Daffodils

The weather is getting milder and the first of the spring bulbs in my front garden are coming into flower. The main spring bulb in the front garden is the daffodil (Narcissus). Most of the daffodils I grow are varieties of the smaller Cyclamineus Narcissus, which I find grow better in my garden than the larger trumpet daffodils. The bulbs multiply each year if left undisturbed and eventually make large clumps which can be divided once the leaves have died down.

These smaller daffodils are ideal for growing in pots which can be used to fill gaps in the borders. Make sure the pots have good drainage otherwise the bulb roots may rot. Use a soil based compost which will retain moisture for longer and plant the bulbs as deeply as you would in the garden border.

If you want to lift your bulbs after flowering has finished to make room for other plants, a good idea is to plant them in a lattice basket (the type used for pond planting) and bury this container in the soil. When flowering is finished lift the container and replant elsewhere as they need to remain buried while the bulb is still active. Once all the leaves have turned yellow the bulbs can be lifted, dried off and stored until replanting in the autumn. This is also a useful way of keeping track of your bulbs.

The varieties of small daffodils I grow are 'Jetfire' which has yellow outer petals and a bright orange trumpet; and Tete-a-Tete which has yellow outer petals and a golden trumpet. This is a vigorous variety which has up to three flowers per stem.

One larger variety of daffodil which I like to grow, and which does well in my soil, is 'Cheerfulness' which has a sweetly scented double white flower. If you can grow the larger later flowering yellow trumpet daffodils, try planting them behind clumps of blue aubretia. The blue and yellow look particularly lovely together.