How to Plant New Daffodil Bulbs

Daffodils are bright, decorative yellow and white flowers that bloom in early spring. These are hardy flowers that grow all the way to the Canadian border, and return year after year from the same set of bulbs. Daffodils require a winter chill for their spring bloom, though, and do best with a mid- to late fall planting date. Get your new daffodil bulbs into the ground around your first frost to enjoy years of bright, cheerful flowers in your garden.

Quick-draining soil
Organic compost
Fertilizer
Spade
Mulch

Instructions

- 1
  Plant daffodil bulbs around the first frost, when temperatures drop to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This timing depends entirely on your growing zone, but should take place before December to give the daffodils time to grow. Make sure that the bulbs are in the ground before the first freeze. In colder areas like Minnesota and Illinois, get the daffodil bulbs into the ground before mid-October.
- 2
  Find a site where the daffodils will get eight hours of sun every day and complete drainage around their roots. The plants will not grow or bloom without the right amount of sun, and rot in standing water.
- 3
  Dig up the top 10 to 12 inches of soil in your daffodil bed and mix in quick-draining soil and organic compost. Daffodils won't grow in tight clay soil where they can't develop their roots. Mix 6-24-24 fertilizer into the tilled soil to give daffodils more support, or opt for organic fertilizers like bone meal.
- 4
  Plant daffodil bulbs 5 to 6 inches deep with the pointed ends up, with 6 inches of space around them. Cover them with soil and water with 5 to 6 inches of water.
- 5
  Mulch the bulbs with 2 inches of organic mulch to maintain soil warmth and moisture, and to discourage weed growth in the daffodil bed.

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