To survive winter's cold and summer heat, daffodil bulbs need to be planted deep enough, but not so deep that they expend their entire energies to get out of the ground. Marking the planting locations is critical because daffodils bulbs look alike and the only way we have to know their names, when lifted and thinned, is to mark and label the bulbs. Of course, that brings us to the conclusion that when lifting, or digging daffodil bulbs, the most critical aspect is the planting. Regardless if you label at planting, or make a plot plan, the key is maintaining the names of the bulbs for the span of time that they are in the ground. The bulb circle-of-life, therefore, is the soil, the bulb planting, and the marking.

Well Drained Soil.

We all have heard that daffodils should be planted in a well drained area, such as a hillside or in raised bed. There is some myth. and some fact in that old rule of thumb. The fact that many garden plants plants will "drown" when they stand in water(roots in water) for extended periods of time, including daffodil bulbs. Lake effect areas, and swampy ground that accumulates water or forms puddles on the top of the ground should not be used to plant daffodils. However, moist earth, where the water does not accumulate and form puddles on top of the ground, does not qualify as a lake effect area.

Dry Summers.

The myth, is that good drainage means that moisture is not good for the plants at any time. The fact is that from planting time until the foliage dies back, a constant level of moisture is necessary for the health of the plant. Secondly, the fact is that daffodils need to be dry during the summer months, when they are dormant. The many thousands of years that Daffodils took to establish themselves in the wild, in an otherwise dry summer, has nature to direct them to a dry dormant period. Dry periods during the summer is usually not a problem in most of the United States, as long as daffodils are not planted with other summer flowers that need watering. Normal lawn watering in the middle of summer, when daffodils are in their dormant period, may cause the daffodils to get disease or bulb rot and disappear. The amount of moisture in the soil is consistently changing depending upon the ground water level, with the highest water level occurring in the spring and the lowest in late summer.

The Blessing of the Snow

I've heard it said that the best thing for daffodils is the blessing of a heavy winter snow. The winter snow transforms to water in the spring, and that is the blessing to daffodils. Generally, the melting of snow and early spring rains will cause water levels to be high, and daffodils, being a spring flower take advantage of that spring rain to grow and flower. As a creature of nature, daffodils go into their dormant period when the water level is at the lowest, or in the summer.

Ground Water

The ground water level is not the same in one county or state as it is in another, even in an area as small as your back yard may have a variety of ecological systems. When there is consistent rain or moisture, the water level will be high, and the opposite in dry areas. In Virginia our yard had a small spring on the west side, that drained across to the east and cut the yard in almost two perfectly equal parts. This spring is the head of an eventual small stream that leads to a larger stream. The ground around the spring and it's crossing of the yard produces deep green foliage all summer. In the middle of August when the spring is dry, a six inch deep spade hole in the ground will fill with water within an hour. North of the spring, the ground rises up about two feet and is dry and flat. I raise daffodils on that dry flat terrain, and have to water regularity, as nothing will grow there, naturally, except trees. Even the grass turns brown in the summer.

Raised Beds

To join the endless discussion about raised beds. The standard raised bed is made by the use of some type material to create "boxes" filled with earth for raising of flowers that are above ground level anywhere from a foot to three/four inches. I've seen raised bed made with redwood, salvage railroad cross-ties, pressure treated wood, masonry products, metal, and rubber edging. However, the most simple is to create natural raised beds like American farmers. They create raised beds by plowing a furrow alongside the beds, and flattening the tops of the beds for planting. This method simply pills up the dirt three or four inches above the ground level. When the ground water level resides, the raised beds will be the first to have dry roots. We can create this same effect by pilling the dirt up to a depth of three to four inches above ground level in the beds before planting. One method of doing this is to use a garden rake or hoe to create a furrow between beds, or to create borders around the beds. This furrow or border can be used for a dual purpose, drainage and as a path. The natural bed method effectively raises the bulb three or four inches above it's usual depth and results in improved drainage.

Framed Beds

The method I most often use, other than natural beds, is ten inch pressure treated wood frames. My reasons are not to insure the bed is consistently above ground level, but more to insure that the beds are one, from end to end flat or level and two, has a well defined planting space, and three, separates the bed from grass areas. The trick of using wood frames is to insure that bed is flat or level so that rain will not run off by forming tiny rivers and washing away my soil. Secondly, by being flat, my soaker hoses will water evenly and consistently. Lastly, and important on my scale, the flat frame bed allows me to apply an even coverage of mulch with little effort.

