Yellow Daffodils
How To Grow Yellow Daffodils
Yellow daffodils are well-known for their appearance of their central trumpet disc-shaped corona that is fully surrounded by six perfect floral leaves that are connected into the main tube. These are happy, charming flowers and they have been a symbol of cancer research since 1957.
The seeds of these easily recognized flowers are round, swollen and black with a hard coat. The flowers are separated into three sepals which are the outer segments and three petals which are the inner segments. While the traditional daffodil in poetry and in most people's minds is solid yellow, the flower can have quite a few color variations including a rare lime green variety.
These early-blooming flowers are a cheerful sign of spring and they are one of the easiest seasonal bulbs to grow. The greatest benefit of these blossoms is that they are unappetizing to rabbits, deer and many other pests that may plague your garden.
Growing Your Flowers
Before planting your yellow daffodils you will need to select the proper bulbs because they come in many colors, shapes and sizes. You should always be sure to purchase your bulbs from a garden center or online shop with a positive reputation.
- Bulbs should be examined carefully as they need to be firm, not hollow or squishy. Keep in mind that larger bulbs will traditionally produce larger plants.
- You should plant your daffodils approximately one month prior to the ground freezing in the fall. This allows them enough time to develop their roots before winter. These are woodland flowers and prefer partial shade however, they will also tolerate full sun. Yellow daffodils do not at all mind to be a bit crowded so when you plant them, the bulbs only need a few inches between them. It is important to note that these flowers need a well-drained soil because they do not appreciate soaked roots.
- Using a shovel or a spade, dig your hold about three times larger than the bulb. Yellow daffodils have tear-drop shaped bulbs with a point at one end and visible roots. The bulb will go in the hold with the pointed part facing upward.
- Next, you will bury the bulbs with a combination of compost and soil. If the soil is high quality, the bulbs will not need fertilizing when you plant them.
- After covering the bulbs, apply a couple of inches of mulch such as grass clippings, leaves or straw. This will help to regulate the temperature and moisture levels as well as keep the weeds down.
Your yellow daffodils will bloom in spring of the following year. If you do decide to fertilize, you should do so when the flowers are completely done blooming. This will encourage the roots to multiply. You will want to let the tops die naturally as this provides the plant with additional energy that it really needs to grow for the following season.
Yellow daffodils are a long-lasting, lovely cut flower but you should know that the plant is weakened when the blossom is removed. If you want to keep your garden plentiful avoid cutting all of the flowers off. Also, you should spread compost in the late spring to help the plant recover from any cutting that you do.
Toxicity
These flowers do contain an alkaloid poison primarily in the bulb but there is also some in the leaves. There has been a few occasions reported about of the bulbs being confused with onion bulbs in cooking and a number of people becoming quite ill from consuming them.
Additionally, florists often have problems handling this flower as it creates fissures, dryness, erythema and scaling of the hands which is often later accompanied by hyperkeratosis.