Do you know how to give tender loving care to your fading spring daffodils and narcissus?
Any blooms you didn't cut and bring into the house for color and enjoyment, may now be shriveled, wrinkled, and dried on their sturdy stems, though of course still surrounded by their healthy green leaves.
We know we should do no drastic pruning immediately after blooming - the daffodil bulbs require nutrition from the stems and leaves if they are to naturalize and keep returning year after year. You have to allow all the greenery to turn yellow before the final trimming - perhaps a couple of months from now. Never tie the dying leaves in bunches in hopes of hiding them - that's a huge no-no! This weekend I read in the local newspaper garden section that it's also best to cut off just the actual flower head, not all the way down to the base of the stem which is what I have often done in years past. This is also a good time to add a couple of inches of good compost around the plants, working it into the soil. You can leave your bulbs in the ground, or in pots if you grew them there, until next year - they only require digging up and keeping dry if you plan to move and want to take them with you - something I would consider if that day ever comes!
Of course you now get a few photos - because I think they are still lovely in a different way before popping them, along with some purple pansies that have seen better days, into the bin ready for their next garden effort. . . . . . . making lovely compost.
Next are the tulips, some are just coming into bloom, and the bluebells are just showing buds. As for shrubs, all of my azaleas are now opening their buds. Easter should be very colorful around here, as long as this cold spell, which started today and will continue for a couple of days, isn't too severe. After the recent spell of warm, balmy weather, the first day of Spring has been quite chilly here in the southeast.
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