Daffs

Discussion in 'NEW Gardeners !' started by Diane Davies, May 1, 2015.

  1. Diane Davies

    Diane Davies Apprentice Gardener

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    I really hope I'm not asking too many questions too soon. I never know if I can cut some of the leaves off me Daffs. I know you have to leave them on till at least June. I just wondered if it is ok to chop a bit off as too tidy them up a bit. Same with the tulips and crocus I suppose really. The garden always looks so untidy. Thanks once again
     
  2. Jenny namaste

    Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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    try to hold off for a while on the "Leaf front " but by all means, remove the dead heads to stop effort being put into making seeds, and a bit of a liquid feed will help them,
    Jenny
     
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    • Diane Davies

      Diane Davies Apprentice Gardener

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      Thank you I will do that.
       
    • silu

      silu gardening easy...hmmm

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      If you are desperate:) and have a bit of spare ground not doing anything or a not hot compost heap, you can lift the bulbs with leaves attached and heal them in somewhere out of the way to continue their growth until dying down naturally. Tulips are a bit tricky as their stems do tend to snap so lift with great care. To be honest even if you let Tulips die down naturally, they may not flower the next season or the flowers will be fairly small....hense why the shops are full of Tulips every Autumn. It suits the Tulip growers for most bulbs not to be much good after a single season which means we have to keep buying more!
       
    • "M"

      "M" Total Gardener

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      No such thing :)
      No point joining if you can't ask questions, is there ;)
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        Ask as many questions as you like, Diane, the more the merrier.:coffee::snork:

        Actually tying them up is not a good idea either. That practice came from the Big House Estates where the Gardeners had to make everything look tidy for the Lords and Ladies:dunno:
        I would leave the leaves alone for as long as you can bear it as they will photosynthesise the food needed by the bulbs for next years growth.

        It's not often Silu and I have differences in opinion but I have Tulips that I planted over 7 years ago and they are going strong. I put that down to the fact that I plant all my Daffs and Tulips deep and my sandy soil is fast draining so bulbs don't rot.:coffee::snork:
         
      • silu

        silu gardening easy...hmmm

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        :) I would sort of agree with you @ARMANDII! I have got the good old red Tulips which come up every year. However, the fancier ones seem to deteriorate pretty quickly with me. The wee ones like Tarda are reliable and I did say "most" in my post:). Certainly with free draining soil and good depth of planting it will give the best chance of repeat flowering so I'll give in!
         
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        • HarryS

          HarryS Eternally Optimistic Gardener

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          Hi Diane and welcome to GC . I have daffs growing in my lawn , I leave the leaves on , as you should , so the bulb regains its strength. As Jenny said remove the flower heads to prevent them making seeds, unless its to much faff. This weekend I will be giving each clump a good feed with tomato feed , and mow them down first week in June :dbgrtmb:
          The guy across the road folds his daffs like the photo . This method is not the current advice , but it can't do much damage as he always gets a lovely display !
          20110529_7.JPG
           
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          • Diane Davies

            Diane Davies Apprentice Gardener

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            Thank you so much for all your great advise. So glad I joined this very friendly group.
             
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