There are few flowers as beautiful or as uplifting as the daffodil. The first flower of spring, its gorgeous yellow petals are enough to brighten up even the darkest days as the winter weather disappears and the hours of daylight expand a little.

However, a high number of people do not plant them, preferring instead to stick to year round flowering shrubs and species like pansies and roses that can be bought as full grown plants and are guaranteed to flower year after year. There really is nothing to growing daffodils though so you may want to look into the possibility.

All About Daffodils

Growing daffodils really could not be easier as they are hardy and incredibly easy going, meaning that they are ideal for people that are not used to gardening. It is nearly impossible to kill them. There are also plenty of different types to choose from including the Marieke and the King Alfred.

Although you would expect plenty of yellows when growing daffodils, even with the different species, you could actually have a variety of colours in your garden. There are white, orange, peach and lemon shades of daffodil out there in addition to all of the shades in between so you can coordinate your garden as well.

If you are considering growing daffodils then you may be interested to know that you can grow them indoors and outdoors because they will flourish in both environments. Providing that they have ready access to water and sunshine, daffodils will often prosper regardless of their location indoors or outdoors.

Options When Growing Daffodils

There are actually two ways of growing daffodils – from seed or from bulb. The two choices are completely different because the former is obviously the stage before the latter in the growth of the daffodil and will actively take much longer to grow. In fact, if you choose to plant seeds then you will find it fulfilling growing daffodils from scratch.

However, it can take five years or so to get your seed to bloom into a full daffodil plant. If you choose to plant seeds then you can do so at any time of year but it is advisable to keep them indoors, or in a warm greenhouse to nurture them and keep them away from the elements.

If you decide upon growing daffodils from bulbs then you will need to plant them in fall to ensure that they come up in spring. They are resistant to frosts and snowfall in winter so they will be more than ready to come up when the sunshine and temperatures increase.

You should plant bulbs around 6 inches underground with the point of the bulb at the top to ensure that daffodil can get plenty of sun when growing upwards. The drainage in your selected areas of the garden should be good as well.

Daffodil Tips

There are two final but essential tips that you need to adhere to when growing daffodils. The fist concerns planting. Never plant bulbs or seeds too close together. They need their space in order to grow properly. Make sure that they can bloom without competing for sunlight.

The second tip is avoiding cutting the daffodils back after the flowers die. In summer, daffodils will regroup so that they are ready to grow again the following spring. The foliage that is left above ground is designed to gather everything the bulbs need to grow again so let them do that before cutting them back in the fall. Water them and do everything else you need to in order to keep growing daffodils for years to come.

Photo by Dominic Alves, Creative Commons Attribution License