In the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension Demonstration Garden, daffodils are in bloom. The Amaryllis family of daffodils, which includes narcissus and paperwhites, has been domesticated for many years. The Narcissus plant shares its scientific name with the Greek mythological figure who couldn’t stop staring at his reflection. The Greeks and Romans both appreciated the lovely blossoms. Daffodil bulbs that have been blooming continuously since the turn of the century can be found at numerous old homesites and historic locations throughout north Florida. Many types of daffodils are hardy in north Florida, and they can be seen from the winter until early April.
Daffodils are sown in the fall, but this is the season to enjoy their blooms. You still have time to plan for next year if you’ve found yourself admiring the lovely flowers and want to put them in your garden. Once the soil has cooled, daffodils can be planted. They grow best in locations with a lot of light, though a little shade is OK. Select planting locations that don’t collect water. Perfect locations have a small slope.
Bulb orders can be placed online or at nearby nurseries. The varieties “Carlton” (Large Cupped), “February Gold” (Cyclamineus), “Trevithean” (Jonquilla), “Erlicheer” (Tazetta), and paperwhites are suitable for our region (Tazetta).
Bulbs should be planted four to six inches deep once the earth is cool (in October or November), and they should receive plenty of water after planting and, if the winter is dry, throughout blossoming. Don’t overwater the bulb since moist soil encourages bulb rot. The leaves will start to deteriorate after flowering and as the weather becomes warmer. Leaves and flower stems shouldn’t be removed until they are totally browned and dry because they feed the bulb so it can store food for the following year.
When the bulbs are ready to be divided after a number of years, they can be dug out, lifted, and separated into those that are easy to break apart from one another. The divided bulbs should ideally be planted again right away.
The daffodil is interesting for the following reasons:
The bulb can modify its position in the soil to get the ideal temperature and depth.
It is believed that the name “tazetta” derives from the Italian word for the tiny cups used to sip espresso. When you next examine the blooms, take note of how they resemble a tiny cup on a saucer.
Daffodils flourish in Florida, right?
My favorite flowers are daffodils and tulips because in Connecticut, when they started to bloom in the fields and yards, it was a sure indicator that spring had arrived. While we are too far south to grow daffodils or tulips, we do have some gorgeous bulbous plants.
These bulbs provide lovely, green, leaf-like foliage in the garden for the majority of the year. The amaryllis is one of the most exquisite bulbs that may be grown in South Florida. They come in a variety of pink and red tones.
With the right care, bulbous plants will flourish and bear these lovely flowers every year. These plants can withstand harsh environmental conditions thanks to thicker underground storage organs. These subsurface organs serve as the plant’s reproductive organs. True bulbs are not found in all bulbous plants. Corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes are some other types of underground storage organs.
A real bulb is a compressed stem or basal plate that is covered in thick, fleshy scales called bulb scales and has a flower bud on it. Some true bulbs, including tulips, narcissus, and amaryllis, have dry and membrane outer scales that serve as a tunic to shield them from drying and mechanical harm. Because their outer scales are succulent and separate, giving the bulb a scaly look, other genuine bulbs, like lilies, are referred to as non-tunicate or scaly.
A corm is a substantial mass of stem tissue that has an upper terminal bud. At nodes on the corm, axillary or lateral buds are also generated. The corm’s sturdy stem structure is shielded from damage and water loss by dry leaf bases that resemble the tunic that covers real bulbs. A corm is a gladiolus.
A tuber is an underground stem that has thickened and has numerous buds on it. Unlike real bulbs and corms, which have a tunic or scales covering them, tubers have a rough skin. A caladium is an illustration of a tuber.
Dahlia roots are real roots since they are tuberous and do not have nodes or inter-nodes. Only the crown or stem end of the root has buds.
Rhizomes are thicker horizontal stems that are buried in the ground or growing beside it. Canna and calla rhizomes grow roots on their bottom surface and send up shoots underground.
The climate in Florida is ideal for cultivating a wide variety of tropical and subtropical bulbous plants. Unfortunately, Florida is not a good place to produce many of the common bulbs seen in northern states, such as tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. These bulbs either have poor or no flowering. Many of these northern bulbs will thrive and bloom the first year with particular care. As they rarely bloom again, recovery and planting the next year are not advised.
