Daffodils are a much loved flower by many gardeners around the world because they are probably one of the easiest and most dependable flowers to grow. Plant the bulbs now and you will have beautiful Daffodils in the spring. Daffodils are in the Amaryllis family and they are often called Narcissus which is the Latin or botanical name for all Daffodils.

Depending on where you live, Daffodils will bloom from six weeks to six months. After the blooming season, let the Daffodil plant rebuild its bulb for the next year. The leaves stay green while this rebuilding process is taking place. When you see the leaves turning yellow, then go ahead and cut the leaves off. Otherwise, leave them alone.

According to the American Daffodil Society, there are between 50 and 100 species of Daffodils. However, when you talk to different botanists, they claim that there are between 40 to 200 different Daffodil species.

And, get this, the Daffodil is the national flower of Wales and it is a tradition to wear a Daffodil on Saint David’s Day which is March 1st. In some countries the yellow Daffodil is associated with Easter. It is also a common decoration during the Chinese New Year. There is a Daffodil Festival in Nantucket, MA in April every year. It is a celebration of spring and hundreds of antique cars are adorned with thousands of Daffodils. Awesome!

To get you started with your Daffodil gardening, here are a few of my favorites. As I mentioned above, the botanical name for all Daffodils is Narcissus.

Daffodil ‘Rose of May’
This one is a real beauty and quite different than most Daffodils. It has double flowers and blooms in late spring. The flowers are a soft shade of ivory-white with hints of pale yellow at the center. Rose of May stands up well to wind and rain and thrives in zones 3-9. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Daffodil ‘Curly’
Here is a delightful little Daffodil that grows just 12 to 14 inches high. It produces masses of very short, curled dark yellow petals surrounding a yellow center. Clear white petals form on the outside for a very unique and beautiful look. It is just the right size that will survive wind and rain and thrives in zones 3-9. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Daffodil ‘Fidelity’
Take a look at the unusual color combination of this Daffodil which was introduced 20 years ago. The ring of petals around the base of the bloom is light yellow and the long trumpet is apricot-pink with the petal tips rolled and flared. Fidelity blooms in mid spring and thrives in zones 4-9. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Daffodil ‘Avalon’
Wow! This Daffodil has bi-color trumpet and bi-color petals. Although Avalon is not officially a trumpet Daffodil, it has a large cup that is almost 4 inches wide. The blooms arise on 16 to 18 inch stems and blooms mid-season. It is recommended that you plant about 5 bulbs per square foot, and Avalon thrives in zones 4-8. (photo courtesy of Park Seed Co.)

Enjoy,
Diana

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 5:04 am and is filed under Autumn Bulbs, Flower Gardening, Gardening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.