It's easy to plant bulbs after the soil has been properly prepared. The process is simple, using a tool of your choice, dig a hole in the ground and add the bulb so that the top of the bulb is approximately six inches below ground level; less for smaller varieties. There are specially made planters of various sizes that will "punch" holes in the ground, shovels and trowels for scoping out the holes, and gardening "drill bits" that will "drill" the bulbs into the ground.
However, before getting that trowel in hand and grabbing a bag of bulbs and labels, there are factors other than one's desire to grow a cultivor that caught their eye. Those factors are the type bulbs to plant in your area, and where the daffodils are to be planted. It is reported that some California areas have a hard time growing Division 6 daffodils and white trumpets because of the hot summers. In the warmer climates, such as Florida and the extreme southern belt, certain daffodils will not tolerate the climate. It has already been mentioned that the bulbs need to go into a well drained area, however, what was not mentioned in detail is the shade factor and the differences in the individual daffodils needs.
The American Daffodil Society and the daffodil net are good sources to determine what type daffodils will grow in your area. In the Mid Atlantic states, where I grow my daffodils, most any type daffodil will grow well, "if." It's the "if" that one has to learn in their particular area. Here are some of the ifs of growing daffodils in the mid Atlantic states:
1. White trumpet daffodils and just about any white division two daffodils need extra good drainage. In addition, give April Love, Akepa, Foundling, Ice Chimes, Lemon Silk, Pink Silk, and Ocean Breeze extra good drainage. Some plant these with a miniature dry well of "gravel grit" under the bulb.
2. Division 6 daffodils will take more moisture than most, and are good candidates for planting in your wetter areas. However, they do need dryness in the summer to go dormant.
3. Tazettas, or Division 8, (except along the Atlantic Coast line) either does not want to die in the summer, or will try to "put up" foliage in the fall and bloom right after Thanksgiving day. Either way, the winter freezing will kill back any foliage or blooms. If they don't put up buds before freezing, my Tazettas will bloom the following spring, but may be ragged, discolored and not of show quality. My solution is to dig them each year. The first year back into the ground, they bloom about the same as early to mid season daffodils.
4. Division 3 daffodils are generally mid to late season, with some exceptions. If you want to show your division 3 daffodils, be prepared to drive north, usually after your local daffodil show is over. Division 3 daffies are bright and cheerful, with the whites being almost pure white and, in general, good show flowers. I find it worth the drive.
5. If your soil is hard packed red-clay, be prepared to improve the soil, or expect your daffodil show flowers to be "hit or miss." Meaning not consistent, as some years they will expend more effort than others just to get out of the ground.
Shade Factor
The rule: Daffodils should not be planted in an area where they will be shaded most of the time. I've read that one shouldn't plant under evergreen trees, or under the "drip" of any tree, or on the shaded side of the home or buildings. However, the practical side of this is a little more difficult than it first appears. One has to work with space they have, and in most cases on a lot that was not originally designed to support daffodils, but to maximize the profits of a builder that sub-divided the area. In other words, "we have to dance with the ones that brung us," as quoted from Darrell Royal, the former football coach at U. Texas.
Planting under low growing evergreen trees that provide constant shade is not a good idea, and you can bet that you bulbs will not produce after a few years. Its a good rule of thumb to go by, but not the last word. Planting under the "drip" or under the limb spread of a tree is, under certain applications may be outside the rule. I have, and still do, successful grown show quality daffodils under, one, a tall pine, and two, a tulip poplar. To accomplish this, first, the trees are trimmed of all limbs to a height of 30 to 40 feet; second, the daffodil beds are located on the south side of the tree with no other sun obstructions; and, last, they receive a full dose of morning and afternoon sun, with only a couple of hours around noon that they are shaded.
Other daffodils beds in my garden do not receive direct sunlight until after 9:30 in the morning and are shaded again by 3:00 in the afternoon. The shade is provided by deciduous, or hardwood trees, that do not produce foliage until after or around the time of full bloom. By digging time, the trees are in full leaf, and are provide very nice shade for digging work parties. The daffodils produce show quality daffodils, consistently, year after year.
However, because our house faces the north, we cannot grow daffodils in the totally shaded north beds that visitors see when they first arrive. I've been asked, "where are the daffodils? I thought you were the Washington Daffodil Man." It's when I take them out back that the question is answered in quantity and quality. With that in mind, I can summarize that one has to select daffodils with their sunny garden in mind, and in which their garden will support.
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This page last updated on January 26, 2002.