Most bulbs do best in a sunny area. Some plants, like caladiums, thrive in some shade. Avoiding heavy shade will prevent thin, spindly growth, poor foliage color, and poor flowering. Making the bed properly is crucial for successful bulbs. A healthy soil is essential. Three to four inches of organic matter and fertilizer should be incorporated into the soil during tilling and amendment.
Points pointing up, create holes to the specified depth for the individual bulbs, and plant. Around the bulbs and water, compact the dirt.
To keep weeds at bay, mulch the beds. Any weeds that do manage to poke through the mulch should be removed before they can take root in the bed.
Use a specialized bulb fertilizer once or twice during the growing season. Tulip bulbs and other bulbs that are destroyed after flowering do not require fertilization since they have enough food stored in them to last them the entire blooming season.
When growing bulbs, water is essential, and it’s critical that they stay moist during their growth and flowering periods. Keep the soil moist but not soggy, unless it starts to dry out at the conclusion of a growing season.
Before seeds are formed, dead flowers should be removed as a desirable cultural practice. If seeds can set, flowering the following season will be lessened. Additionally improving the planting’s aesthetic appeal, removing seeds may help to avoid disease issues.
While some bulbous plants may become congested and produce subpar flowers, many thrive best when left in the ground year after year. Larger and more uniform flowers are promoted by digging and replanting.
Hyacinth, amaryllis, and other true bulbs produce tiny bulbs called bulblets that develop into offsets. The mother bulb can be divided into offsets, which can then be planted in the beds. The length of time it takes for a bulb to mature into a bloom depends on the type.
Gladiolus and other corm-producing plants grow new corms on top of the old ones, which wither. The space between the old and young corms produces tiny corms called cormels. For planting in the spring, these can be detached from the mother corms and preserved alongside the new corms over the winter. Additionally, cormels need two to three years to mature into flowering plants.
Cut into portions with at least one bud in each, tubers (caladiums), tuberous roots (dahlia), and rhizomes (canna, day lily) are propagated this way. Without a bud, tuberous roots that are broken off are useless.
Here are some illustrations of bulbs, corms, tubers, tuberous roots, and rhizomes along with their flowering times:
Daffodils will they blossom in Florida?
A recent Colorado transplant told me that she had purchased tulip bulbs and had planted them in her new yard. She planted the bulbs in December after pre-chilling them. She was saddened to find that the bulbs will not live to bloom in subsequent years even though she should receive blooms this year. The same is true for some daffodils and hyacinths, but if one choose the appropriate kind, one can grow daffodils here.
If the correct types are chosen, daffodil bulbs require relatively little maintenance and no artificial cooling. If you’ve had bad luck with daffodils in the past, variety selection, site selection, planting, and/or care could be to blame for their failure.
Wildflowers from the Mediterranean, which has a wide range of climates, include daffodils. The daffodil kinds that thrive in the drier regions of the Mediterranean basin are those that are most suited to our environment. Less than 50 of the more than 28,000 identified kinds have been shown to thrive in trial gardens in Florida. Daffodils are regarded as a spring crop in the northern United States. Early variants begin to bloom in November, and late varieties begin to bloom in early April. The weather will affect when the plant will bloom. This year, the prolonged chilly weather has caused flowers to bloom a little later than usual.
Choose a site that receives full or nearly full sun. Many will thrive with at least a half day of direct sunlight, ideally in the morning. Plant them far from vegetation that needs irrigation often. When daffodils are developing, they need water, but when they are dormant in the summer, they need to be in an area that is not irrigated.
The soil ought to be well-drained, with a pH range of slightly acid to neutral. A variant that can withstand more alkaline soils is called “Ice Follies.” Because they tend to hold more water, organic amendments and bark should not be added to the soil. To facilitate root growth, loosen the soil to a depth of 10 inches.
