Question for Gardeners

Updated on May 27, 2013
L.B. asks from New Rochelle, NY
6 answers

I inherited a beautiful garden with my new house, but I don't know the first thing about gardening. I'm planning to buy a book and read it if I ever get the time, but I have a quick question for the garden experts. There were some lovely daffodils clustered around my front porch, but now they are dead and matted down. Do I remove the plants? How far down do I cut so that I don't hurt the bulbs? Can I put something else in for the rest of the season, or will that interfere with the bulbs? TIA!

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M.B.

answers from Austin on

The daffodils will continue to come up and bloom each year, if you don't dig them up...

Also, don't cut the foliage back until the foliage is dry and brown... as long as it is green, it is storing food in the bulbs for next years flowers.

When you do trim the foliage, just trim it back to about an inch or so of the ground.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bulbs/msg0410264...

http://www.ehow.com/facts_###-###-####_prune-daffodils.html

http://www.blomsbulbs.com/growing/autumn/daffodils_faq

7 moms found this helpful

J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

Oh I know this one. They look kind of blah for a while but when they have pulled in all the nutrients they need the stems will actually separate easily from the bulbs. What I do with mine is just pull on them once a week. When they pull out I clean it all up.

Next year they come back up.
____________________
I just wanted to add because so many people say trim. You can trim them but by doing it the bulbs are not gathering enough nutrients to come up well the next year. That is why each year the flowers look a little less happy.

5 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

As long as the leaves are green just leave them alone.
Soon as the leaves are dead and brown, you can snip off the dead parts.

3 moms found this helpful
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G.S.

answers from New York on

I've always just left mine alone & they will bloom again next year. We moved into our house almost two years ago this July and we're still finding things come up that we didn't notice. Your best bet is to take lots of pics & investigate online. Don't plant anything until you are there a good while, otherwise you may destroy what is already there. Good thing for us, a lot of the neighbors around us knew of this woman's green thumb who lived in this house prior to us moving in & have given us lots of insight. Best of luck to you.

2 moms found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Mow them down, by now the bulbs have gotten all the starch etc that is needed for beautiful flowers next yr. I just leave the bulbs in the ground, I only dig them up to split them for new plants. I don't plant anything else right where they are.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Trim them off and they'll come back next year. That's their spot, don't put anything else there.

1 mom found this helpful
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