Daffodil ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Narcissus pseudonarcissus
• Family: Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae)
• Synonyms: Yellow daffodil, daffodil, trumpet daffodil
• Occurrence: Western Europe
• Growth type: perennial
• Growth height: 15 cm to 40 cm
• Flower: single flower, trumpet
• Leaf: lanceolate
• Root: onion
• Fruit: capsule
• Toxicity: very toxic
• Uses: flower bed, potted garden, cut flower

growth

the daffodil is an early bloomer with cult status. The most important plant species within the genus der daffodils (Narcissus) is also called yellow daffodil because it heralds spring with bright yellow flowers. The flower of the year 1981 is native to western central Europe, where it primarily inhabits damp meadows and secluded forest clearings. Wild occurrences are very rare and are subject to strict nature protection. Every year at Easter, large-flowered garden forms transform front gardens and parks into a sea of ​​yellow flowers. The high esteem of the daffodil is based on these characteristics of growth:

• growth type: perennial, herbaceous flowering plant (perennial).
• growth habit: basal leaves from which rises a stiffly erect, stable, biangular stem with a terminal, trumpet-shaped single flower.
• growth height: 15cm to 40cm.
• root: Onion with a corky bottom plate, from which sucking and pulling roots emerge that are up to 30 cm long.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: hardy, long-lived, stable, easy to care for, tolerates pruning, poisonous, easy to spread through daughter bulbs.

Interesting detail about the naming: The genus name is also a term in psychology. Narcissism describes a personality disorder characterized by extreme self-love. Greek mythology tells of Narcissus, a young handsome boy who fell in love with his own reflection and died from this unrealizable love. No body was found at the site of his death, but a yellow flower called a narcissus.

Daffodils - yellow harbingers of spring in the garden

blossom

formative for the appearance of a daffodil are flowers with these characteristics:

• heyday: March and April.
• flower shape: bell-shaped to star-shaped main corolla, trumpet-like, longitudinally folded secondary corolla with ruffled or lobed margin, 6 stamens.
• flower color: bright yellow main crown, yolk-yellow secondary crown.
• special feature: the secondary crown can change color during the flowering period to light yellow, white or orange.
• flower ecology: hermaphrodite
• position: terminal, nodding.
• pollinator: bees, bumblebees, butterflies and other insects.

The secondary crown formed in the course of evolution from former stamens, which grew into a tubular structure. In the period that followed, today's six stamens and the pistil with its three-scarred stylus developed. With this flower modification, the ingenious daffodil pursued the goal of an optimized attraction for potential pollinators. Despite the low nectar and pollen supply, the yellow daffodil is a valuable one due to its early flowering period bee pasture.

Sheet

The angular stem with its decorative trumpet flower is surrounded by basal leaves with these distinguishing features:

• leaf shape: erect, linear to lanceolate, blunt at the upper end of the leaf.
• sheet length: 10cm to 25cm; sometimes as long as the stem.
• leaf color: green
• special feature: about 6 weeks after flowering, the leaves of a daffodil have withered.

Worth knowing for hobby gardeners: The flowering capacity of a daffodil can be recognized by the number of leaves. A flowering size yellow daffodil has four to six leaves. Two to three leaves thrive on young daffodils that are not yet capable of flowering.

toxicity

All plant parts of a daffodil are highly toxic. When consumed in large quantities, the toxins it contains cause severe symptoms of poisoning, such as nausea and vomiting through to symptoms of paralysis, circulatory collapse and cardiac arrest. Unprotected skin contact with the toxic plant sap causes excruciating skin irritation. This contact allergy, which is common among gardeners, is also known as narcissus dermatitis. The highest concentration of toxins is found in the bulbs, as is typical for most amaryllis plants.

fruit

Capsules with three chambers develop from pollinated daffodil flowers. There are numerous black seeds in each chamber. After a maturing period of five to six weeks, the back seams of the capsules tear open and release the seeds. In this phase, a gust of wind or a passing animal is enough for the seed to fall out of its chamber. The seeds of a daffodil are dark and cold germs.

Plant daffodils

The best time to plant daffodil bulbs is from September to November. Good soil preparation in a suitable location and expert planting at the perfect planting depth set the course for a yellow blossom fairy tale in spring. Where and how you daffodils plant correctly, you can find out here:

Location

These are the ideal site conditions for planting daffodils:

• sun up penumbra.
• normal garden floor, ideally rich in nutrients, loose and permeable, with a pH value of 6.5 to 7.
• Top location: on the edge of deciduous trees, fresh and humid in spring and autumn, dry in summer.

Planting – Tips & Tricks

How deep do the bulbs of a daffodil go into the ground? Which planting distance is correct? What to do if the soil does not meet the ideal conditions? The following planting tips provide a compact answer to these and other important questions:

• Mandatory: put on gloves before starting planting work.
• Recommended planting depth: double to triple the height of a daffodil bulb.
• Drainage (recommended): cover the bottom of the planting hole with expanded clay, lava mulch or grit; spread some sand over it.
• Start fertilization: Enrich the excavation of the planting pit with horn shavings or sieved compost soil in a ratio of 3:1.
• Loamy soil: mix 1/3 with sand to improve water drainage without waterlogging.
• Planting distance: 15-20 cm for large varieties, 8-12 cm for dwarf varieties.
• Planting technique: Place the flower bulb with the pointed side up, fill the planting hole with soil, press down and water.
• Extra tip: Mark planting spots with a wooden stick.

Daffodils look best when you plant the bulbs in groups.

digression

Narcissus daffodil difference

Maintain daffodil

The daffodil is easy to care for and can stay in the same spot in the ground for years. A yellow daffodil is watered and fertilized in coordination with the flowering time. Cutting in stages promotes vigorous growth and directs the plant's energy in the direction of an exuberant flowering. The easiest way to achieve vegetative propagation is with onions. Under certain conditions, a light winter protection makes sense. Top care tips for telegram style daffodils:

Don't forget gloves

Before you take care of a daffodil, please put on gloves. If the toxic plant sap comes into contact with your skin, you may experience excruciating itching, painful swelling and other allergic reactions caused by narcissus dermatitis.

Pour

• Keep daffodils evenly moist before and during flowering without waterlogging.
• After flowering in summer, water when the soil is noticeably dry.
• Water daffodils in pots and balcony boxes regularly after a finger test.
• Preferably stagnant tap water, pond water or rainwater use.

Fertilize

• Daffodil in the bed before and after flowering fertilize with compost, guano(€13.00 at Amazon*) or horn shavings.
• Fertilize balcony plants every two weeks from March to May with a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants.

To cut

Two aspects worth knowing about proper pruning care: When daffodils have withered, the remaining nutrients are transferred from the leaves to the bulbs as a nutrient depot for the next year. The daffodil invests a large proportion of its energy reserves in the long ripening period of fruits and seeds, which are then no longer available for the formation of daughter bulbs. How to cut daffodils in an exemplary way:

• Cut off faded flowers as soon as possible.
• Leave the leaves and stems for the time being.
• In summer, cut back completely dead plant parts to ground level.

multiply

The mother bulb of a daffodil produces one or more daughter bulbs. These onions are ideal for simple, vegetative propagation. How to do it right:

1. Dig up daffodils after cutting back close to the ground.
2. Cut off daughter onions with a sharp, sanitized knife.
3. Important: Cut off the daughter bulbs so that they contain a piece of the base plate as a starting point for the suction roots.
4. Dust cuts with powdered charcoal or rock flour.(€19.00 at Amazon*)
5. Replant the mother onion at the previous location.
6. Put daughter onions at the new place or in a pot.
7. Extra tip: by slicing the bulbs of a daffodil like tulip bulbs oversummer above ground, you prevent unwanted, premature budding.