Never buy pre-chilled daffodil bulbs or refrigerate your own bulbs. To create a lovely clump look, plant bulbs in early to mid-November, spacing them three times the breadth of the bulb. The tazetta variety is an exception because it grows extremely large and needs 8-inch spacing. In the South, tazettas, which contain 8 to 20 blossoms on a single stalk, are frequently referred to as narcissus. They grow better when their roots meet, so plant in clusters rather than one bulb here and one bulb there.
Except for tazetta kinds, which are planted 8 inches deep, place bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart. If the soil is phosphorous poor, fertilize it at planting by lightly spraying some super phosphate over the soil’s surface. When planting, avoid using additional fertilizers, and avoid using bark as a mulch. Use pine straw or leaves as a mulch instead of soil because they encourage improved drainage and air flow and prevent bulb rot.
Daffodils bloom from fall through spring and then hibernate from summer to fall. As the soil cools in the fall, the leaves appear and the roots grow. While the leaves are growing, give them regular water (approximately 1 inch per week), and once the flowers have finished blooming, stop giving them water. In the spring, some more irrigation may be required if the weather is exceptionally dry. During the summer months when they are dormant, avoid irrigation.
Early in September and right after flowering, fertilize with a 5-10-15 or 6-24-24 blend with trace elements. Apply up to a half-inch layer of wood ashes if you have access to them. Avoid applying fertilizers with greater nitrogen levels as plants will respond by producing lots of healthy leaves but few blooms.
Deadhead the tops of wilted flowers to redirect energy back into the bulbs rather than seed development, which will promote bulb growth. The flower stems should be left intact, according to some older research, as they contribute to some of the photosynthesis that feeds the bulbs.
To fill in the gaps when bulbs are dormant, try planting drought-tolerant annuals or perennials like vinca, gallardia, verbena, or lantana between clumps in the summer. This will contribute to adding color in the off-season.
Bulb density may increase throughout time, necessitating division. It’s time to excavate your bulbs if there are fewer blooms over time. When the foliage begins to turn yellow as it dies back is the ideal time to divide bulbs. Lift the bulbs carefully to protect the base plate (bottom where roots emerge). Shake off any extra dirt, then rinse with water. For many weeks, leave the bulbs in a cool, shaded spot to recover. The bulbs can be gently pulled apart once they have dried. Next, either transplant the bulbs or preserve them. If you want to store something, put it in a mesh bag and keep it indoors where it’s cool—not in the fridge.
Be patient; it takes daffodils a number of years to truly grow and build a robust root system. The following cultivars have been successfully grown as far south as Gainesville, according to test locations and data provided by the Florida Daffodil Society: Carlton, Ice Follies, February Gold, Itzem, Sweetness, Trevithian, Chinese Sacred Lily, Soliel d’Or, Cragford, Erlicheer, Nony, Golden Dawn, Grand Primo, and Silver Chimes. The majority of paperwhites (N. papyraceus) will thrive in our region.
Are there daffodils in Central Florida?
Daffodils are probably not a common sight around town, but they do exist and are secretly blooming in the gardens of certain experienced Central Florida gardeners.
Occasionally, the ground will show signs of green as winter ends. Soon, underground bulbous structures will start to sprout buds. A burst of color from a bulb that blooms in the early spring, like the daffodil, dazzles the eye and frequently outshines other perennials in the decorative border.
The amaryllis forced indoors has become a holiday tradition, but even the most devoted gardeners in the South have long been discouraged by the cost and work of utilizing bulbs as annuals in the yard.
For those who want to cultivate bulbs, there is a third choice: Some will blossom perennially in Central Florida’s subtropical climate.
The scientific method is used by Robert H. Stamps, a researcher at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Apopka.
When daffodils flowered in his yard 20 years in a row, Stamps first became interested in leading a research on bulbs. the selection? The most popular daffodil in the world is Narcissus Carlton.
According to Stamps, “I anticipated daffodil bulbs would need a longer, colder winter than Apopka could provide.” When the daffodils became perennial, I was astounded.
Bulb testing is Stamps’ side project because he works for the state as a commercial cut-foliage specialist and studies on bulbs are more relevant to homes than to commercial growers. People who were already interested in bulb planting made the studies easier.
“The bulbs for the most recent study were provided by the late John Van Beck, a former president of the Florida Daffodil Society. The initial study’s bulbs were provided by Brent and Becky Heath “says Stamps.
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs is owned by the Heaths, third-generation bulb farmers and daffodil hybridizers in Gloucester, Virginia.
In order to determine which bulbs thrive in Central Florida, Stamps has been evaluating them in a series of outdoor, 16-square-foot testing beds at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center. His efforts were motivated by the conditions in his own yard.
Stamps has grown a variety of bulbs in a controlled environment, managing the soil type, pH level, amount of sunshine and shadow, watering, and temperature of the plants. In each study, up to 30 cultivars were analyzed.
According to Stamps, the growing conditions used in each study closely resemble those of the surrounding area, allowing him to provide findings that Central Florida gardeners can reproduce.
On a tag attached to each plant and bloom, Stamps keeps track of the planting date, flowering date, number of flowers, and length of bloom, all of which are logged in a database.
In the proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society, which provides information to regional extension agents, Stamps has published his findings.
The Flagler County Extension Service is giving bulbs the “cold shoulder” in another test garden a few counties northeast of Apopka.
The test gardens in Bunnell are exposed to genuine aspects of nature, according to Linda Van Beck, president of the Florida Daffodil Society and the former president’s widow.
The bulbs, all of which are daffodils in this instance, have mostly been neglected and hardly ever even watered.
Van Beck of Tallahassee adds, “That may seem awful, but based on outcomes from that garden, we know how some bulbs act in Central Florida when left to their own devices.”
She doesn’t personally test the bulbs. She isn’t a gardener, in actuality. She is intrigued by the enigma surrounding the plant and the scientific investigations. She is composing an untitled book about the behavior and background of daffodils in Zone 8 of North Florida.
The chapters cover a variety of subjects pertinent to daffodil cultivation. Van Beck’s years of bulb observation were used to inform practical advice, such as the optimal watering techniques for daffodils.
“Stop watering as soon as the bulbs bloom. Watering the plants will result in a pool of water that could destroy the bulb because they aren’t absorbing water at that moment.”
Van Beck’s recommendations are trustworthy since they are supported by in-depth research that includes observations of daffodils growing in many locations throughout the state. Van Beck is authoring a chapter on Florida’s daffodil heritage and is something of a plant historian.
Few people are aware that Alachua once housed the biggest daffodil nursery in the world, according to the author.
Van Beck makes informed predictions about the future of daffodil cultivation toward the end of the book, a future Van Beck wishes to shape through her writing.
For instance, if gardeners don’t take care to stay away from bulb viruses, the success of daffodil cultivation in the South may be compromised. Van Beck’s suggestion: “Buy from nurseries and catalogs with a good reputation and high standards. These are the places to get bulbs free of viruses. Be picky.”
The Bunnell test gardens are a source of information for Van Beck. Evidently, findings from the Bunnell test gardens contradict accepted beliefs about daffodils.
“Daffodils have highly specific needs. They appear to assess their surroundings in the fall and determine whether or not to blossom the following spring. In unfavorable conditions, a daffodil’s contractile root retracts, “says Van Beck.
Given this, it is incredible that eight of the 30 kinds that were planted develop as perennials and come back year after year, even in the face of acute dryness and only one fertilizing each year when the bulbs started to sprout.
The test gardens Ruth Micieli of the Flagler County Extension Service is in charge of are “quite near to natural circumstances.”
She and her volunteers planted a collection of donated bulbs akin to those Stamps had in Apopka in October 1998.
“In order to stop water from evaporating and weed development, we covered the beds with pine straw in the spring and summer. During the worst of the drought, we hand watered and weeded regularly “Says Micieli.
The same daffodils that Stamps had success with survived and thrived in this situation; however, plant care was less rigorous and record keeping was less exact.
This year, we’re beginning over with a fresh group of volunteers, and Micieli explains, “We want to record data from the garden more meticulously.”
However, the outcomes of her earlier research support what Stamps has also found.
“There are several bulbs that gardeners in Central Florida can count on to blossom every year.”
Bulbs might replace other low-maintenance favorites if we take our cues from the Flagler County Extension Service’s test gardens.