145 replies to this topic

[Misterioso]

 

Question. Can anyone tell me why my daffodils have no flower buds? I have several  clumps that have been growing in a border near the house. They are planted near a forsythia bush. Yet again this year they have come up with no flowers. Should I move them?

When the daffs have no flowers it's called "coming up blind", sometimes it's due to them being planted too shallowly, sometimes in too shady a spot or other reasons that I don't know about. I would reccommend cutting back the forsythia to give more light and givin the daffs plenty of water and lots and lots of mulch (making them deeper below the surface).

 

Some of our daffs come up like that too, although they didn't used to. They are planted in our lawn, so have plenty of daylight and also plenty of moisture. The remaining ones seem to fare better if we tie the tops when they have finished flowering and wait for them to die down properly before they get mowed along with the rest of the lawn.

 

I didn't realise that daffs which come up blind could be encouraged to flower again. I had assumed that that was it. 

[Clarimoo]

I had some blind daffodils and I re-planted them deeper down, after a couple of years they do flower again.  I never tie the tops of mine, I just leave them until they start to die off.

[fsharpminor]

We seem to have many more snowdrops out than previously, they have been breeding !

[mel2]

I planted some saffron crocus bulbs last year, and they have all come up like grass; not looking as though they are likely to flower. I tried them some years ago and the same thing happened. I've put them in the sunniest spot in the garden so not sure what else I could have done.

[Latin pianist]

I think you should cut the dead heads off daffodils so all their energy goes into the foliage which helps them flower next year.

[Clarimoo]

I think you should cut the dead heads off daffodils so all their energy goes into the foliage which helps them flower next year.

yes, definitely, cut the heads off ###### soon as they go over otherwise they use their energy to make seeds. And then let the leaves use the sunlight to collect energy to make the bulb big and fat for next year.

[Hedgehog]

We seem to have many more snowdrops out than previously, they have been breeding !

This year we're missing quite a few snowdrops - not sure what's happened. I suspect squirrels might like to eat snowdrop bulbs?

[Latin pianist]

It's a good time to plant more now"in the green".

[Aquarelle]

Thank you clarimoo for your advice. The forcythia is well cut back and is sort of pear shaped so the daffodils do get plenty of light and sun. However they may well not be in deep enough as you say so I will see if I can add more soil. They are right on the edge of the border, next to the cement of the patio so it might be a bit difficult. Otherwise I suppose I will have to wait until the leaves die down and then try moving them to another spot in the hope that they will do  better next spring.

[LoneM]

Once you've dead-headed them, feed with some general-purpose fertiliser.  Also, my mother used to lift and divide her daffs every few years, saying that it helped to keep them flowering.

[Aquarelle]

I rescued three pots of bulbs from Aldi. They were dying of thirst and i couldn't leave them there. They have now flowered - hyacinths, crocuses and miniature daffodils. They are cheering up one of my window sills.

[Misterioso]

 

We seem to have many more snowdrops out than previously, they have been breeding !

This year we're missing quite a few snowdrops - not sure what's happened. I suspect squirrels might like to eat snowdrop bulbs?

 

 

Ah - that's interesting. It could explain why we put around 50 in the year before last, and have only had a small handful come up....although come to think of it, I've never yet seen a squirrel on the island.

They probably can't get ferry tickets.

[Latin pianist]

Mice eat them too. The best time to plant them is now as flowering bulbs

[Aquarelle]

I've just found a hedgehog in the garden. I understand that if they are found during daylight hours and are not acting normally then they are in trouble - probably sick. This one is quite large and although it curled up when I picked it up it certainly didn't look too good. I have put it in a box (on its side) in the garage with a lot of dry leaves.  It can get out of the garage if it wants to. I have checked on the net about what to do and have left it some cat food. Hedgehogs are garden friends so I hope this one will recover.

[mel2]

I've just found a hedgehog in the garden. I understand that if they are found during daylight hours and are not acting normally then they are in trouble - probably sick. This one is quite large and although it curled up when I picked it up it certainly didn't look too good. I have put it in a box (on its side) in the garage with a lot of dry leaves.  It can get out of the garage if it wants to. I have checked on the net about what to do and have left it some cat food. Hedgehogs are garden friends so I hope this one will recover.

My son found a hedgehog in his garden and did similar; cardboard box lined with teatowels etc in a dark corner of his house and gave it access to water and commercial hedgehog food. He told me it was underweight ("how on Earth can you tell?" Was my question to him...) but despite best efforts and advice from Hedgehog Rescue, it succumbed. If you can find one during the day, the chances are that it isn't in good shape. I'll keep my fingers crossed for yours, though.