Rows

The row or straight line is a time tested method. It doesn't matter the physical shape of the bed, square, rectangle or oblong. Start from an identifiable point, such as a permanent plant, or landmark, such as a piece of water pipe cut to length and pounded into the ground. Plant the bulbs in a row six inches apart, in a straight line across the width of the bed, regardless of how many bulbs it takes to fill in the row from start to the end. The rows should be a minimum of ten inches apart, and would be best at twelve inches apart.

I firmly believe in the plot plan or the mapping method, regardless if labeling at the time of planting or not. I know a number of people who are just devastated because someone came by, and as a prank, removed all their labels leaving them totally in the dark as to what the daffodils are. Use blot plans and label if you must, however, with or without labels, with a plot plan, you can recover your daffodils. See more about this subject under title Labeling.

It is important to keep "order" in the planting to avoid confusion during digging. Keeping the rows in straight lines will reduce the possibility of mixing bulbs. On the second and all succeeding rows, make sure the width measurement (10 or 12 inches between rows) starts with the location of the first bulb and the last bulb. A method is to draw a line from the first to the last bulbs and plant all other bulbs in that straight line between the two.

Making a Planting Aide

A simple method to solve the width of rows issues is to use string on stakes driven into the grown that outline the length and wide of the bed (in other words form a rectangle with the string tied to stakes). The width of the stakes should judge the rows across the bed, and the length of the stakes should judge the length of the overall bed. Use a ruler or a eight inch wide by five foot long strip of plywood as a ruler. Place the plywood/ruler across the width of the bed under the string and mark the location where the string crosses the plywood on both ends. Next mark the plywood ruler at each six inch interval starting at where the string crossed the plywood, all the way across to the second string mark.

The eight inch wide plywood ruler also accomplishes a secondary purpose that eases planting. If rows are to be 10 inches wide, the eight inch plywood allows for a perfect measurement between rows allowing two rows to be planted without moving the marker. A bulb planted in the standard two inch wide hole will have one inch space on each side of it. Therefore, an eight inch marker and a two inch hole on both sides of the board, makes a perfect 10 inch separation of rows.

A similar method for use on raised beds is to mark the sides of the raised beds with a marker pen or paint. Using the same plywood ruler as described in the above paragraphs, one simply uses the marks instead of the strings and place the plywood ruler between the marks and the six inch apart locations for planting daffodils are immediately determined. Please note that some adjustments may have to be made in the plywood ruler uses as a marker, e.g., I use a separate one for my framed beds than I do for my beds directly in the ground. The reason is that I use five foot wide framed beds (nine daffodils in a row) that require slightly different six inch interval patterns than the four foot wide unframed beds (seven daffodils in a row).

Planting in a Square or Triangle

My neighbor, a Washington Daffodil Society board member, is the typical planter in the square or triangle planting method. He does everything from a plot plan and refuses to label, saying; "it's a waste of time and effort." He goes on to say; "labels are for visitors," and he doesn't want them in his daffodils anyway. "They can stand to the side and admire them from a distance." He raises his daffodils in wooden frame beds, more so than raised beds. The frame is marked with a notch painted black along both the length and the width at twelve inch intervals. He uses a string to match up the marks and turns his beds into small one foot square plots. The daffodils are planted in the one foot plots to the left and behind the mark, and never more than four of each variety. With four bulbs, he plants them in a six inch square (six inches from each other) in the middle of the foot square plot. With three bulbs he plants in a triangle, like planting the four, except leaving out the top left hand side bulb. When planting just two bulbs, he uses the same method, planting the two bulbs on the right and leaving out the two places for bulbs on the left. One bulb is planted on the bottom right. "This way," as he states, "I never have to try and remember where the bulbs are; they are always in the same place within each foot square plot."

Please note that when this person goes out to select flowers for the show, or bulbs for digging, the plot plan is always present and referenced at all times. The plot plan is effective and there is no problems with mislabeling flowers for the shows.

While visiting other gardens, I've noticed that labels are often used as a location point, or starting point with the daffodils planted in a definable method using the label as the base. Generally, the method was the same or the same principle of my neighbor's. This leads to the conclusion that, regardless of the method used, the established daffodil growers use a definable pattern in planting their daffodils. It's very useful in locating the flowers for show, and the bulbs when digging.

Planting the daffodils in small groups or clumps of three to five brings the best presentation of the daffodils to the garden, and allows for ease of marking and location. However, for efficiency of growing, the rows make the best use of the available space.