Daffodils make delightful cut flowers in spring
Image: Narcissus ‘Value Mixed’ from T&M
If you want to pack your garden with bursts of spring colour, look no further than daffodils! These popular flowering spring bulbs offer a fabulous assortment of scent, double blooms and multi-headed stems. Here we’ve gathered the best online advice from top independent bloggers to help you choose and care for your daffodils.
When you’re ready to plant, take a look at our quality daffodil and narcissus bulbs and order online for quick delivery.
Simon Eade – Garden of Eaden
Narcissus ‘Minnow’ is a strongly scented variety
Image: Narcissus ‘Minnow’ from T&M
Can you enjoy the same daffodils year after year? Yes, says Simon Eade at the popular Garden of Eaden. Most daffodils thrive in our colder temperatures and flower annually, despite evolving from the warm and dry Mediterranean. If you’re unsure, choose varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit. They’re tried and tested in the UK for reliable performance, he says. Find out more in his article.
Matt – @matt.pottage
Narcissus bulbocodium is a distinctive dwarf daffodil
Image: @matt.pottage
If you’re after a daffodil to naturalise in damp ground, choose Narcissus bulbocodium, or hoop petticoat daffodil as it’s also known. RHS Wisley curator, Matt Pottage, loves how its unusual shape turns the damp alpine meadow into a sea of gold in March, announcing the arrival of spring in the garden. Follow Matt’s fun Instagram page @matt.pottage to keep up with Wisley.
Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton
In his helpful video, Joel explores whether daffodils are actually good for wildlife
Image: Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton
Narcissus pseudonarcissus is the only native British daffodil and is a great choice for wildlife-conscious gardeners, says Joel Ashton. “It’s a beautiful wildflower that’s sadly declined in the wild,” he says, but it thrives in a damp, shady spot in the garden. Watch his interesting video over at Wild Your Garden with Joel Ashton.
Edward – @rotheramblings
Narcissus pseudonarcissus naturalises happily
Image: @rotheramblings
Edward Flint’s Narcissus pseudonarcissus look beautiful naturalising next to a woodland pool. “My initial handful have self-sown and started to almost form a drift,” he says. “They’re a lovely thing with brightly effervescent sherbet yellow flowers, luminous in the poor woodland light.” Follow his Instagram page @rotheramblings for dreamy garden content.
Thompson & Morgan blog
Narcissus ‘Cornish Chuckles’ produces stems with multiple flower heads
Image: Narcissus ‘Cornish Chuckles’ from T&M
“Plant daffodil bulbs anytime from the beginning of September through to November,” says Rebecca Tute at the Thompson & Morgan blog. Narcissus ‘Cornish Chuckles’ is a reliable choice for providing lightly-scented multi-headed stems to cut for a vase. See which other varieties make her shortlist, along with tips on how to plant your bulbs in this useful article.
Alexandra – The Middlesized Garden
There are plenty of daffodil varieties available for growers
Image: The Middlesized Garden
Underplant trees and shrubs with daffodil bulbs, says garden designer Alexandra at her blog The Middlesized Garden. The bulbs flower during the winter when the shrubs are bare, and quietly die back when the shrubs are at their summer best. “This is where daffodils are so brilliant,” she says. Choose a mix of early, mid and late season varieties so youhave daffodils from early February to late April, she adds. Read her full article for more excellent advice.
Roger Crookes
Make an eye catching statement with a daffodil ‘Tête-à-Tête’ and grow them in a hanging basket
Image: T&M
Be creative and plant a daffodil hanging basket like top garden YouTuber Roger Crookes. Roger chooses dwarf narcissus ‘Tête-à-Tête’ to make an eye-catching spring display. Just make sure you pack your bulbs in densely, discarding any that feel soft, he says. See how his daffodil basket looks in March in his follow-up video – even snow can’t stop these daffs from shining!
Marie – Plews Garden Design
Daffodils with a contrasting inner colour are especially eye-catching
Image: Plews Garden Design
Miniature daffodils are perfect for pots, says garden designer Marie Shallcross over at Plews Garden Design. She recommends narcissus ‘Jetfire’, because “the bright yellow and orange combination is guaranteed to cheer you up on a dull day.” Just plant them up and place your containers near an entrance for everyone to enjoy. Read her fascinating article to learn more about the long history of fact and fiction associated with these gorgeous bulbs.
Laura – @lauras_little_cottage_garden
Daffodils are an essential ingredient in a bulb lasagne
Image: @lauras_little_cottage_garden
A great way to enjoy your daffodils is as part of a mixed bulb lasagne, says RHS qualified gardener Laura: “As the narcissus start to flower, I’m wondering why I didn’t plant more!” Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is this blogger’s favourite variety and firmly on her shopping list for next year. Take a look at her fabulous planting over at her Instagram page @lauras_little_cottage_garden.
Katie – @the_little_vintage
Scented daffodils make excellent cut flowers
Image: @the_little_vintage
Paperwhite daffodils are delightful indoors at Christmas. “In the winter months when spring feels like an eternity coming, this is a lovely little pick me up,” says floral designer Katie of her own forced paperwhites. Whether you cut the flowers for a vase in the kitchen or go on to dry the flowers like Katie, they’re sure to make you smile. Follow Katie’s instagram @the_little_vintage to see what she eventually does with hers.
Alan – Down to Earth
Paperwhite daffodils are perfect for forcing indoors
Image: Narcissus ‘Paper White’ Daffodil from T&M
Paperwhite daffodils are easy to force to flower in winter, says Alan Down at his gardening blog Down to Earth. Simply pot them up into gravel or compost and place on a warm sunny windowsill, he says. They don’t need a cool dark period before moving indoors like other spring bulbs do. Narcissus ‘Thalia’ is a gorgeous unscented alternative. Find top tips for forcing spring bulbs in his article.
Gardeners Cottage Blakeney
Dig up large clumps of daffodils to divide the bulbs
Image: Gardeners Cottage Blakeney
Lift and divide your daffodil bulbs when you notice that they’re flowering a little less profusely, say the experts behind YouTube channel Gardeners Cottage Blakeney. Their 50- to 60-year-old daffodils are still going strong, but they need a good split to rejuvenate them. Before replanting, give the bulbs a shake to ensure you’re not transferring weed roots to different parts of the garden, they add. Want to see the results of their labour? Take a tour through their gorgeous daffodil lawn in this sunny video.
Simon – Gardening at 58 North
Deadheading encourages your daffodils to flower again next year
Image: Gardening at 58 North
Make sure you remove the developing seed heads from your daffodils, says YouTuber Simon at his channel Gardening at 58 North. Deadheading after flowering finishes allows the bulb to focus on regenerating its energy for next year. Avoid high nitrogen feed at this stage too, as it prompts lots of unneeded green growth, he adds. For more tips on what to do when your daffs finish flowering, watch Simon’s helpful video.
We hope these daffodil posts and videos have inspired you to plant your own this year. Please share your photos with us as your bulbs burst into life next spring! Looking for more inspiration on planting bulbs? You’ll find plenty of useful information at our spring flowering bulb hub page.
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
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