I live in the Willamette Valley OR and I have noticed daffodils poping up in places they havent been planted. I see clumps in meadows, roadways, and in forests. Are daffodils known to be invasive? Has anyone else seen daffodils escaping to the wild? Is anyone concerned? I appreciate any insights. THANK YOU!
invasive daffodils?
Yes I've seen a clump here and there all by themselves in a seemingly deserted places, ditches, middle of empty field etc. But who knows what was there years ago? it might have been our pioneer grandma's who planted them a century ago and have just been there long after everything else collapsed and disappeared. I've seen a few rose bushes that way also. but I've never seen them take over several acres or anything.
Squirrels dig up bulbs and redistribute them. They then forget where they put them and you get flowers where you didn't expect. I don't know that they go after the bigger bulbs, unless they are planted too shallow originally. Could be the new bulblets from old daffs that stopped blooming finally got big enough to bloom. That takes a couple of years for it to happen. Could be seed from old daffs made it to the spot, grew new bulbs and finally bloomed.
Just a thought,
Martha
I didn't think anything ate daffodil bulbs, or so they say.ha.
I put in some pre sprouted tete a tetes in a border this spring. I came outside three days in a row to find the bulbs of one plant sitting next to the hole they had been dug out of. other ones in the border weren't disturbed, just these. I didn't have them deep enough, I guess. I put them back twice, but the third time I didn't discover it till too late in the day and they fried. It was squirrels. they didn't eat them, just dug them up. They are planted near oak trees so I guess the squirrel was trying to remember where they left the acorns and saw my daff planting hole as an opportunity to explore.
It could also be that where you saw the daffs along roadways could have been mowed previous to blooming some years.
Also, how about some random gardener who thought they would look nice and planted them where you saw them. This person wouldn't consider them to be invasive either.
I think they smell the scent from our hands in the dirt. They just assume that we planted them a good treat.