Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Daffodils

Q. I have a lot of daffodils that have just finished blooming. I have just put bone meal on the beds and wonder when is the best time to transfer them to another spot in the flower bed. Look forward to your tips on gardening.

A. Now is the best time to move them. If they are all finished blooming, and you have cut off the flower stems, but left all green foliage, spade them up disturbing the roots as little as possible. Even dig them up in clumps, if
that is easier.

Move them into their new bed, but make sure you have prepared it for them. Loosen and enrich the soil, adding humus, compost, leaf mold, or peat moss. Maintain the same soil level as before. Press them in firmly, but do not compact the soil. Give them plenty of space on all sides. Water immediately.

Maintain a good watering and light feeding program throughout the summer. The bulbs need the nourishment to swell and produce next season's flowers.

This fall, you may want to consider planting some new bulbs along with your current ones. I like freshening the beds and introducing some of the new colorations, foliage and displays that are introduced each year!

Q. I bought a bag of interior blooming, miniature daffs from Costco. Even though there were no instructions on the back, I was sure that I would get some good instructions from you. Hope you can shed some light on this.

A. These are two faves of mine for mini interior daffs:

Tete-a-tete:
A miniature daffodil, grows in Zones 3 to 8.
Only grows to 6 inches! These are lovely in groups!

Rip Van Winkle:
An heirloom variety. Love the name! Easy to grow. 6 to 8 inches tall. Bright, sunny yellow.

Plant them in groups of 6-8 in terra cotta pots of 8-10" in diameter [pots shorter in depth work the best, called pan, azalea or bulb pots]. They do not grow as well in smaller pots, I find. Buy a good, light, organic potting mix with some perlite mixed in. Place a broken shard of a pot over the bottom drainage holes, with side openings so that water may drain out, but not the soil.

Fill half way up with mix. Place the bulbs 3-5" apart equally over the soil surface. Press down slightly.

Cover the bulbs with at least 4" of the same potting mix. Water well in a sink so that excess will drain away.

Place in a saucer [you may fill with pebbles if you like] and grow in a brightly lit window, morning sun the best, avoid one with an overhang and conditions are shaded.

Water well when the soil feels dry one inch deep. Make sure that water drains out the bottom. Do not allow pot to sit in water over 1/2 hour.

When the first bud tips appear, give a feeding of 20-20-20, one tablespoon per gallon water. Keep feeding them once every two weeks.

Turn the pot two times a week so that all sides get equal sunlight. Do not grow in a cold or hot draft, or up against a window which is cold in the winter. Place back about a foot for protection.

You should see flower buds appearing about 4-6 weeks after vegetative growth.

Q. I live in zone 7 and I have discovered hundreds of daffodils sprouting in my new yard [just enough to see them!] If I move them now, will I still be able to enjoy them this spring?

A. OK, this is a very hard call and I do see possible risk. Let me put it this way:

If you were in a colder zone, I would certainly say no. But, if you are very careful and the soil is loose enough to enable you to carefully spade around the bulbs, not disturbing the bulb and roots, then it would be fine to dig them up right now, not much later, and move to a new spot where you have worked the garden bed soil well for their preparation.

If the soil is hard, like clay, then you risk breaking parts of the roots especially if they have grown very deep. Plus, I want you to make sure that you can get the spade around the bulb and root system without slicing into the bulb!

The flowers are initiated inside the bulbs already. They are preparing to bloom, once the soil and air warm to their desired temperature. The green foliage will pop out depending upon the weather in February and March and the flowers will quickly follow. If you wait, the flowers will be disrupted and you may lose the stems of those which you move.

So, with all those warnings, I say, go ahead with care, but do not move any which can stay for one short season before being moved to a different location come this fall!

Pat writes~
I want to know what to do with daffodil bulbs which I have in tubs. I want to plant other things in the tubs, but I don't know whether to take out the bulbs or plant beside them. I know the daffodils need to be left for feeding for next year, so I don't want to do the wrong thing.

A. I am glad that you are aware that these spring flowering bulbs need to be nourished throughout the season in order to build them up for flowering next spring. The flowers are actually initiated inside during the late summer, so sun light, feeding and watering is very essential.

Care must be taken not to slice into the bulbs when adding summer flowering plants, green plants or herbs. Take a trowel and carefully dig down slowly to locate each bulb. If you still have green foliage from each of them, this task is easy. Plant whatever you like as you desire. But, do give the foliage some room. Many times it helps to trim off all dead and yellow leaves, stake the remaining ones and tie loosely with green string. You can bundle them together. Just so they get a little light.

Trim the foliage as it deteriorates. this will give more room to the summer plants. Soon the foliage will be pretty much covered and will not distract from the beauty all summer.

If you are leaving the pots outside all winter in order to give the daffodils the necessary cold temperatures, move them close to a building and cover with 2-4" mulch to protect them from freezing.