Daffodil grooming starts at the time picked. Before going to the garden to pick daffodils take a container with about 4 to 6 inches of water in it to use for collecting daffodils.

• Before picking, assure that the daffodil has no mittens, mechanical or other physical damage on the petals, cup and stem.
• Cradle the bloom in your hand so that you can get a good look at the flower to assure that it is symmetrical.
• Don't worry about the bloom not being completely open or if it is hooded. These are correctable. (Keep in mind that some division 1 and 2 daffodils will get bigger if left in the garden a couple of days to mature.)
• Pick the daffodil with stems that are as long as possible. Place the picked daffodil immediately in the container with water and try to keep them in shade.
• Groom as you select

The second step in grooming comes after you have picked the daffodils and have taken them back to your work or grooming area to harden.

• The culling process is necessary as soon as you get the daffodils to your work area. This is where you inspect each daffodil individually and eliminate any that has any mechanical or natural damage and "abnormal" conditions.
• Any damaged daffodils, or anything (including dead) that would make them "not" ideal candidates for the show bench, should be discarded immediately.
• During the inspection make any minor grooming adjustments on the daffodil to assist it in being show ready. E.g., that includes correcting the hooded look, adjusting the cups to make them round, and removing any dirt and pollen.

After the culling process and before hardening, the serious part of grooming needs to take place. The more time taken in this stage to correct your daffodils, the better they will look on the show floor.

• Daffodils are tougher than they look. Don't be afraid to groom them. Take your fingers and gently push the petals back until they begin to look like a "daffodil" should.
• Hold the daffodil between a circle made by your thumb and index finger, with the stem hanging downward. Make adjustments as needed to get the flower looking beautiful.
• Rolled petals can be straightened by constant light pressure with your fingers, as if you were ironing the petal. However, be gentle. Petals are a combination of the front and the back layers. If you are not careful, you can damage by tearing or bruising either layer. A bruised petal destroys the daffodil for the show bench.
• Clock the petals so that the top petal is at twelve o'clock, and the bottom one is at six o'clock. A gentle twist on the head, either clockwise or counter clockwise should do the trick.
• The cup should be round. If not gently squeeze the cup with your fingers so that is takes a round shape.
• The stem should be straight and without flaws and should run directly up to the bottom petal. You should be able to draw an imaginary straight line from the stem straight up to the top of the top petal.
• After correcting, hold the petals or the stem where you want it to stay for a few seconds. Usually, daffodils are very trainable.
• When daffodils are first picked and before hardening, the spath on the neck is soft and flexible. It's part of the daffodil and must stay. If it is pressing against the petals, fold it back out of the way. I've seen the spath become hard and actually punch holes in the petals on the show floor.

The hardening process needs to take place immediately after the above step in grooming. Hardening is part of the grooming as the entire process is to get the daffodil ready for the show bench. The term hardening is used to describe the process where the daffodil "absorbs" a large amount of water into the stem and flower, causing it to in fact become bloated or harden on water.

• Start the hardening process after the primary grooming. The reason grooming should come first is that when a daffodil hardens, it also makes it hard to make the grooming adjustments, because it is "hardened."
• The hardening starts with cutting the stem with a sharp instrument at about 45 degrees. The cutting at 45 degrees helps keep the daffodil stems from splitting and rolling up. I don't recommend scissors as they have a tendency to bruise the cut.
• Place the stems in deep fresh water, I use about 6 inches of water to help the daffodil absorb as much water as possible.
• Daffodils will absorb more "luke" warm water than fresh cold water, however, warm water will cause the daffodil to continue to grow. I pick some of my orange/red cupped daffodils in the bud, put them in a closet with warm water and let them continue to grow. That way the cup does not burn, and the bloom open majestically.
• It may take two to four hours for the daffodils to harden properly. If in doubt that the daffodils have hardened, repeat the process.

After hardening, place the daffodils in fresh cool water and keep them cool until immediately before you pack for the show. Remember the following :

• Every time that you change water, trim the daffodil stems by at least one quarter inch.
• If the daffodils have a few days before you go to the show, put them in fresh water every two days, and cut the stems each time.
• Always, cut the stems again before you put them into the show vessels. Use fresh water as cold as you can get to place your daffodils in at the show.
• Groom again after you have placed the daffodils in the show vessels and before taking them to the show floor. Groom again after they are on the show floor.
• Grooming is a constant requirement all the way up until the point where judging starts.

Last of all, be prepared to change daffodils that you have put up on the show bench prior to judging. After you've put your daffodils on the show bench, look at them again. There's always that one daffodil that looks like it will be the death of your collection. If so, just replace it. Otherwise, it probably will kill the collection.

If these steps are taken your flowers at the show have a chance to "live" through the judging. I have seen so many flowers on the show floor that are judged dead (wilted), that it's not funny. In addition, I've seen shows where half the flowers are dead by the time the public is invited to view the show. Yes, it has happened to me as I have made every mistake that can be made. Now, I take it as a personal insult if my daffodils don't make it through the first day of a daffodil show without dying. I hope you feel the same way.

Good Luck on your gooming.

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For more information, e-mail me at Clay Higgins.