To give away a trick of the trade, another reason for use of wood frames is you can mark the frames on all sides. The marks are valuable for both planting and digging of daffodils. By using a flat edge ruler that reaches from side to side, you can pinpoint the location of any daffodil planted in the frame, with or without foliage or marker labels. I use five foot wide frames, and plant rows across at ten inches apart, and the bulbs in rows six inches apart, or nine in a row. Using my computer, I create a table with nine block across and the appropriate length and write the name of each daffodil into the appropriate block as I place it in the ground. Keep the hand written planting tables for consolidation on your master listing, and for historical value. I would recommend maintaining the hand written planting tables until all the bulbs on the table have been dug.

The Bath-Tub Effect

As to the "bath-tub" effect that I see so often mentioned; its a hoax. I live in an area where the primary soil is hard packed red clay that sets up like concrete under the heat of summer's sun. I'm always getting the question about the bath-tub effect. For those that don't know, the so called "bath-tub" effect is the concern that when one digs into the soil to improve it for the growing of daffodils, that a small pond or lake effect is created, or, if you will, a water holding bathtub. Meaning, that the hole dug into the soil will hold water and that the water will eventually kill those things planted there. The bath-tub theory forgets that red clay soil is not water proof and within itself, absorbs water like a sponge. Actually, when you dig in the red clay and put back good soil or improved soil, you are more likely to create a dry well type effect in mid summer. In the mid-Atlantic states, the ground water level goes from a few inches down in the Spring to a few feet down in the summer, especially in red clay. You never have to worry about it being dry enough in the summer, if you plant in red clay.

Naturalizing in Red Clay

Naturalizing successfully in red clay is a simple task, once you get beyond the bath-tub effect syndrome. Success means, to me, that my daffodils come back each year with more flowers than the year before. The successful method I have used for over seven years to naturalize daffodils in red clay borders is simple. I start with a wheel barrow and a post hole digger. I dig a twelve inch deep, by twelve inch wide, by twelve inch long hole for the daffodils with the post hole digger, carefully placing the removed soil into the wheel borrow. Add in equal parts of peat, and perlite with the dirt in the wheel borrow until the mixture equals one third of each, and blend it and lime all together with a shovel. Next, place fertilizer into the bottom of the hole, fill the hole with the mixture from the wheel borrow to planting depth, spread about five bulbs in a one foot by one foot square, and cover with the remainder of the mixture. I usually heap the mixture on top of the bulbs as there is always more to go back in than came out. My the following spring, the mixture will compact down to the ground level.

Meter and Soil Testing

Like any gardener, I have the usual collection of "soil ph," water, light meters, etc. Conducting an acidity test of your daffodil beds should be a routine chore. Daffodils like a little acid, a 6.0 to 6.5 reading seems to be the reasonable range. Believe me when I say it takes a lot of lime to raise the acid level by a factor of one whole number. Use granular lime as it is slow release and will last a longer period of time, and spread it evenly. Remember, mulch is very acidity, and as the mulch decomposes into the soil, it adds acid. I take reading twice a year, and add lime as needed. Lime is very sensitive to sunlight. If spread and allowed to lay on top of the ground for a few days waiting for rain to dispense it, lime can lose much of its value from sun bleaching. The most value can be obtained either by watering freshly spread lime, or blending it into the ground with a tool, i.e., a garden rake. Most garden centers carry proven ph meters, and they are worth the investment.

Water Meters

I've tried different water meters, however, I've come to the conclusion that the typical garden water meter does not have a scale "wet" enough for daffodils. When the water meter reads wet, daffodils are dying from thirst. Obviously, that means that when the water meter reads anything else other than wet, daffodils are having a drought. Daffodils need water until the meter is "pegged" off the scale beyond wet. I didn't believe this at first, but the original Washington Daffodil Lady told my neighbor and myself, "You boys don't believe, but my flowers will be bigger than yours." She was right. Now, I peg the water meter off the scale before I stop watering. But you only have to do this about ever three or four days to make it simulate three to five inches of rainfall a week, just as they start blooming and continuing until the blooming season is over. Modest watering before and afterwards is acceptable. Oh, yes, before I forget, don't use water sprinklers because they will damage the flowers, as well as knock down the foliage and quiet possibly spread plant diseases as the water splashes. A modest investment in soaker hoses or underground watering systems is recommended for any serious gardener.

