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For over 50 years I have grown daffodils with great success. This year none of the daffodils in my small garden have come up yet. Could all of the rain we had last year have rotted the bulbs? I look forward to your help and expertise. Thank you. Suzanne

Answer

Dear Suzanne
There are several reasons that could explain why your daffodils have not returned.

1. The very wet fall we had in 2018 could have created a very wet soil environment and your bulbs rotted.

2. This past winter was cold with little snow cover to insulate the ground. Your bulbs may have been frozen and killed off. Sometimes the cold winters also delay the blooming of daffodils.

3. Not fertilizing bulbs will eventually affect their blooms. Daffodils should be fertilized with bone meal or the appropriate bulb fertilizer as the leaf tips emerge in spring and when the leaves begin to turn yellow after the flowers fade.

4. If you have not previously divided the bulbs, the bulbs will become crowded, cease blooming and eventually will disappear.

5. The use of chemical weed killer on the lawn surrounding your small garden could suppress bulb growth and eventually kill the bulb.

The most likely reason the daffodils have disappeared is #1 and/or #2. Thank you for your question.

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About Linda Lillie

Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.

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