Daffy question...

Alot of my daffys didn't flower this year. Does that mean they are at the end of their cycle? Should I dig them up and (gulp) toss them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

how close are they planted
how long have they grown there
do you fertilize
me I would let them die back and dig them up and let them dry a bit then fertilize with a good bulb fertilizer and wait till next year I bet you have blooms. I also bet when you dig them up uou find they are to crowded by new bulbs. Ernie

Well, I've live in this house 4 years come July, and I've never fertilzed or dug them up. I tackled the Lily of the Valley last year, and there were thousands of bulbets in there! I guess the same must be true of everything else... Who knew these things would multiply??? I have to tell you something funny...when I moved into the house there were tons of everything, and I thought - how neat. It's all landscaped and I don't have to do a thing. The next summer it looked awfully nice, too. Then last year I thought, egad - I don't remember this being so crowded! I hosetly had no idea that everything wouldn't stay just as it was. Hee, hee - what a silly! I'm learning though.

And thanks for the tip. I will start digging those puppies up as soon as they die back. Actually, these ones are growing amdst the hosta, so tey probably will have to wait to be dug up after the hosta dies back. Mercy - those things sure do fill in fast and furious!

Sequee,

Your daffodils (assuming the leaves haven't died back yet) are currently trying to store energy for next years' blooms. If you are going to fertilize, do it NOW, while they're still in the ground.

You can either dig some bone meal into the soil and water it in, or buy a jug of liquid bone meal and use as directed.

Applying fertilizier after you have dug them up won't help, as they have already aquired whatever energy they're going to have for next springs' bloom. Also, I don't think it is good for the bulbs to apply fertilizer directly to the plant.

As for the Lillies of the Valley, they are very invasive if left alone, and the bulblets are hard to erradicate. If you want to keep them in control, either plant them in containers, or take some kind of measures to make sure they don't go very far. You could use the same kind of plastic 'shield' that people buy for grass. That should help keep them back.

Good luck!

Those l'il buggers sure are hearty! They are even lifting my sidewalk so they can grow through the cracks! I gave away close to a thousand bulbets last year, and I am FINALLY beginning to see some light at the end of that tunnel!

Thanks for the tip on the liquid bone meal. I will buy some on my way home from work tonight. Many of my daffs are in the midst of Hostas - will the bone meal be a problem for them at this stage?

Good advice about feeding the daffodils while they are still in leaf. As long as you place the fertiliser on the soil around the plant and not on the plant itself it should be ok - you are feeding the roots not the leaves! Try and let the daffodil leaves start to die then dig them up - the best time will be in the autumn when the hosta is also dying down for the winter. You will find that the daffodil bulbs are crowded and packed together. All you then have to do is split them apart and replant a couple of inches apart in clumps spomewhere else in the garden. You will be rewarded. I think lots of people underestimate how big plants will get but that's the fun of gardening. I move things every year!

I'll bet that's what happened with the tulips, too! I could have sworn there used to be a few dozen of them, but this year I only have about 6 or 7!

This is a classic example of City Girl Goes Country! Who knew these things multiplied???

Sequee,

Unless you have 'naturallizing' tulips, most will not last more than a couple of years without special care. Most people dig up, and throw away tulips, and plant new for next spring.

As for the bonemeal, it will probably be good for the hostas as well. I ususally begin digging up and separating my daffs in July, and continue through Aug/Sept, depending on my schedule. However, most of mine are in containers which makes it easier to do in smaller batches. When you re-plant them in the fall, make sure you plant them with some bone meal (blood meal is also good for them) for them to use next spring.

Keep in mind that if you have a dog, they may dig up your bulbs, looking for the "bone" you buried along with the daffodils! They shouldn't chew on the bulbs, but you would end up with a very messy garden bed.

Thanks for that final tip - and wouldn't you know my little guy is quite the digger!!! Didn't realize that about the tulips. Since I'm really not partial to them, I think I will dig them up as they become spent so I will know where they are. Lord knows, I could use the space. I have the feeling my lilies are strangling in there, too.

Laws, I sure have my work cut out for me! Sure wish I'd'a been more knowledgable when I moved it - I wouldn't have let things get so out-of-control. Oh, well! What would life be without these little challenges?

Thanks everyobe for your support! Much appreciated!