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Daffodils
Ailano4
Posts: 1
I'm loosing the will. I've just moved into my house 5months ago. There seems to be lots of advice that I can't decide what I should do. My garden is large and the daffodil display could have competed with any park. How do I know when the foliage is ready to cut off? I've read a number of things about cutting the old heads off so I didn't should I have cut them off?
I'm a veg gardener and out of my depth. I moved in and cut everything bushy to the floor and my daughter was horified. It's all come back with a vengeance so I obviously didn't do any harm.
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Posts
Hi Ailano. The flower heads should have been removed as soon as they faded, thus preventing seed production and encouraging the bulbs to bulk up for next year's display. The leaves should not be cut off at all. Eventually they will go all limp, brown and shrivelled and that is when they should be removed. A gentle tug will let you know. If they come off easily thats good. If they resist a bit leave a little longer.
Remove all the heads as the nutrients just back into them. If you want, water with some general plant food. Leave the foliage until it goes brown then you can easily pull it up and compost. It will look a bit unsightly but you will be rewarded (hopefully) with a lovely display next spring
You don't need to dead head and the foliage will go yellow and floppy. When it starts to come away from the bulb easily you can get the mower out
Relax
The best thing to do in a new garden is not a lot
Keep the grass cut, wait to see what comes up or out and try to identify it (Ask on here)
Find out about your soil and sunny/ shady bits.
Start a compost heap.
When you have some idea what you have got, you can decide what stays, what goes, and what needs moving to fit in with your plans. Autumn is a good time to move plants in the wrong place and plant new ones.
If in doubt, ask on here.
Enjoy
Last edited: 31 May 2016 11:55:26
Also as soon as you have removed the old dead Daffodil leaves, hoe gently over the soil to fill in the hole left by the leaves coming away. That hole is where Narcissus root fly adults get access to the bulb to lay their eggs. Fill it in and they go elsewhere.