I show and grow my daffodils in the Mid Atlantic Region of the United
States. Here, we are blessed with an excellent climate for
growing all divisions of daffodils with the exception of some of the tender
paperwhites and species daffodils from the Southern tip of Spain and Northern
Morocco.
We are, however, cursed with generally poor hard
packed red clay soil. I tell new gardeners that they have to "bring their own
soil" to garden here. That means hauling in topsoil or doing
major improvements to the soil to sustain a thriving garden.
The Mid-Atlantic Region is located generally within the horticulture Zone 7,
with some touches of Coastal Zone 8 along the Atlantic Ocean coastline,
and some
Zone 6 in the mountainous region to the west. The soil
is mainly acidic, hard packed red clay that requires considerable amendment to
grow good gardens and daffodils. All thirteen divisions of daffodils are grown in zone 7, including many
miniatures,
in outdoor home gardens without the benefit of green houses. When going to
many
of the Mid-Atlantic Region daffodil shows each
year, there are a noticable outstanding assortment of divisions: 1 trumpets;
2 large cupped; 3 small cupped; 4 double; 6 cyclamineus; 7 jonquil;
9 poets; and, 11 split cupped daffodils. These divisions strive under
our generally mild to cold climate and growing conditions and reproduce
well when planted
in amended well-drained soil.
The red clay has a tendency to create an early season
"bathtub" effect and must be well drained to reduce the damage from basal
rot when the roots stay wet too long. To get the drainage needed,
many plant in beds that are raised by heaping the soil a few inches
above the surrounding area. Along the eastern Atlantic Ocean shoreline of the Mid Atlantic Region
the upper divisions do very well, specially the divisions 7 Jonquils and 8
tazettas, while the division 6 cyclamineus seems to not do as well in the
dry soils. The Mid Atlantic region also produces an abundance
of divisions 5, 8, 10, 12, and 13. Division 5
triandrus daffodil is harder to grow as it requires well-drained soil and
to be dry in the summer. However, I find that the hybrid division 5 does
fairly well and multiplies in well-drained soil. The problem, if you can call
that a problem, is that the Mid Atlantic region experiences a high amount of rainfall
in the summer. The division 6 cyclamineus
can live in soil that is damp (not wet) all year around. Cyclamineus is
happiest in soil that doesn't go dry during the summer months. It does
however like
acid, which I write off to it's family, Pseudonarcissus, that all seem to
like a little acid. The division 8 tazetta's heartier
hybrids grow well in the Mid-Atlantic, however the tazettas listed as
"paper-whites" do not survive. There are two many tazettas to name, however
one of the most successful tazetta's here is ‘Falconett' and another is 'Castanets'.
Many of the
tazettas will come up in the fall and get caught by the winter freezes,
causing the foliage to die. The tazetta is tough, and will grow some additional
foliage the next spring and bloom year to year. The division 10 bulbocodiums like it warmer than they generally get in the
Mid-Atlantic region. Some like ‘Kenellis', and the Golden Bells Group do
very well here. Many of the hybrid miniature bulbocodiums are so early
that they will bloom in the late fall and early winter, and get caught up
in our winter weather cycle again, like the tazettas. That also applies
to many of the species
narcissus (daffodils) in Division 13, specifically bulbocodiums, jonquilla,
tazetta, and triandrus. The miniature hybrid daffodils grow well in the Mid Atlantic Region, but
need just a little protection. With the
exception of the before mentioned hybrid bulbocodiums crossed with other
"warm" weather bulbocodiums such as those currently popular from our
down-under friends. Hybrid species daffodils that are crossed with
the traditional standard or miniature Division 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9
do well here, as the crossing with the standards give them the vigor
to survive the winters.