Light Meters

On the light meter. If you plant in a shaded place, check the light at various times of the day during the blooming and growing season (it extends about six weeks after blooming). Five or six hours of direct sunshine is desirable, however, I have had luck with less sunshine and indirect light for the most of the day. Rule of thumb: Indirect light means that you can take quality pictures with a 35 mm camera using 100 ASA film without flash. Planting under heavy shade, e.g., evergreen trees and low growing hardwoods is not desirable, however, sometimes unavoidable. I have one garden under a tall Tulip Poplar with limbs that start over 30 feet from the ground. My daffodils and daylilies are at home there and produce an admirable showing each year.

The Fertilizer

After improving the soil, there is always the question of adding fertilizer and or organic matter, including how much and when. Let's start with fertilizer and some don'ts. Never put fertilizer at the base of bulbs, and never add "green" organic matter to beds ("Green" is any organic material that has not been completely decomposed). You can place fertilizer, with a cushion of two inches of dirt, under the bulbs. Dig deeper than needed for planting, add the fertilizer, place the cushion of dirt above that, and add the bulbs. This is the same technique that farmers use when they plant their crops, just without the mechanization of the farm tractor and its equipment. The fertilizer on the roots will "burn" the roots, killing them and cause the bulbs to rot. The same is true with the addition of "green" or organic matter that is still in the decomposition process. Organic matter when decomposing will cause heat, and the heat will or can cause damage to the bulbs by "cooking," or heat induced rot. Do not add bone meal or other similar organic products to the beds, even if it is recommended by your gardener and "usually reliable" gardening books. Meal encourages animals to dig looking for the meal they smell and the nutrient value of today's processed bone meal is doubtful, at best.

Fertilizer Application

Simple rules for Fertilizer application at planting. If preparing the beds a month or more before planting, put the fertilizer directly in the bed and let it mix into the soil with the tilling process. If adding fertilizer at the time of planting, either put it a couple inches under the bulbs, or top dress the beds after the bulbs are in the ground. I use a garden rake to work the top dress fertilizer into the soil after planting. The bulbs are down far enough that the rake prongs will not dislodge them, and it gives me the opportunity to do a final "after planting" bed preparation. I also get the added benefit of leaving a smooth bed ready for mulching and old man winter.

When to Fertilize

When is the best time for fertilization for planting and into the future? Let's look at the plants and act reasonably, we put the bulbs in the ground in the fall and the bulbs start their root growth to gather strength and nutrients. They need fertilizer at that point when the roots are supporting the bulb, therefore, late September or October before/during planting is a reasonable choice. In late February or early March, about a month before the daffodils start their spring push out of the ground, the roots become active again and the bulbs begin to make foliage. This is also a reasonable time to apply fertilizer, as the roots need the food to gather nutrients, and water for the bulbs and flowers. Top dress with a slow release, or granular fertilizer to provide a longer, or sustained period (about six months) of time to supply food to the roots.

Fertilizer only helps plants by absorption into the root system which feeds the plant. The application of fertilizer doesn't cause an instant miracle period of growth. Instead it is absorbed into the soil with the help of water, and is picked up by the roots. No visible reaction can be noted for about ten days or a couple of weeks. If slow release fertilizer is used, most of the strength will be released into the soil over a period of time, say six months.

How Much Fertilizer

As to how much fertilizer is used, use a good 5-10-18 granular or slow release, or a type that is low in nitrogen and high in potash. Follow the directions, for how much, from the bag. The directions prescribed on the bags are generally within the guidelines provided by the Department of Agriculture. I've seen one cup of fertilizer per 10 square yards of bed in gardening books. However, I have always had a hard time deciding which size cup to use (I drink coffee out of a cup that hold three cups from my wife's best china), and are they talking about surface area or volume of dirt being fertilized. A farmers rule of thumb if you don't have a spreader and are doing it by hand: if you can see it in freshly tilled earth, it's too much; if you think it's too thin, then you have it about right. It doesn't take a lot to be enough. Spread as evenly as possible, and as a back-up, use a garden rake to both mix the soil and spread the fertilizer after it's on the ground. Chemical fertilizer exposed to direct sunshine will lose its nutrient value, the same as lime. Over fertilization can kill (burn) your plants, especially within the summer's heat and dryness. So don't be generous.