At this time of year, when I share pictures of the daffodils in my garden, in flowers all over the lawn, I always receive emails asking about how it works. So here are a few tips, sharing what I have learned over the years.
Why did I plant them in the lawn?
When we first moved to this house, the garden was pretty simple, and the only beds contained nothing but daffodils and snowdrops. I let them bloom our first spring here and then dug them all up and replanted them in the lawn. The snowdrops are planted beneath the huge magnolia, while the daffodils were planted in three ‘clouds’ in different positions in the garden.
If I had left them in the flower beds, I couldn’t have planted anything else because the bulbs were so numerous and so dense.
How many are there?
I have never counted, but I guess at the time I moved several hundred bulbs, …. that was 25 years ago, so there are probably well over a thousand plants today.
Are they difficult to plant
Nope, easy as pie! I lifted the faded daffodils once they had finished blooming and were dying back. Using a sharp, flat spade, I made a 6″ or 15cm deep cut into the lawn, pried open the cut with the spade, dropped a couple of bulbs into the gap and then let it close again. That’s easy.
How long did they bloom for?
Our blooming season lasts for about 3 weeks.
What is the downside of this natural planting?
There are two things that may bother some people. One is that you have to let the leaves die back before you cut them. This takes about a month, and during that time the grass around the daffodils is growing longer, and the plant’s leaves are fading to beige. Once you decide to cut the leaves and mow the grass, you’ll find yourself with a patch of yellow lawn, because the grass is light deprived. This will last for about 10 days. I have no remedy for either of these issues, we don’t mind, and we accept it as the price to pay.
If you could choose, would you do it again?
Yes, I really love this bold splash of color, that coincides with our magnolia and tells us that spring is about to get going. The only thing I’d change would be to plant several different bulb varieties, to prolong the flowering season.
How about you?!
I’d love to know if you do this too and if you have any tricks for living with daffodils on the lawn.
