This Year's Blooming Daffodil Border

May 4, 2018

Brightly colored daffodils are blooming at my farm! And looking at the swath of white and yellow narcissi blowing gently in the spring breeze always makes me so happy.

I started developing my long daffodil border more than a decade ago, during the first years of my farm ownership. Since then, I’ve expanded the collection, and after lots of careful planning and planting, the border now extends the length of one side of my farm, from the summer house, past the stable and down to the Japanese maple grove. And, because daffodils multiply easily, more and more blooms emerge each spring.

There are about 35 to 40 varieties planted in the daffodil border. Here are photos of those currently flowering - enjoy.

: The daffodil border is broken up into various groupings – different varieties, different shapes and sizes and different blooming times. This provides a longer splash of color.

: Narcissus is a genus of spring perennials in the Amaryllidaceae family. They’re known by the common name daffodil.

: The species are native to meadows and woods in southwest Europe and North Africa. Narcissi tend to be long lived bulbs and are popular ornamental plants in public and private gardens.

: The flowers are generally white or yellow with either uniform or contrasting colored tepals and corona.

: There are about 50-species of daffodils, and more than 27-thousand registered daffodil hybrids. There is also one named after me, Narcissus ‘Martha Stewart’, which I also have planted here at the farm.

: When choosing where to plant daffodils, select an area that gets at least half a day of sun. Hillsides, and raised beds do nicely.

: Narcissus naturalize very easily. Lift and divide overcrowded clumps in late June or July. I take stock of my daffodils every year to see what is growing well and what is not, so I can learn what to remove, where to add more, and what to plant next.

: In my daffodil border, I planted early, mid and late season blooming varieties so that when one section is done blooming, another is just opening up. Consider this strategy to lengthen the blooming season. If you want some tips for planting a lot of narcissi bulbs, look at this blog I did awhile back. http://www.themarthablog.com/2014/05/the-new-daffodil-border-at-the-farm.html

: Normal rainfall will typically take care of any watering requirements during the spring flowering season. The most important care tip is to provide daffodils with rich, well-drained soil.

: Daffodil plants prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil. Be sure they are planted where there is room for them to spread, but not where the soil is water-logged.

: This cheerful daffodil, with its color contrast, makes a bold statement in the border. Cultivars with bold colored cups generally retain better color when planted in a little shade to protect them from the hot afternoon sun.

: These yellow daffodils are Narcissus “Red Rascal.”

: The ‘Red Rascal’ is a large cupped daffodil with six yellow petals that frame a bowl-shaped, red orange cup with a crimped rim.

: Narcissus ‘Elizabeth Ann’ – white flowers with a cup rimmed in medium orange-pink. Fertilize daffodils with extra phosphorous to encourage good root development, especially when they’re young.

: Few pests bother daffodils. The bulbs are actually quite unappetizing to most insects and animals, including deer and voles.

: After daffodils bloom in the spring, allow the plants to continue growing until they die off on their own. They need the time after blooming to store energy in their bulbs for next year.

: When cutting daffodils, they should be kept alone in the vase as their stems secrete a fluid that promotes wilting in other flowers. If you need to combine flowers, soak them alone first and then add them to the arrangements last.

: In general, daffodils are easy to care for and hardy plants. Diseases common to daffodils include basal rot, various viruses and fungi.

: Daffodils can also grow in containers as long as there is room to multiply and room for the roots to fill out. They can bloom well for two to three years – after that, it’s best to move them to a spot in the ground where they will come up once a year.

: These daffodils are a smaller variety – dainty, white charming blooms with six flower petals centered with a long, tubular like-colored narcissus cup.