DAFFODILS: A breath of spring
Mar. 9, 2024 Gardeners’ Dirt
by Brenda Heinold/Victoria County Master Gardener
Dutch Master daffodils may be planted as annuals or, perhaps, short-lived perennials in the Victoria area. Photo by The Southern Bulb Co.
Although it does not sport the huge yellow blooms of more commonly recognized Dutch Master, Grand Primo daffodils will rebloom reliably for Victoria gardeners. (PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM SOUTHERN BULB CO.)
Ice Follies, planted in December, began blooming in mid-February, providing a welcoming border for a brick walk. PHOTO BY VICTORIA COUNTY MASTER GARDENER BRENDA HEINOLD
Like the Grand Primo daffodil, this Italicus daffodil is a Narcissus tazetta. It sports many blooms on a single stalk and returns reliably year after year. As a bonus, it has a wonderful, sweet fragrance that is not overpowering. (PHOTO BY THE SOUTHERN BULB CO. USED WITH PERMISSION)
Nothing symbolizes spring quite as well as early blooming daffodils.
They have inspired writers and poets for centuries.
In his poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” William Wordsworth describes how the mere memory of daffodils lifts his spirit. A field of 7,000 blooming daffodils marks the end of a harsh winter and announces the rebirth of the spirit in the movie “Dr. Zhivago.” Who can forget the look of joy on Dr. Zhivago’s face as he marvels at the sight of yellow daffodils waving in the breeze?
Although the daffodil is a well-known symbol of spring, it is hard to pin down exactly what it is. “Daffodil” is the common name for several plants in the genus Narcissus, which also contains jonquils and narcissus (spelled with a lower case “n”).
Daffodils are characterized by a trumpet shaped flower consisting of six tepals surrounding a central cone or trumpet shaped structure known as a “corona.” Most of us think of daffodils as yellow flowers, but they can also be white, orange, pink, or a combination of those colors.
Daffodils grow and multiply from bulbs. Bulbs are specialized roots that store food to be used throughout the growing and blooming season. The bulb first sends up slender leaf blades followed by a flower stalk in late winter or early spring.
PLANTING AND GROWING DAFFODILS
Purchase your daffodil bulbs as soon as you see them offered, even as early as August or September. You can store them in a cool location until planting them in November or December.
If planted too early, fall’s warm temperatures will encourage growth that can be killed by later frosts. Planting them too late will cause the bulb to grow roots, foliage, and flowers at the same time, negatively affecting all of them.
To plant, dig a hole in a sunny location. The depth of the hole should be about twice the diameter of the bulb. Incorporate some bonemeal with the soil and place the bulbs, pointy side up. Planting several bulbs in the same hole about 2-4 inches apart creates a pleasing display. Keep them well watered.
The flower stalk appears usually in mid-February, and the blooms will last for several weeks. After the flowers die, do not cut the foliage if you want them to come back the following year. Let the foliage die naturally.
VARIETIES FOR THE VICTORIA AREA
Chris Wiesinger of The Southern Bulb Company advises that Victoria’s Zone 9 climate is a harsh one for most daffodil varieties. Although daffodils are perennial bulbs in cooler climates, our springs and summers are too warm for most daffodils.
Even so, we can grow yellow, traditional-looking daffodils if we treat them like annuals, replanting fresh bulbs each season. Wiesinger recommends you look for the largest bulbs you can find of either Carlton or Dutch Master varieties.
If you are lucky, those varieties might even produce a second year of blooms. I have found that Ice Follies and other widely available varieties will also bloom well as annuals.
On the other hand, if you want daffodils that will rebloom each year without needing to be replanted, consider the Grand Primo or Italicus varieties.
These varieties do not have the traditional yellow blooms that most of us associate with daffodils. Instead, their flowers have white tepals surrounding a smaller yellow corona. Either variety will provide years of blooms.
If you would like to see daffodils blooming in masses, take a trip to the piney woods of East Texas. There, the daffodils bloom in almost every yard and around abandoned homesteads. You might even consider visiting Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Farm near Gladewater that has 900 acres of naturalized daffodils, just enough to lift anyone’s spirits!
REFERENCES:
Everything You Need To Know About Daffodils for Your Garden at Southern Bulb Co.
Dale Groom’s Texas Gardening Guide Revised edition Cool Springs Press
Rodriguez, David. “Fall Bulbs: Buy Them Now, Plant Them Later, and Let Them Bloom Next Spring”. Extension Education in Bexar County.
The New Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden found on Facebook
The Gardeners’ Dirt is written by members of the Victoria County Master Gardener Association, an educational outreach of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension – Victoria County. Published in The Victoria Advocate. Mail your questions in care of the Advocate, P.O. Box 1518, Victoria, TX 77901