AT LAST, AT LAST - DAFFODILS ARE HERE! (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

AT LAST, AT LAST - DAFFODILS ARE HERE!

6:38pm Sunday 7th March 2010

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I have heard from several reliable sources that spring has been on hold and is running four to five weeks late. As if we hadn’t noticed. Given the cold and miserable weather of the last few months I think we can be forgiven for getting excited over the first sighting of this year’s crop of daffodils, with their glorious bright colour. Driving to St Albans a few days ago I was enchanted to see the progress the plants were making and that at long last they are beginning to show colour.

But all this doesn’t just happen, to have this blaze of cheerful colour in our gardens we have to get busy in the autumn, preferably September to late October. Amongst the many obvious advantages of growing daffodils in your own garden is the fact that they aren’t too fussy about where they are planted. Most will live happily in a wide range of soils but one thing they all have in common, they like good drainage so if the area is on the soggy side work in some grit. For the best blooms prepare the site before planting by digging over carefully before working in a generous helping of compost and a sprinkling of bone meal. However, if you did miss out last autumn don’t despair, you can still add a touch of gold to your garden. Now is the time when garden centres are selling pot-grown plants. You can pick and choose amongst the different varieties but make sure you buy plants with lots of buds, probably just starting to show colour, with good, strong foliage. The dwarf varieties, such as my special favourite ‘Tête-à-Tête’, are some of the earliest to flower and these are a complete joy.

To get the best of your plants next spring a little care at the end of the growing season works wonders. The first thing is to remove all the dead flower heads to stop the plant setting seed. Invest in a good general-purpose liquid fertiliser to feed the plants directly onto the soil a couple of times a week. Never cut the leaves just allow them to die down completely. By doing this you are helping the nutrients to be replaced that have been used up by the bulb during flowering. If you have planted daffodils in your lawn leave that area uncut for at least six weeks until the foliage has completely withered. I know it seems hard but it will be worth it in the long term.