topic Re: Planting Over Daffodils in Garden

Planting Over Daffodils

Biftu — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 22:58:57 GMT

I have daffodils planted around my lamp post and they look lovely until they die off. This summer I would like to plant some perennials around that lamp post. How, or can I, plant over these bulbs? I would like flowers blooming in the summer there but still want my spring daffodils to come back next year. Is it possible to somehow plant over these bulbs? It gets full sun.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Mom2Dogs — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:07:47 GMT

@Biftu Good question, I have often wondered the same thing.

My neighbors have beautiful spring flowers in the front yard, as they die off the hostas have begun to grow. I am thinking they planted around the bulbs, but I will be interested to hear answers to your question.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Candycane10 — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:09:39 GMT

I don't see why you can't. You will have to be careful not to move or dig up the bulbs.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

PA Mom-mom — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:15:09 GMT

@Biftu You can cut back the leaves of the daffys by the end of June, depending where you live. Before that, you can plant annuals around the bulbs. Just don't dig out the bulbs. Work around them.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Biftu — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:35:07 GMT

@PA Mom-mom wrote:
@Biftu You can cut back the leaves of the daffys by the end of June, depending where you live. Before that, you can plant annuals around the bulbs. Just don't dig out the bulbs. Work around them.

But I want to plant perennials. So I have to plant around the bulbs but not on top? Planting around the bulbs will be tough since I have so many. You may be right though.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Biftu — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:39:52 GMT

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
@Biftu Good question, I have often wondered the same thing.

My neighbors have beautiful spring flowers in the front yard, as they die off the hostas have begun to grow. I am thinking they planted around the bulbs, but I will be interested to hear answers to your question.

Years back I had hostas around the lamp post and like your neighbor the hostas would come up after the daffodils died. There is full sun there so eventually the sun was too much for the hosta and they died off.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

MG Chris — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 23:59:35 GMT

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
@Biftu Good question, I have often wondered the same thing.

My neighbors have beautiful spring flowers in the front yard, as they die off the hostas have begun to grow. I am thinking they planted around the bulbs, but I will be interested to hear answers to your question.

I have seen videos on this, you plant around the bulbs.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

jlkz — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:04:14 GMT

@Biftu

I have a suggestion for you and that lamppost area that is in full sun.. My mailbox is right next to the curb of a 5-lane road. A small hill is at its base. It was very dangerous to try and get something planted there that would fill the slope with color all summer....without my dragging a very long hose to water what ever I planted. Working on a slope at 79 isn't very safe and the traffic literally causes a breeze as it whizzes by.

I planted Solomon's Seal which grows in shade or sun and takes care of itself totally. It will spread outward. It gets planted close to the top of the soil and can easily be divided. It appears in early April and gets to 18". The early arc of its blade has tiny white bells and then the rest of the leaves appear. It dies off after the first frost and reappears in early April.

As for the colorful flowers you want, why not use tall flower pots to hold the flowering plants ? Set them up on a rock or short bench right behind the Solomon's seal ( sedum would be another easy growing plant with the same spreading and self-caring tendencies.).

This photo is in another area but the plant is the same. It has been divided many times over the years. Start out with only a few ( Seal or Sedum ) and the first year use mulch to fill out bare spots.

Area: PA-NJ-DE......don't know the "Zone" at the moment.

P.S.

Last year I left one sedum plant in a plastic planter and forgot about it. When we got back from FL last week, it was full and beautiful. The mauve-colored flower heads will appear in July ! Have to remember this lazy approach !

Good Luck and don't be afraid to try a new approach / design.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Carmie — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:14:05 GMT

You can always plant perennials above and around the daffy bulbs. If there are too many daf bulbs, you can divide and transplant some to a different location. They multiply every year.

Just carefully dig them out, and dig a hole somewhere else and replant them. That will give you more room and the daf bubs will continue to multiply.

I few years ago, we put a stone walkway in and had to remove quite a few bulbs including daffodils, tulips and lilies. I just dug them out and threw them in a heap because I didn't want to replant them.

Well, they prospered on their own. I have a corner of my yard where all those mixed bulbs come up every year.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

ValuSkr — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:25:37 GMT

I plant perennials first and the spring-blooming bulbs later. That way, I plant bulbs in spots where perennials aren't.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

kate2357 — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 03:54:29 GMT

@Biftu

To answer your question...maybe you can plant perennials over your daffodil bulbs.

Factors:

How deep did you plant bulbs: 6-8 inches?

How closely did you plant bulbs: are the bulbs nearly touching or farther apart?

Are you going for color or greenery for your perennials?

Are you looking for height or low growing plants?

Are you willing to start with smaller perennials, say

4 inch pot vs large pots?

Your perennials and bulbs will be fighting for room to grow and set roots. Both bulbs and perennials will spread out over the course of a few years. You do not want to plant the perennials too close together, so the small plants that are spread out, may not give you the punch you want the first summer.

What I have done in my garden is to plant my perennials around the bulbs...sometimes in an exaggerated horseshoe shape, with bulbs surrounded by perennials that come to bloom at different times. I will plant a few annuals on top of the bulbs because 4" annuals are easy to poke & place in soil and give almost instant color gratification. They also quickly hide the ugly daffodil leaves.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do. It's fun to experiment and even failures teach you something. Spring planting is my favorite time of year.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Biftu — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:49:28 GMT

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, they were helpful. Happy spring.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Carolina925 — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 10:21:38 GMT

@Carmie , that sounds lovely! A friend has a very green thumb and more plants than she needs, giving many away to her friends all the time. She has a drainage ditch running along the side yard and throws plants and bulbs in that area when she gets too many. It's a real wonderland walking along that ditch, she never knows what will take hold and thrive.

Sounds like you got answers to your question, @Biftu . Lots of smart gardeners here! I agree with other commenters that you may want to thin out your daffodils if you have too many to fit in perinneals. Good luck, I think your lamp post area will be a wonderful greeting to your visitors and neighbors.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

gardenman — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:07:42 GMT

Daylilies are commonly interplanted with daffodils as the daylilies tend to be later flowering and have similar foliage, so the daffodil foliage blends in with the daylily foliage. Both plants are nearly indestructible also.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

PA Mom-mom — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:00:55 GMT

@Biftu wrote:
@PA Mom-mom wrote:
@Biftu You can cut back the leaves of the daffys by the end of June, depending where you live. Before that, you can plant annuals around the bulbs. Just don't dig out the bulbs. Work around them.
But I want to plant perennials. So I have to plant around the bulbs but not on top? Planting around the bulbs will be tough since I have so many. You may be right though.

@Biftu If you want to, you can dig out the bulbs and replant them as you place your perennials. Try to get them in at the previous depth. It will set them back somewhat, but I doubt it will kill them.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

goldensrbest — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:04:14 GMT

I would plant around the bulbs.

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

Still Raining — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:27:18 GMT

Daffodils - AKA catnip for deer 🤣

Re: Planting Over Daffodils

BEs4me — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 22:30:54 GMT

How about a reblooming daylily like Stella De Oro. There leaves come in about the same time the Daffodils will be dying back so it won't be noticeable. There are many types of reboomers that you plant once and let them multiply.