I've been on a bit of a bulb-buying frenzy lately, and have more bags of narcissus than I know what to do with...
I've been on a bit of a bulb-buying frenzy lately, and have more bags of narcissus than I know what to do with.
To celebrate the purchase of my first flat a few weeks ago, I treated myself to some pheasant's eye daffodil bulbs. These are beautiful, scented, white-flowered daffs with dark red, jagged centres. I planted them in a large terracotta pot, next to a few pots of 'Minnow' - a dwarf, creamy-flowered variety with contrasting yellow centres.
Both varieties are quite late flowering in April and May, so to give my bare, new garden a splash of late-winter colour I bought 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'. This is a bright yellow, trumpet-flowered daffodil, which promises to be in flower from January. I thought Narcissus bulbocodium 'Golden Bells' would look good in March, and I couldn't resist the star-shaped blooms of Narcissus 'February Gold'. I think I've just about got it covered.
Daffodils will nearly always flower in their first year, but they need to be planted quite deeply - at least three times their own depth - to get them flowering again. It's also important to remove faded blooms to avoid the plants wasting energy on seed production, then wait at least six weeks before cutting back the foliage, as the leaves convert the sun's energy into food to help the bulb flower the following year.
I've planted most of my bulbs in pots for now, as my 'garden' is currently a series of concrete slabs. I plan to lift the slabs and replant the bulbs after they've flowered. But, seeing as I've run out of pots and still have some daffs, crocus and 200 mixed alliums to plant, I may invest in some aquatic baskets to plant the bulbs in. Once I've lifted the slabs I can dig a few holes and lower them into the ground. My spring bulbs will be none the wiser and look like they've always been there.
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