Daffodil growing myths – experts explain what really works

Daffodils are reliable and resilient but there are six  daffodil growing myths that you need to know about.

With 27,000 different varieties, daffodils are one of the easiest plants to grow — and, with the right approach, you can have them flowering for decades or even centuries.

At Hever Castle, one of the top daffodil gardens in England, some species of daffodil have been growing there since Anne Boleyn’s time.

And when the American William Waldorf Astor spent millions transforming the gardens 120 years ago he planted thousands of daffodils, many of which are still growing.

Some of the daffodils at Hever Castle were planted hundreds of years ago!

So to find out what works and what doesn’t in growing daffodils, I visited Hever Castle, where thousands of bulbs create spectacular displays for their Dazzling Daffodils festival every spring.

I spoke to two leading experts – Johnny Walkers of Taylors Bulbs, who has won 29 Gold Medals at Chelsea for his daffodils. He has been working with Hever Castle Head Gardener, Neil Miller on the new ‘Hever Castle’ daffodil.

Between them, they’ve seen what works — and what goes wrong — in real gardens, so I asked them to bust some of the most common daffodil growing myths.

Myth 1: If daffodils stop flowering, they’re finished

Many people assume that once daffodils go “blind” (lots of leaves but no flowers), they’re past their best.

But that’s not true.

Daffodils are remarkably resilient. Johnny Walkers says that if they stop flowering, it’s usually because:

• the bulbs are overcrowded
• nutrients in the soil are depleted

What to do instead:

• Lift and divide congested clumps
• Replant in fresh soil with more space
• Or feed with a low-nitrogen fertiliser

Given the right conditions, they will return to flowering — though it may take a year or two.

However, if you have acid soil – you grow camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons – then your daffodils may not flower. You can still have daffodils – see Myth 6 at the end of the page.

These daffodils were planted 120 years ago by William Waldorf Astor’s gardeners. They disappeared under overgrown shrubbery for decades but when the old shrubs were cleared away, the bulbs came back into flower.

Myth 2: Bigger bulbs are always better

One of the commonest daffodil growing myths is that all daffodil bulbs are large — and that bigger means better.

In reality, bulb size varies hugely depending on the variety.

• Some (like ‘Tête-à-Tête’) are naturally small
• Others (like large trumpet daffodils, for example ‘Hever Castle’) have much bigger bulbs

What matters most is not size, but quality.

Johnny Walkers’ advice is to choose firm, healthy bulbs from a reputable supplier, such as an online bulb supplier or a garden centre. (I think he’s suggesting that supermarkets may not be the best source of daffodil bulbs, but he was too polite to say so!)

See: How to Grow Daffodils for more advice on choosing the right varieties for your garden.

Hever Castle is one of the best gardens for daffodils in England, so that’s where I went to bust daffodil growing myths!

Myth 3: You should tidy the leaves after flowering

This is one of the most damaging daffodil growing myths. My mother couldn’t wait to ‘tidy up’ the daffodils after flowering. In the end, no daffodils ever came back to flower in our garden.

Cutting, tying or braiding the leaves may make the garden look tidier — but it seriously weakens the bulb.

As Neil says, it’s like “strangling” the plant.

The leaves are still needed to feed the bulb after flowering, storing energy for next year’s blooms.

What to do instead:

• Leave foliage to die down naturally (at least 6–8 weeks)
• Resist the urge to tidy too soon

It may look untidy for a while, but it’s essential for a good display next spring.

Myth 4: Daffodils don’t need watering or care after flowering

Daffodils are often seen as completely low-maintenance — but neglect after flowering can affect next year’s results.

This is especially important for daffodils grown in pots.

Common mistake:

• Putting pots aside and forgetting about them once they’ve flowered

What to do instead:

• Keep watering until the leaves die back
• Feed lightly after flowering
• Ensure pots don’t dry out completely

Even in the ground, it’s better to deadhead your daffodils and add fertiliser or a layer of well rotted garden compost or manure.

At Hever Castle, they have tens of thousands of daffodils, so it’s not realistic to dead-head them. But Neil Miller says that in your own garden, the ideal is to snip the heads off once they’ve died.

This means that the plant can focus its energy on creating next year’s flower.

Myth 5: Add fertiliser to the planting hole

You’ll often see advice to add fertiliser when planting bulbs — but with daffodils, this can do more harm than good.

‘Add fertiliser to the planting hole’ has become standard planting advice for all plants. However, a bulb already contains everything it needs for its first year’s flower.

Johnny Walkers says that adding fertiliser directly into the planting hole of bulbs can:

• damage or ‘burn’ emerging roots
• which reduces the bulb’s ability to flower in future years
• fertiliser added at planting will be washed away by the time the bulb needs it, which is after flowering
• so feed after flowering in spring, not when you are planting bulbs in autumn
  

  Daffodil ‘Mary Copeland’ is a favourite for cut flowers.

Myth 6: Daffodils will thrive anywhere

Daffodils are adaptable — but they don’t perform equally well in all conditions.

There are a few conditions that daffodils hate:

Soil

• Most varieties don’t like damp or wet soil if it lasts for too long. They’ll rot.
• They prefer neutral soil (around pH 6.5–7)
• Very acidic soil can reduce flowering

If your garden is acidic (for example, if you grow camellias or rhododendrons), you may find daffodils don’t return well.

This is Daffodil ‘Ice Follies’. Most daffodils hate damp ground, but Ice Follies is more resilient and does well planted on the banks of the moat at Hever Castle.

Johnny Walker suggests:

• Grow daffodils in pots with controlled compost, then when the daffodils come up to flowering, plunge the pots in the border. Remove the pots after flowering and plant something else.
• Or you can buy new daffodils every year.
• Acid soil won’t affect the first year of flowering, but it will reduce the repeat flowering rate in future years.

Here is Daffodil ‘Hever Castle’ grown in a pot. The pot can be dropped into a border for flowering, then removed once the flowers are over. So you can grow daffodils even if they don’t like your soil.

Light

• Daffodil flowers won’t last as long in full sun.
• Many daffodils last longer in light or dappled shade
• Under deciduous trees, which lose their leaves in winter – that’s an ideal spot for planting daffodils

See Where to Plant Spring Bulbs for more ideas on where to plant daffodils.

Johnny’s expert tips for better daffodils

Alongside busting these daffodil growing myths, he also told us what the most important practical tips are:

• Plant bulbs deeply — the soil on top of the bulb should be about twice the height of the bulb.
• For a natural look, plant in clumps or scatter in drifts, not rows.
• In borders or smaller gardens, plant a larger clump of one type of daffodil, rather than one or two of several different types
• Use the small daffodils, such as February Gold and Tete a Tete at the front of borders.
• Don’t cut grass over daffodils or trim foliage until the leaves have completely died back

With these tips, your daffodils should last for decades. At Hever Castle, Neil says they cleared an overgrown bank of old shrubs. Two years later a host of daffodils emerged in flower.

They’d been planted 120 years earlier by the William Waldorf Astor team. When the bank was overgrown, they’d disappeared, but as soon as they were given some sunshine (and less competition for nutrients), they flowered again.

More spring garden resources:

Answers to the top 5 spring gardening questions

How to grow tulips (also with Neil Miller, as Hever Castle is a famous tulip garden too.)

7 Beautiful border plants to plant in spring (plus expert planting tips)

The honest truth about dividing plants – spring is a great time to split those overgrown groups of plants, but it’s not as easy as the TV makes it look!

Perennials made simple – expert grower Rosy Hardy explains how to choose and grow the best plants for your garden. (You can find Rosy Hardy on her YouTube channel, Rosy Hardy Gardening.)