daffodil and mulch

My daffodils were naturally mulched by falling leaves. Even though I fertilized them last fall, they look puny this year. Some have come up and one or two bunches (without so much mulch) look good and full of buds. However, quite a few I found under the mulch as I removed it had barely broken the ground, others not up at all. Is mulch a mistake on daffodils?

Nearly all my daffs are mulched. I've never had a problem. They come up right through it.

Mulch is fine, but rotting, compacted damp leaves is not exactly "mulch". We mulch all our beds where many thousands of Narcissus are grown with cedar chips each spring after most of the Narcissus are up and blooming. I do rake up and shred up our fall leaves in those beds, but in the naturalized areas of the garden and woods where we also have tons more of them growing, I do nothing and they grow like champs. You should be fine, maybe just a tad slower than those not so buried in leaves. Patti

Ok, then it must be too much shade.