Sailboat narcissus - didn't come back well at all-any ideas

Does anyone have any experience growing Sailboat narcissus? I planted them in the fall of 2007, loved the result last spring. But this year I am very disappointed with the result. The photo below is a group I planted right on the corner of my garden, it has a path on one side and a bluestone patio on the other, so the soil isn't great, a lot of crushed bluestone mixed in, but it's definitely well draining. But I have another group in another section of my perennial garden, with great soil, and it also is not reblooming very well this spring. I'm thinking maybe Sailboats don't come back reliably in the north? Anyone know? This was taken today:

And this was taken on April 24, 2008. Big difference in just one year!

Cindy,

Same thing happened to me with my King Alfreds here. Just how "well draining" is your bed? What I found had happened to some of my bulbs is that I planted them fairly deep - maybe 6" or 7" - and somehow they got pulled down much, much deeper - I even had some where I had to go down to my elbow to find the bulbs. I think the soil was not properly compacted when i planted so that the bulbs would remain at the proper depth. Could something like that have happened?

I suppose it could have. Would I still get foliage? I do have foliage, but not as thick as last year.

Same here. There was some but reduced and many fewer flowers also.

Sadly, I have found that some varieties just do not persist. Fortunately, they are in the minority. My Sailboat has bloomed happily for two years...and then, this year (I have it in two areas) I only had foliage in one area...nothing in the other. The Quail I planted it with....meanwhile....has bloomed very well.

I like to give them another year...just in case...some will take a year off...before I replant.

It seems to be a bad year for daffodils in my neighborhood. I noticed a place in the neighbor's yard where his daff's are very sparse this year, yet on the other side of his yard, they are beautiful. I have no idea what varieties they are, or if they are the same. Other varieties of daffs are doing well in my yard this year, but not the Sailboat, and several of my little tete a tete plantings petered out this year after several strong years. I may have to keep buying the Sailboat, I really liked it last year.

My soil is barely fertile enough to grow plants, so I make sure to fertilize bulbs each summer after flowering--especially doubles and some fancies, which seem to demand more than average. I have plenty of organic matter, but our soil was ( I think) stripped during construction, and building it up is a slow business. I had my soil testd by UMass and they gave me recommendations. Your state should have a soil testing lab attached to one of its universaries. It's not too expensive, around $15, and worth the effort.