Daffodils are one of the most successful of garden flowers. This is not completely surprising, because wild daffodils are native to northern Europe, though not to Ireland.

The nearest is the Tenby daffodil from Wales, which is sometimes grown as a semi-wild naturalised plant. There are lots of other species from Europe, where they grow at altitude in alpine meadows, in cool and damp spring conditions. They like our spring too and so thrive here.

But what happens when they do not thrive? Each year when the daffodils begin to show in large numbers, disappointed people wonder why their bulbs have not flowered well, or at all.

Problem shooting

There are several possibilities: low light levels, crowding and competition, too early mowing, lack of nutrients, drought, leaf spot disease, bulb flies, eelworm, trampling.

Low levels of light is a very common reason why daffodils weaken, flower less and eventually fade out completely.

While they can tolerate light shade very well, dense shade causes the plants to stop flowering and then to die out.

It is common for daffodils to be planted under trees and shrubs, but they must get some hours of sunlight each day they are in leaf.

The cover of trees and shrubs gets more dense as the years pass and the bulbs are weakened. Trees should be deciduous only and tall to admit light.

Crowding and competition are often combined with reduced light and create further pressure on the plants.

It is common for clumps of bulbs to be very crowded with small bulbs, often with narrow leaves and not big enough to flower. Competition between the bulbs weakens them and competition from the roots of other plants reduces access to moisture and nutrients.

Mowing, or cutting the tops off too early after flowering is a common reason for reduced flowering. The leaves replenish the bulb after its strenuous efforts of flowering.

Aftercare

The daffodil flower is large relative to the plant that produces it and so the more time given, the more bulbs will reach flowering size.

Ideally, the leaves should be left to wither to dryness, but can be cut away when the leaves have yellowed.

Poor soil, short of nutrients, does not suit daffodils, especially the large-flowered kinds, as they like fertile soil.

So a scatter of any general fertiliser after flowering can provide a good boost, applied each year for a few years.

Dry soil can also reduce growth as daffodils like a heavy soil that drains well but holds moisture into summer.

Competition from other plants for water can reduce moisture availability. Leaf spot disease can be a problem in some years when the weather is damp and warm.

Outbreaks can be severe and cause premature withering of the foliage, resulting in reduced flower numbers. Spraying is not worthwhile, but a shake of potash fertiliser can harden the plants for the following year.

Narcissus bulb flies lay eggs on the stems at ground level. The grubs hatch and bore down into the bulb to feed on its core, resulting in reduced flowering. There is no control except to avoid planting in warm, sunny spots.

Eelworm can cause distorted foliage and brown steaks in affected bulbs, which should be disposed of.

Although livestock do not eat daffodils, which are poisonous, trampling by livestock in winter can severely damage bulbs, compacting the soil over them.

Non-flowering clumps of bulbs should be lifted and divided into small clumps and re-planted in a better location if necessary, given some feeding with a general fertiliser shaken over them.

To re-plant, lift some soil or sod with a spade to 10cm or 15cm deep, pop in the bunch of bulbs, replace the soil and firm lightly.

The foliage will lie on the soil. Give a quick splash of water to settle the bulbs.

Lesser celandine

Often just called buttercups, the lesser celandine is indeed closely related to buttercups, but it is a different species.

The greater celandine is a different plant altogether, related to poppies. Lesser celandine is quite low, flowering from early spring.

Lesser celandine.

It forms a dense cover of rounded leaves and when dug up, a bunch of small tubers can be seen. It is a tenacious weed in a flower bed, shedding the tubers and re-establishing from them.

But it can be quite pretty in areas of damp soil, under high trees and at the edge of woodland.

Its foliage withers away in early summer as soon as the little tubers have been replenished. It is not for a refined garden, but it can suit a semi-wild country garden very well.

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