Narcissus growing – How to grow and propagate
Narcissus are spring flowering bulbs, most often associated with yellow flowers, although there are also varieties of white, orange or pink. They can be successfully grown in garden beds, in pots on balconies and terraces, and cut into a vase.
Narcissus – species and varieties
Many people are convinced that the name of the genus Narcissus comes from the mythological Narcissus, a young man who fell in love with his reflection in water.
Meanwhile, it turns out that the name of the genus comes from the Greek word “narcissus” (which means anesthesia, falling asleep) and is related to the species of white narcissus also known as the fragrant narcissus (Narcissus poeticus), which exudes a characteristic narcotic scent.
Narcissi are typically spring yellow flowers. However, there are also orange, salmon, pink and completely white narcissi. Narcissus flowers are usually fragrant, with a cup inside, growing single on the stem. The exception is the daffodil (Narcissus jonquilla), with 2 – 6 flowers per shoot.
In addition to botanical species, there are several thousand. cultivars of narcissus resulting from crossing different species of narcissus. Often their origin cannot be established anymore, therefore they are described together as Narcissus spp. In order to organize these numerous varieties and forms, gardeners divided them into 12 groups.
Of these, the most sumptuous flowers are trumpet narcissi, whose cap is shaped like a trumpet longer than the surrounding perianth petals. In large-cup narcissists, the petals are similar in length to the cup, and in small-cup narcissists, the perianth petals are much longer than the cup.
There are also many forms with full flowers, as well as attractive hybrids such as Cyclamineus with petals bent back.
Narcissi – growing
Narcissus can be found in almost every garden, where they bloom beautifully from March to May. They are perfect for formal spring discounts and early mixed plantings. They can also be planted in grass. The low forms fit perfectly into a rockery.
Attention! If you put narcissus in a vase with other flowers, remember that they adversely affect other cut flowers, accelerating their wilting (narcissus gives off sticky juice that is harmful to other flowers).
To avoid this, put the narcissi in a vase with lukewarm water one day earlier. Within 24 hours, the sticky sap will separate from the narcissus and will no longer pose a threat to other flowers. Change the water the next day and you can safely add other flowers.
Narcissi – planting and cultivation
In the garden, narcissus bulbs are planted from August to mid-September. These plants grow best in sunny or slightly shaded positions. They can be grown in almost any soil, but they will grow best in permeable and moist soil, with a pH close to neutral.
Narcissus bulbs are planted 10 to 20 cm deep depending on the size of the bulb. It is good to mulch the planting site with peat, sawdust or straw.
How to care for narcissus in spring?
When winter is over and the growing season begins, narcissus should be watered abundantly. High soil moisture promotes the development of these plants.
Narcissus will bloom beautifully in March and will decorate your garden until May. If you planted narcissus in the grass, remember not to mow it for about a month after the narcissus is blooming.
How to dig up narcissus bulbs?
When the flowers have faded and their leaves begin to dry out, you can dig up narcissus bulbs in July. However, it is not necessary, which is an undoubted advantage of these flowers and makes their cultivation much easier. If you have left the bulbs in the soil, you should stop watering them to give them a rest period.
The need to dig out the bulbs occurs approximately every 3 to 4 years, when as a result of the multiplication of the adventitious bulbs, the plants get denser and have smaller flowers. Dug out narcissus bulbs should be stored in boxes in an airy place. A little moisture will not hurt them, as the roots on narcissus bulbs do not dry out completely.
How to propagate narcissists?
When the adventitious bulbs are visible around the mother onion, you can separate them before re-planting. Remember, however, to separate only the bulbs that can be easily separated from the mother bulb, without the use of force.
If the adventitious bulbs stick firmly to the mother onion, it means that they are not fully independent yet and separation should be postponed until the next year. If you split the bulbs sufficiently “independent” – narcissi will bloom in the next year.
How narcissus are pollinated?
In most cases Narcissi propagate by bulb division. However some can be pollinated. If that’s the case bees are mainly responsible for this task.
How long do narcissus bloom?
Daffodils bloom from late March to May. This is one of the first spring flowers. They grow best in full sun or partial shade. They do not have high soil requirements. The most favorable for them, however, is humus, permeable and moist soil.
Narcissists are divided into groups by size, shape and blooming period:
- Trumpet: 40-50 cm, blooms from March to April, they are white, yellow or bicolour.
- Large crowns: height 40-50 cm, blooms from April to May; the cap is equal to at least 1/3 of the length of the petals.
- Small caps: 35-45 cm, bloom from April to May; the cup is less than 1/3 of the length of the petals; flowers usually two-color, yellow-orange or white-orange.
