Deadheading Daffodils

[JennieAtkinson]

Yes - I'm just deadheading my daffodils. In fact the last lot have just come out. Bit later than usual I must admit.

But my question - when you deadhead daffs do you leave the seed bit behind the flower or do you nip that off too? Never too sure.

[sewer rat]

Jennie
OUr timings are obviously on a par as I'm gonna deadhead my daffs shortly too. I always take the seed head away when I do it - always have , always will

[Alice]

Hello Jennie, take the seed head off. The object of dead heading daffs is to save the plant putting energy into making seeds so that it can go into the bulb for next year. When I'm dead heading them I give them a feed at the same time - growmore, phostrogen or whatever I have, and if they're in pots top up with some fresh compost too. My daffs were all past weeks ago so this probably relates to my question on your day light post. Looks like you get spring a lot later than us. Quite a gardening challenge in Shetland I think. But we all have to garden in our own micro climates.

[eskymo]

I've got to dead head my daffs this week, but I've also got to sig out a snowberry bush quite close to my flowerbed and will probably disturb the daffoldil bulbs - would it be better to wait for a while? How long after flowering does the bulb keep developing etc.

I don't mind digging the daffs up and replanting them, but not sure now would be a good time to do that.

[Elaine]

Bulb keeps taking goodness until the leaves die, but you can dig them up and plant them in a seperate section until the leaves die back, without too much set back.

[eskymo]

excellent!

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Alice - what about the tulips in pots? Should I be feeding them too once they die off? Never grown them before, but listened to Alan Titchmarsh at the beginning of the year and planted them in pots and have sunk them around the garden. Been really pretty. They are so colourful and makes such a change from the yellow of the daffs.

[bramble]

Yes Jenny, treat tulips same as daffs.

[Alice]

Yes Jennie, you can do the same with the tulips but I don't find they come as good again. The daffs are great in pots for years but the first year is the best of the tulips then they go back whatever you do, but you will get something off them.