The Iowa Gardener: Behold the mighty daffodil: The harbinger of spring

Daffodils are the great, joyful harbingers of spring. They are among the earliest and brightest of flowers to bloom and will continue for a full month or more. Many are fragrant, and all are good for cutting and bringing indoors in a vase.

Unlike tulips, daffodils are not bothered by deer and rabbits. Also unlike tulips, which tend to peter out after a couple of years, daffodils keep going strong for decades and in ideal conditions will even multiply and spread.

Like many types of flowers, daffodils come in early-, mid-, and late-season types. Plant several of each and you will have daffodils blooming in your Iowa garden from March through the end of April or even into May. (They last longer in cool, moist weather like we’ve had and tend to shrivel up when it’s hot and dry.)

Some gardeners get hung up on the right name for these flowers. Narcissus? Jonquils? Daffodils? In the end, it doesn’t really matter, but all are part of the plant genus Narcissus. The American Daffodil Society breaks Narcissus into 13 divisions (trumpet type, miniatures, large-cupped, etc.) One of those divisions is “Jonquilla,” which have a particular shape and are usually fragrant. Daffodils in this category would correctly be called jonquils.

Planting

The best time to plant daffodils in Iowa is October but it’s best to take a look at your yard now, while other things are growing, and take note of where to plant daffodils come fall. I like to plug a reminder into my electronic calendar, but other people record ideas in a garden journal or on their phone.

You’ll always be able to find daffodil bulbs in garden centers and home improvement stores in the fall, but be aware that you get what you pay for. Home improvement and discount stores often sell undersized and badly dried out bulbs. A quality garden center will do a better job of providing bulbs that won’t disappoint.

Online is also a great way to purchase daffodils, especially if you want some of the more unusual types. Brent and Becky’s Bulbs is one of the best sources of a wide variety of daffodils, with Breck’s, Vermont Wildflower Farm, White Flower Farm, and K. van Bourgondien also being reputable sources with excellent selection. Order early to assure good selection and to take advantage of discounts.

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Besides the traditional all-yellow daffodils, you’ll find daffodils with white, orange, peach and pink. Some even sport red. Some have no fragrance, some are lightly fragrant, and some are very fragrant. Daffodils also come in different shapes and sizes, including adorable little miniatures just a few inches high.

In choosing where to plant your daffodils, the most important element is excellent drainage, especially during the winter. Otherwise, they may rot. Choose a place in a raised bed or on a slope, if possible, in a place that doesn’t get puddles when the snow melts or during heavy rainfalls.

Daffodils need full sun — six to eight full hours of daylight — when they are actively growing in March through April. But keep in mind that you can often plant them under trees as long as the tree is a type that doesn’t leaf out fully until May or so, allowing plenty of sun to filter to the ground below.

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When you plant, it’s always a good idea to toss a spadeful or two of compost into the soil. No need to add any other fertilizers or amendments. Be sure to work and loosen the soil several inches underneath where the bulbs will lie to help drainage. Plant the “nose” or the base of the bulb at the depth specified in the instructions. It will vary according to type, but most full-sized daffodils are planted with their base about 6 inches deep.

After bloom time in spring, it’s important to leave the browning foliage on the plants to rejuvenate the bulb for next year. This may be the only disadvantage to daffodils: That browning foliage in spring is not attractive, but you shouldn’t cut it off. Leave it on until you can pull it off with very little resistance.

Daffodils give so much color and cheer for very little work. Plant plenty and enjoy the payoff for many, many springs to come.

Veronica Lorson Fowler is co-publisher of the Iowa Gardener website at www.theiowagardener.com.