- Full: 30-40 cm; bloom from April to May; flowers usually two-color, white, yellow, red.
- Triandus hybrids: 25-60 cm; bloom from April to May; usually a few flowers per shoot; white and yellow flowers.
- Cyclamineus hybrids: 10-40 cm; bloom from March to April bent backwards; usually one flower per stem; white and yellow flowers, some two-color varieties.
- Jonquilla Hybrids: 20-50 cm, bloom from May to June; numerous, fragrant flowers on one shoot; shades of yellow
- Tazetta hybrids: 30-45 cm; bloom from April to May; numerous fragrant flowers on the shoot, from 3 to 18 on stalks of various lengths. They are white, yellow, often with an orange or yellow cap. They require winter protection.
- Poeticus hybrids: 40-60 cm; bloom from April to May; usually one fragrant flower on a stem with a white cup.
- Wild species and interspecies hybrids.
Daffodils – things you should know
Below I have compiled most common questions regarding Daffodils. I hope it will be valuable resource of information.
- Do you need to deadhead daffodils?
- Do daffodils need a lot of water?
- Where is the best place to plant daffodils?
- How cold can daffodils survive?
- Will my daffodils grow if I lay gravel around them?
- What time of year is best to fertilize daffodils?
- How many daffodil bulbs should I plant together?
- Can daffodils bloom twice in one year?
- Are daffodils poisonous to animals?
Do you need to deadhead daffodils?
The biggest mistake is to prune the entire aboveground part of the bulb plant, including the leaves, after it has flowered. Be sure to leave them! Only the inflorescence needs to be cut low to the ground.
It is important that the plant does not have time to develop seeds. The most important thing at this point is to strengthen the onion, and for this, its leaves are essential. You should wait for the leaves to turn yellow and dry by themselves. Only then you should remove them.
Do daffodils need a lot of water?
Water the daffodils abundantly immediately after planting to accelerate the growth of the roots. If September is dry, water again every week after a week, and so on until mid-October.
During the growing season, i.e. from spring onwards, you should avoid excessive watering. The soil is usually quite moist then anyway. In the absence of rainfall, water less frequently and abundantly.
Even after flowering, if the weather is warm and dry, plants need periodic watering as their bulbs continue to grow and develop.
You will need to water much more if you have narcissi in pots, where the soil tends to dry out. It is worth watering the potted flowers even in winter, as long as it is not frosty outside.
Where is the best place to plant daffodils?
You should plant narcissus bulbs in places as sunny as possible. Early flowering varieties (from March) you can plant under the canopy of trees and shrubs.
Plants look good not only in flower beds, but also next to paths, on the lawn and near a pond. Low forms do great on rockeries.
Narcissists like fertile and, above all, well-drained soil. Optimal Ph close to neutral. Less fertile substrates should be fertilized (they can be enriched with e.g. fermented manure and compost).
Wet soils, where fungal diseases and rotting bulbs quickly appear, should be avoided. If the soil in the garden is clayey, you can loosen it by mixing with peat and sand.
How cold can daffodils survive?
Small frosts of -1 or -3 ° C will not harm the early spring bulbs. This is normal for them, because when they bloom in March and April, night frosts occur regularly. With night drops down to -5 ° C, they can easily wait for spring.
Therefore, follow the weather forecasts, and you should take action whenever there are announcements of definitely low temperatures, such as -10 ° or -20 ° C, with the simultaneous lack of snowfall.
In such a situation, cover emerging narcissi with airy insulation material, e.g. pine bark, spruce twigs, peat or chopped straw. I do not recommend leaves, they get wet and clump easily, and under such a cover flowers can rot and suffer from fungal diseases.
Will my daffodils grow if I lay gravel around them?
The bulbs will break through the gravel and fine slates. However, slate and gravel placed on bare soil can be a real problem later – in my opinion, it is better to compost bark or bark chips – make sure to leave the bushes space around the trunks.
What time of year is best to fertilize daffodils?
As a rule narcissi don’t require fertilization. If you do need to fertilize them, it is best to do so in a spring with multipurpose fertilizer. You can also put some compost on top of the soil in late autumn.
How many daffodil bulbs should I plant together?
You should plant only one bulb per spot. Remember to keep distance of 2 – 3 inches from other bulb.
Can daffodils bloom twice in one year?
Daffodils bloom only once per year. It is because they need time to regenerate.
Are daffodils poisonous to animals?
Yes, they are. They contain toxic alkaloid lycorine which cancause vomitting and diarrhea.
