Care of Daffodils After Blooming

After Blooming Care

• 1

  Plan to leave the daffodil foliage -- known as blades -- in place for at least eight weeks after the flowers bloom. The foliage supplies energy to the bulbs for robust blooming the following year. Allow the foliage to brown and wither to the ground before removing the blades. If the daffodils are used for naturalizing in a meadow or field, do not mow until late June or early July.

• 2

  Plant for continuous bloom. Choose early, mid-season and late blooming bulbs to draw the eye from withering foliage. Early daffodil varieties include Beersheba, Campernelle and Romanus. Texas Star is a versatile mid-season bloomer and Cheerfulness, Thalia and Pheasant's Eye bloom later.

• 3

  Interplant to colorful camouflage browning blades. As the temporary plants' foliage and flowers grow, they will disguise the withering daffodil blades. Choose annuals in containers of less than 4 inches to avoid disturbing the bulbs during planting.

• 4

  Screen with perennials. Plants that die back to the ground in winter will allow early daffodils to take center stage. As the daffodils begin to fade, the perennials will gain height and hide the browning blades.

• 5

  Deadhead spent flowers. Use sharp scissors or pruning shears to cut the spent flower at ground level.

• 6

  Remove withered daffodil blades when they have died back to the ground. Gently twist and pull the blades to remove them or use scissors or pruning snips to cut the blades back to ground level.

• 7

  Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of wood mulch to discourage weed growth.

• 8

  Continue to water the bulb bed throughout the summer and fall. Be sure your water deeply enough to reach the bulbs; daffodil bulbs are set between 6 and 8 inches deep.

• 9

  Fertilize the daffodil bed in fall. For every 10 square feet of daffodil bed, combine 5 tbsp. 10-10-10 fertilizer with 2 cups of bonemeal. Dig this mixture into the soil to a depth of 4 inches. Reapply this mixture the following spring, as soon as the new blades appear. Do not fertilize daffodils while they are blooming.

How To Divide Daffodils

• 10

  Divide daffodils every three to five years if they become crowded. Dig the bulbs after all the foliage has died back, usually eight to 10 weeks after blooming.

• 11

  Use a trowel or small shovel to loosen the dirt around the bulb bed. Gently lift the entire daffodil clump and shake off the soil.

• 12

  Sort the bulbs, discarding any soft or damaged bulbs.

• 13

  Combine 5 tbsp. 10-10-10 fertilizer with 2 cups of bonemeal. Add 1 to 2 tbsp. of the mix to the bottom of each planting hole. Replant the most robust bulbs at once.

• 14

  Store the extra bulbs for fall planting. Lay the bulbs on a newspaper to let the soil dry. Allow two or three days for full drying. Place the bulbs in a paper or mesh bag and store in a cool, dry location. Replant in early fall.