Daffodils are in bloom all over the county and our entire region. They are about as colorful as I have seen in years. Interestingly enough, I had a person tell me this was the second year in a row that their daffodils did not bloom and was wondering what she needed to do to make them start blooming again. Here are a few reasons why daffodils do not repeat bloom. Over-crowding, too much shade, damaged foliage after bloom or the wrong variety are a few reasons that result in sparse display or no blooms. Locate daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs in an area that gets at least six hours of full sun each day. Daffodils and other true bulbs produce bulblets each growing season. You may notice that each year the foliage seems to get thicker. They may produce too many bulblets impeding uptake of nutrients. It’s important to periodically divide your planting providing needed space to expand and grow.

Another important factor is lack of foliage after bloom during the early summer growing. After bloom, be careful not to damage or remove foliage until it begins to fade, turn yellow and fall over. It’s also important to fertilize bulbs in late fall and early spring with bulb fertilizers. It’s very important to select bulbs that are recommended for our area and avoid bargain bulbs. Select bulbs that are firm and solid. Avoid bulbs that are shriveled, lightweight, discolored or have soft spots. Large, healthy bulbs produce a better display. Go to https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/narcissus/ for more detailed information on planting daffodils.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu