This year, it seems spring is three whole weeks late. But it is, finally, in full swing: hundreds of daffodils planted alongside my drive are in glorious bloom.
I need clear signs of spring to help me to recover from a gloomy winter. This year, it seems spring is three whole weeks late. But it is, finally, in full swing: hundreds of daffodils planted alongside my drive are in glorious bloom.
The daffodil display is lovely, but there is a problem I need to address. The soil along the drive is thin and inclined to get compacted, and some clumps are rather congested. A few bulbs are producing leaf and no flower, a phenomenon known as 'blindness'. But, if I act swiftly, I can resolve the problem by next year, or the year after at worst.
Those bulbs have simply used up more of their 'resources' than they can afford, and need a bit of help. So, I'm resolving to:
i) Feed them at the roots.
ii) Spray the foliage with a foliar feed when the blooms have faded.
iii) Mark the worst affected clumps with a short cane (ready to be divided and replanted in the autumn).
This regime won't prevent delivery men driving (unwittingly) over inconspicuous plants, before and after flowering. But it should give my daffodils a much-needed boost. Let's hope I can report on my success next spring!
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