Plant daffodils and grow them in your own garden

With the first warmer days in early spring, the daffodils sprout and open their flowers. Here you can find out everything about planting daffodils.

Daffodils (Narcissus) belong to the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). The wild species are common in south-west Europe and north-west Africa. However, these Easter messengers have long been at home in our gardens. How popular the daffodil is is shown by its now 24,000 cultivars.

The yellow, white to orange, bell-shaped flowers of the daffodil bloom from February to May and hundreds of them ring in spring in meadows, gardens or city parks around Easter time a. No wonder some people only know daffodils as daffodils.

Planting daffodils: the right planting time

The daffodil is an onion flower. It forms an onion as a storage organ, which it brings through the winter. All other plant organs die. The bulbs of the daffodil come into the ground in September. So the first roots can form before the first long frost. If necessary, planting is also possible in spring.

Planting daffodils: the right approach 

In order for the daffodils to ring in the garden in spring, there are a few things to consider when planting.

• Soil: garden soil possibly mixed with sand; neutral pH
• Planting hole: two to three times as deep as the onion is tall
• Plant spacing: 12 to 15 cm
• The onion comes into the planting hole with the tip pointing upwards
• Fill the planting hole loosely with soil

Only too heavy garden soils are mixed with sand. A slightly larger setting depth makes it less likely that the onions will dry out. After planting, watering should be done thoroughly - this accelerates root formation.

tip: If you want to create optimal conditions for your daffodils, use a high-quality organic soil like our Plantura Organic potting soil.

Planting daffodils: in a bed or in a pot

If you take the correct location into account and pay attention to everything important when planting, the 15 to 40 cm high plants feel good almost everywhere. They can be planted in the bed, in pots, in meadows, in the lawn or in the rock garden. An Easter without daffodils in the garden would be hard to imagine.

• Plant the onion as described in “Planting Daffodils: The Right Procedure”
• Location: sun to partial shade
• Moist and sunny soil in spring, dry in summer

Plant daffodils in the bed

Planted in the bed, they are one of the first flower carriers in the starting blocks. Together with other early bloomers such as crocuses (Crocus), Snowdrops (Galanthus), Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), Daylilies (Hemerocallis) or lungwort (Pulmonaria) you can declare war on winter as early as February. Some varieties such as cyclamen daffodils (Narcissus cyclamineus) or trumpet daffodils are easy to grow wild. These varieties multiply on their own and so spread all by themselves.

Plant daffodils in a pot

A large pot with blooming daffodils makes every house entrance shine. Planting takes place as usual in September. The minimum dimensions for the pot are 25 cm in depth and 20 cm in width. When planting in a pot, the following should be observed:

• Pot with a mixture of Plantura Organic potting soil and fill with sand
• Plant the onion as described in “Planting Daffodils: The Right Procedure”
• Location: dark place at 4 ° C
• Just keep the soil moist
• From germination outside or other lighter, cooler locations
• water well, but no waterlogging

Daffodils can also be used as indoor plants to bring spring into your own four walls. Cooler temperatures around 15 ° C allow the room daffodils to bloom longer. You should also rotate the plants regularly because the flowers face the window.

Repot the daffodils

After the plants have wilted, when all parts above ground have died, the onion is removed from the earth and dried. The bulbs are replanted in autumn.

Propagate or buy daffodils yourself

After a few colorful years, the flowering power declines. Now you can decide whether you want to take the propagation of your bulb flowers into your own hands or simply buy new bulbs. The brown onions are available in many varieties in specialist shops. If you want to propagate yourself, proceed as follows:

• Summer: Take the onion out of the ground and carefully remove the daughter bulbs by hand
• Store daughter tubers in a cool, dry place
• September: Planting of the daughter tubers

When dividing, a piece of the base plate of the onion must remain on the daughter onions. This is where the suction root is formed. It does not take a lot of effort to propagate your daffodils yourself by dividing them. You can also sow daffodils yourself. However, it takes up to seven years for the daffodil to bloom for the first time.

Daffodils: variety in flower color and shape

The origin of our word daffodil is just as unusual as its trumpet-shaped flower. In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hero so enamored with his own beauty that he wanted to hug his reflection in a river and drowned. At the stake he turned into a daffodil.

The flowers of the daffodil range from white to shades of yellow and orange. The flower structure characterizes the 12 groups of daffodils. The different types of flowers have an intense scent. Nevertheless, due to their flowering time, they are unsuitable for a bee pasture. If you want to support the bee populations in your own garden, have a look at our article on the 10 most bee-friendly plants past.

Growing daffodils: proper care

After the bulbs are in the ground, you can enjoy the daffodil flower bells almost without any further effort. With a few simple steps, the Easter heralds usher in spring for years.

Cut daffodils

Cutting is not necessary. So that the plant does not put unnecessary energy into seed formation, the flower stem is removed after flowering. Do not remove the leaves until they have yellowed. When it wilts, nutrients are shifted to the onion. The onion is better cared for through the winter. When planting in the lawn, you should wait until the leaves have wilted before mowing the lawn for the first time.

Water and fertilize daffodils 

When watering, it should be noted that the soil must not be too dry for a long period of time. Waterlogging should be avoided with Fusarium because of the risk of fungal infection. For a bulbous plant, however, the daffodil is very tolerant of moisture.

As with other early-blooming bulb flowers, fertilization takes place in spring when the leaves are sprouting. It is fertilized with a primarily organic organic fertilizer or ripe compost. Our Plantura organic flower fertilizer long-term is an excellent choice for daffodils.

Summary Growing Daffodils: Proper Care

• Remove the flower stem after flowering
• Remove leaves only after wilting
• Watering: No waterlogging, no ball dryness
• Spring: Mainly organic fertilization when leaves are sprouting