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"How to Divide Daffodils"

By Arlene Wright-Correll

Living in zone 6 gives me the ability to consider lots of perennials and one of them is daffodils. Ever since we moved to Kentucky, we have never been here in the winter. We usually leave to follow the sun about mid November and come back about the end of April. By then most of the spring bulbs have come and gone. This is the first spring we have been here and it was an amazing delight to see all the different types of daffodils I had planted. I usually only get to see the green stems and leaves.

I remember the first year we moved here, I gave my daughter-in-law a present of about 100 tulip bulbs and 50 or so Daffodil bulbs. She planted them in the fall and they graced her entryway in the following spring. I mentioned to her that it was necessary to allow the tulips, once they lost their blossom, to get that scraggly, droopy look as tulips needed to have their strength or energy go back down towards the bulb in order to produce again and again.

Needless to say, the first weed whacker job did them in and they were never to be seen again. However, the Daffodils did not get the "hatchet job" for some reason and they had bloomed every year in the same area since the spring of 1998. The weed whacker caught up with them the other day by my grandson before I could issue instruction, so who knows what will happen. These were just ready to be divided, as they were pretty tight in that one area. I doubt they will come back again next spring.

Daffodils are among the easiest and showiest bulbs to grow in the early flowering garden. They love lots of sun but tolerate a half-day shade. Yet, they grow just fine among deciduous trees because they flower before most trees leaf out. I love the daffodil because it is such an early harbinger of spring. It is sometimes referred to as a buttercup or a jonquil. These are all common names and they are all correct. But its Latin, or botanical name, is narcissus.

Over the years I have purchased daffodil bulbs that bloom at different times of spring. So it might behoove you to look at the blooming time when you purchase daffodil bulbs. They are usually labeled, early spring blooming, mid-spring blooming and late spring blooming. This gives me daffodils over a longer period of time.

Once the joy of the blooms have come and gone, one of the first questions that arises is what year you should treat it with respect. This grass like foliage actually restores the bulb's energy through photosynthesis.

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