zone and you have daffodil bulbs that don't require a cold period such as jonquillas or tazettas it's actually an ideal time to plant your bulbs. Trumpet and Large cupped daffodils are more iffy since many of them are already in bloom in the south.If you were smart and put them in the refrigerator they should be fine and will probably bloom in just a few weeks.

If Your Soil Is Wet Or Frozen Plant Your Daffodils In Containers
If your ground is still frozen or if it's too wet and muddy to dig you can plant your bulbs in containers.You can follow these directions for growing daffodils indoors or you can put them outside in a protected area. If you still have a lot of frigid weather left you can pot your bulbs up in containers and cover them with a thick layer of straw or leaves (or let the snow cover them) until the weather warms up. Of course you wouldn't want to use terra cotta or ceramic containers for this.

Make Sure Your Bulbs Are Still Viable Before You Plant
Before you plant your bulbs you need to check and make sure they are still viable. You might want to check out my older post How To Select a Healthy Daffodil Bulb. Basically,you want to make sure the bulbs feel nice and heavy in your hand and are not dried out or mushy. Check also for bruised looking soft spots as this could be signs of a fungal disease. If the bulbs check out health wise you're good to go.

If You Didn't Get Around To Buying Bulbs This Year There's Still Time To Give Some Daffodils A Good Home If You Act Now
If you have seen my Squidoo lenses on Growing Daffodils you may have noticed that there are daffodils offered for sale there. They are offered by sellers on Ebay and Amazon. I didn't realize until a couple of years ago that you could buy live plants on Ebay but you can. I bought over a hundred bulbs on Ebay this year and I was really impressed with the quality. Most of the bulb and plant sellers on Ebay are major retailers that are offering smaller quantities of their surplus stock.

In the interest of full disclosure,if you order from one of my lenses I will get a small commission. Actually Squidoo gets the commission and splits it with me.This is how Squidoo pays their bills and they also give a lot of their profits to worthy charities.

These merchants are offering their final bulbs of the season and they will be gone within days so you have to act now if you want to take advantage of these last minute deals. Yes I would appreciate it if you bought a few bulbs from my lenses but if you can't plant them immediately when you receive them I don't want you to waste your money.

If you would like to take advantage of these time sensitive deals here are the links:

Paperwhite Narcissus Bulbs

Daffodils For Hot Climates

Daffodils For Cold Climates

Growing Daffodils:A Guide For Beginners

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Picture From My Daffodil Garden

I finally got a good camera for Christmas and I was able to get this shot of my Carlton Daffodils. We had low temperatures of 8 degrees for two nights in a row this week and these babies were mostly unfazed.(Those leaves lying on the ground are some outer leaves that got a little frost bitten). I know some of you Northern gardeners are laughing at me right now but 8 degrees above zero is cold for Alabama. We haven't had a night that cold since 2003.

My Ice Follies are peeking through, too. They are in the background of the photo. It won't be long until the blooms arrive. Now that I've learned how to operate my new camera there will be plenty more pictures of my daffodils to come.

Are Your Daffodils Showing Green Shoots Yet?

I know many of you won't be seeing daffodils for weeks yet but for gardeners in the Deep South the early daffodil season has now begun. Some of you have daffodils that are already in bloom. In my own Alabama garden I don't have any blooms yet but the unseasonably warm December caused my early season bulbs to sprout a few weeks early. My Carlton large cupped daffodils and the Tete-a-Tete as well as some of the jonquillas are already showing green.



Make Sure Your Sprouting Daffodils Don't Get Thirsty
So if your daffodil bed is showing green your daffodil growing season is here. Make sure that your bulbs get plenty of water for the rest of the winter and spring. This means that if you don't get any rain or snow you'll need to give your daffodils a good deep watering at least once per week. Daffodils like moist soil while they are growing and blooming.


Should I Feed My Daffodil Bulbs When They Start Growing?
If your bulbs are newly planted you don't need to feed them before they bloom. If your bulbs are well established it helps to give them a dose of bulb food when you see green. You can use a balanced powdered fertilizer or a liquid. Just make sure whichever bulb food you choose is low in nitrogen and high in trace minerals.

If you're using powdered food spread it out at the rate recommended on the package and scratch it lightly into the soil with a small garden fork. Be careful not to damage emerging shoots. Give the bed a deep watering after you incorporate the fertilizer. For liquids you can mix with water at the prescribed rate in a watering can or use a hose end sprayer. Just follow the directions on the package. I encourage the use of organic fertilizers but of course it's your choice what you use in your own garden.

Next, we'll talk about what to do with bulbs you may still have that didn't get planted in the autumn.

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