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 distributed in south-western Europe and north-western Africa. However, these Easter heralds have long been at home in our gardens. How popular the daffodil is is shown by the fact that there are now 24,000 cultivated forms.

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

Planting daffodils: The right planting time

The narcissus is a bulb flower. It forms an onion as a storage organ, which it brings over the winter. All other plant organs die off. Daffodil bulbs are planted in September. This allows the first roots to form before the first longer frost. If necessary, planting is also possible in the 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 mixed with sand; neutral pH
• Planting hole: two to three times as deep as the bulb is high
• Planting distance: 12 to 15 cm
• Place the onion in the planting hole with the tip up
• Fill the planting hole loosely with soil

Only too heavy garden soils are mixed with sand. A slightly deeper planting depth makes the bulbs less likely to dry out. After planting, it should be watered thoroughly - this accelerates root formation.

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

Plant daffodils: in beds or in pots

If you pay attention to the right location and take everything important into account when planting, the 15 to 40 cm high plants feel comfortable almost anywhere. They can be planted in beds, pots, meadows, lawns or rock gardens. An Easter without daffodils in the garden would be hard to imagine.

• Plant the bulb as described in "Planting Daffodils: The Right Procedure".
• Location: sun to semi-shade
• Moist soil and sunny in spring, dry in summer

Plant daffodils in the bed

Planted in the bed, they are one of the first flowers in the starting blocks. Along with other early bloomers such as crocuses (Crocus), snowdrop (Galanthus), lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), daylilies (Hemerocallis) or lungwort (pulmonaria) you can already declare war on winter in February. Some varieties such as cyclamen daffodils (Narcissus cyclamineus) or trumpet daffodils are easy to naturalise. These varieties multiply independently and thus spread all by themselves.

Plant daffodils in pots

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

• Pot with mixture of Plantura organic potting soil and fill with sand
• Plant the bulb as described in "Planting Daffodils: The Right Procedure".
• Location: dark place at 4°C
• Just keep the soil moist
• From germination outdoors or other brighter, cooler locations
• water well, but no waterlogging

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

Repot daffodils

After the plants have wilted, when all above-ground parts have died, the bulb is removed from the ground and dried. The bulbs are planted again in autumn.

Propagate or buy daffodils yourself

After a couple of colorful years, the flowering power decreases. Now you can decide whether you want to take care of the propagation of your bulb flowers yourself or simply buy new bulbs. There are many varieties of brown onions available in specialist shops. If you want to multiply yourself, proceed as follows:

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

When dividing, a piece of the bottom plate of the onion must remain on the daughter onions. There the suction root is formed. Propagating your daffodils yourself by dividing them does not mean much effort. You can also sow daffodils yourself. However, it takes up to seven years for the daffodil to flower for the first time.

Daffodils: variety in flower color and flower shape

The origin of our word narcissus is just as unusual as its trumpet-shaped flower. In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hero who was so enamored with his own beauty that he wanted to embrace 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 structure of the flowers characterizes the 12 groups of daffodils. The various flowers smell intense. Nevertheless, they are unsuitable for a bee pasture due to their flowering time. If you want to support the bee populations in your own garden, take a look at our article on them 10 Most Bee-Friendly Plants past.

Growing Daffodils: Proper Care

Once the bulbs are in the ground, you can enjoy the daffodil bells with almost no further action. 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 unnecessarily invest energy in seed formation, the flower stem is removed after flowering. Only remove the leaves when they have yellowed. Nutrients are transferred to the bulb during wilting. The onion gets through the winter with better care. When planting in the lawn, you should wait until the leaves have withered before mowing for the first time.

Water and fertilize daffodils 

When watering, it is important to note that the soil must not be too dry over a longer period of time. Waterlogging should be avoided because of the risk of fungal infection with Fusarium. However, for a bulbous plant, the daffodil is very tolerant of wet conditions.

As with other early-flowering bulbs, fertilization takes place in the spring when the leaves sprout. It is fertilized with a primarily organic organic fertilizer or mature compost. Our Plantura organic flower fertilizer long-acting is an excellent choice for daffodils.

Summary Growing Daffodils: Proper Care

• Remove flower stem after flowering
• Remove leaves only after they have wilted
• Pouring: No waterlogging, no dry balls
• Spring: Primarily organic fertilization when leaves sprout