Typically planted in the fall for spring bloom, many daffodil types will readily naturalize in a lawn or woodland area, gradually creating a blanket of spring color. They can also work well for filling garden spaces that are empty in spring but will be filled in as late spring and summer perennials mature. Another bonus is that deer shy away fromdaffodil blooms and will rarely, if ever, damage them. Reproduction through seed is very difficult and slow with both mini and regular daffodils, so rather than letting the plant waste energy on this, we want to focus all of its energy on further developing its bulb.

You can begin deadheading daffodils by cutting the flowerhead from just behind the bulbous seed-head. You then need to wait, wait and wait some more, while the leaves and stems stay in place, for a good six weeks after flowering. 2. Plan for next year The shape of the flower is going to collapse, much like a soggy tissue paper, and the flower itself will start to turn brown. With the passage of time, the whole thing is going to slide off of the stem and will just leave a rounded bulb at the bottom. A few varieties, such as Narcissus 'Pheasant's Eye', can cope with shade, but the vast majority of Daffodils will prefer full sun, part shade or dappled shade.

Prevention Tips

If planting daffodils in turf, ensure you select cultivars suitable for naturalising such as 'Peeping Tom', 'Fortune' or 'February Gold' This is necessary for the plant as we have discussed and can also lead to significant improvements over the course of the next year. You have to be careful about how you deal with the plant, as that’s going to help improve its health as well. Narcissus aren't terribly fussy, but they will prefer a fertile and moist but well drained soil. Avoid soggy, waterlogged soils or very dry conditions. If your soil is clay and rather heavy, or particularly gritty, the addition of some well-rotted garden compost or manure will help to improve the soil texture. You can dig this into the soil before planting. Papillon daffodils — Corona segments are alternate to the tepal segments, usually in one whorl of six. The main thing you will probably do is lift and store the bulbs once they have finished. This will allow you to use the pot or hanging basket for something else whilst also protecting your mini daffodils.

If you want to make a bouquet, you can even cut down the daffodils while they are in bloom from the stem and put them together. It’s a really pretty sight, because the lush yellow flowers look incredibly beautiful. When you cut the daffodils during the blooming season, you might even increase the length of time that the bulbs bloom by up to easily two weeks.If you want to divide large clumps of bulbs then this should ideally be done once the foliage has turned yellow. You can also do it in autumn (if you had previously marked where your bulbs are!). Carefully lift the clump with a garden fork or spade, taking care not to damage the bulbs. Gently ease away the bulbs that you want to relocate and be sure to plant these as soon as possible. The remainder can be replanted in their original hole. Daffodil problems and troubleshooting

Defoliation: Leaves removed soon after flowering by mowing or when tidying up the garden can lead to blindness. As with dryness it prevents the bulb building up food reserves for the future The introduction of daffodils to gardens began in the 300BC. Theophrastus, a Greek botanist and philosopher, described and cataloged many of the earliest known narcissus in his nine-volume “Enquiry into Plants.” The Romans brought daffodils to Britain in search of healing sap, believing the sap from daffodils would be beneficial. Choose varieties which are suitable for indoors growing, such as Narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'Or', 'Avalanche', 'Erlicheer' or paperwhites.If you need an extra incentive to wait, a simple return to biology lessons of days gone by will explain why it’s so important to exercise patience. Remember ‘Photosynthesis’?