It is wonderful and rewarding to plant daffodils in a wooded area; the leaves are not yet on the trees when they come up allowing for ample sunlight to encourage their growth.  Scattered in the woods, the plain yellow daffodils will show off very well, offering you a vision of what is yet to come when Spring is in full bloom!  Areas that are covered with creeping Veronica, Vinca, Ivy and the like will brighten even more when Daffodils are planted in between.  These areas are like heaven for the daffodil bulbs since they shade the soil during the hot summer days.

Daffodils come in such wide variation that they are classified into 12 main categories (9 of which are described below)...from wild species to the large trumpets and everything in between!  One of the most popular groups is the Trumpets, whereby the cup is equal to or larger than the petal segments and they have one flower per stem.  Rijnveld's Early Sensation is the very first one to bloom.  Next is the group of the Large Cups of which the cup is more than one third, but less than equal to in length of the petals and also have one flower per stem.  The Small Cups are the next group and their cup is not more than one-third the length of the petals and they have only one flower per stem as well.  Double Daffodils can have one or more flowers per stem and consist of a double flower.  Tazettas have clusters of many, extremely fragrant flowers and can easily be forced to bloom early.  A Poeticus variety is Actaea, also know as the Dogwood Daffodil, which is fragrant and has a small, red-rimmed cup.  Some groups that are excellent for rock gardens are the Cyclamineus, which have 2 to 3 pendulous flowers with reflexed petals, and Jonquilla, which have multiple, small flowers on a single stem.  They are well known for their fragrance as well.  Finally, the Triandrus Daffodils have 2-3  pendulous flowers per stem.

We would encourage you to try forcing some of the smaller varieties in pots this winter...you will see how much you can enjoy them indoors while waiting for Mother Nature to get Spring into action.  You can find more forcing information in our last newsletter.

*  At planting time to help the bulbs make a good root system

*  Right after the shoots emerge out of the ground to help make the stem, foliage and flowers

*  Right after flowering to make new bulbs and assist in multiplying

We suggest using a slow release fertilizer that will work for several months; it may take longer to be available to the plant, but it provides a more constant source of nutrients to the plant.  This also means that less nutrients are left over to leach into the soil and ground water.  Try not to use any water-soluble fertilizers as although they tend to be inexpensive, they leach quickly into the ground.  Also, be careful with the nitrogen content as too much will easily burn the root system.

As an alternative to "store-bought" fertilizers, you can also use some organic fertilizers such as bone meal, cottonseed meal, and cattle and chicken manure.  Cottonseed meal can be used on plants that thrive on high acid soil.  Cattle and chicken manure needs to be held over for a year before using.

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