This procedure is recommended every three to four years as a rejuvenation cure so that the yellow daffodil does not become lazy.

hibernate

In the year of planting and in pot culture, the daffodil benefits from a light winter protection. That is how it goes:

• Planting site in the bed mulch with autumn leaves and spruce branches, compost or a coconut disc.
• In regions with mild winters, place the pot and box on wood, cover them with fleece, protect them from the wind and rain.
• Ideally place planters in rough locations in a frost-free, cool and dark winter quarters.

diseases and pests

Daffodils are susceptible to various diseases and pests. Over the years, early bloomers can suffer from exhaustion. The following table summarizes common damage patterns and their causes as well as tips for countermeasures:

Popular Varieties

The daffodil parent was instrumental in these beautiful yellow daffodil varieties:

• Arctic Gold: Ideal image of a well-formed trumpet narcissus with golden yellow flowers on sturdy stems, beautiful cut flower, growth height up to 35 cm.
• Butterfly Daffodil: Radiant yellow petals on the outside, corolla with slit orange petals on the inside, flowering period April to May, height of growth up to 35 cm.
• Tenby daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus ssp. obvallaris): historic daffodil, bright yellow trumpet flowers, height 20-30 cm.
• Jonquilla Narcissus: Accidental find from 1886 in Portugal with pure golden-yellow trumpet-like flowers that are enthroned in pairs on slender stems, the most beautiful daffodil for the rock garden, growth height 20-25 cm.
• Tete a tete: most popular dwarf daffodil, multiple flowers (2-3 flowers per stem), ideal for pot and flower box,(€36.00 at Amazon*) Growth height 10 cm to 15 cm.

FAQ

What is another name for the daffodil?

The daffodil is also called the daffodil due to the fact that its flowering time is close to Easter. Other names of the early bloomer are yellow daffodil, trumpet daffodil and false daffodil. The botanical name is Narcissus pseudonarcissus because the daffodil belongs to the daffodils genus.

What is the visual difference between daffodils and daffodils?

You have to look closely to tell the difference between daffodils and daffodils. The daffodil is a species of daffodils with bright yellow trumpet flowers in March and April. Linear leaves with blunt leaf ends gather around the erect, angular flower stalk. In addition, there are 60 to 85 other narcissus species with lanceolate, strap-shaped or grassy leaves, variable flower shapes, varied flower colors and a flowering period between April and June.

Are daffodils poisonous?

Yes, daffodils are very poisonous in all parts of the plant. Like all plant species from the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), a daffodil is riddled with toxins. The Poison Control Center of the University Hospital in Bonn lists the most important toxins as the alkaloids lycorine, galanthamine, haemanthamine, calcium oxalate and a previously unexplored bitter substance. The highest concentration of poison is in the onion. Serious to fatal poisoning is usually to be deplored when daffodil bulbs are mistaken for kitchen onions. Experts warn that even daffodil flower water is poisonous.

When should you plant daffodils?

The best time to plant daffodils is in autumn. If the bulbs are planted in the ground between September and November, the first roots will form in good time before winter. If you miss this ideal date, plant daffodils in spring as soon as the ground has thawed.

Which daffodil varieties are suitable for naturalizing in the lawn?

Wild and small daffodils such as Narcissus pseudonarcissus and Narcissus jonquilla var. henriquesii. The varieties 'Dutch Master', 'Golden Harvest', 'Carlton' and 'February Gold' have also proved excellent. In order for yellow daffodils to successfully naturalize in a lawn, please wait with the first lawn cut until all the flowers and leaves have completely withered.

Withered daffodils leave gaps in the perennial bed. What to do?

As early bloomers, daffodils are only a shadow of themselves when in perennial bed the high season begins. With suitable plant neighbors, you can cover up the gaps after pruning the withered flowers and drawn-in leaves. Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are highly recommended for this purpose. While daffodils are in bloom, daylilies begin to sprout their leaves. The flowering period starts in early/mid-June. Beautiful varieties, such as the lemondaylily (Hemerocallis citrina) seamlessly continue the yellow blossom festival.