Minature Daffodils /Snowdrops

Hello,
Can anyone advise myself on how many Daffodils and Snowdrops to put in clumps for an attractive spring showing? also what like a depth do I need to plant both varietes.
Another question that I would be grateful of is that today I received 200 plug plants from Gardening Direct.Is it a matter of replanting into larger pots or trays and keep in greenhouse over the winter ,then plant into containers in spring.Sorry these plants are ViolaMeteor and Viola Bronze Lavender.Do I need any protection or heat in greenhouse while wintering these plugs.Or what is recommended ? Cheers.

 

Hi Tattie,


Pot up the plugs, leave in the greenhouse and plant out in March/April.

You plant bulbs at 2 times to 3 times their depth in height, so if they are 3 cm in height you dig a hole that is 9cm deep. so that they have 6 cm of soil on top of them. Any deeper and they will go blind ( no flowers) any shallower and ditto.


Drifts are the only good way to plant bulbs, and personally I find that if you pack them together they look better. Pick up a clump full in your hand-toss them in a carefree way ( with wild abandon if you prefer lol) and plant where they land.

 

If the ground is hard where you are planting (e.g. if naturalised Daffs in lawn / grass, rather than a soft flower bed that is easy to dig with a trowel!) I use a spade, insert on all four sides of a square - to about the spade's depth - remove the square turf, should be about 6" - 8" deep, which is about right for daffs, put one bulb in each corner and replace the turf. Repeat in a haphazard pattern, in particular rotating the "square" cuts so that they are not uniform. If you make each square about a spade's width away from the previous one the bulbs will be planted at about 9" intervals, which after three or four eyars will have formed nice clumps. Might look a bit skinny for the first year though.

Snowdrops need planting much less deep, but the same technique can be used. You can put more in the square though - the four corners, mid-points of the sides, and one in the middle, or 2 or 3 in a little group at each corner. However, I think they are better transplanted "in the green" just after flowering, rather than as dry bulbs now [sorry about that!] and after a few years I split them up. I break up each clump into one half and two quarters. I replant the half where it was, and the quarters to fill-in wherever they are needed. Putting half the clump back looks more attractive in following years [compared to putting a single, solitary, bulb back]

I haven't got a picture of the Snowdrops in flower, but here's one after they have finished showing how the clumps had developed. This was probably 5 years after initial planting.

 

Kristen-you pulled that out of your March April Portfolio to whet me appetite.

 

In that case I've half a mind to photoshop some flowers in :hehe:

 

My favorite mini daff is called "rip van winkle" look up picture, so cute, and different.
That reminds me, have to get more.

 

Shouldn't that be with gay abandon?:wink:

 

I only Know a Mr Wild Abandon Aaron:hehe:

But if you know a Mr Gay Abandon maybe you could introduce us:lollol: