Learn / Ask The Landscape Professional
My husband and I have an annual "discussion" – he likes to mow daffodils down right after the blooms pass and I think that's too early. So far he's won! Who's right?
Answer
It might be best if you just hand this
article to your husband! Never prune back daffodil
leaves until they are completely spent, which is 6-8
weeks after the flowers die. The correct time is when
the leaves have yellowed and withered, which you can
tell if you can slightly tug on the shriveled leaf and it
comes right off. You can go ahead and cut back the
spent flowers after they have passed without hurting the
plant. Daffodils rely on photosynthesis which converts
light energy into chemical energy and stores sugars
that strengthen and feed the bulbs to ensure a hearty
return next year. The photosynthesis process continues for up to two months after the flower has
passed as long as there is ample sunlight and water. If you cut off the leaves prematurely, the
daffodil plant will not have had enough time to store energy, the blooming next year will be weaker,
and after a few years they will be gone. Some gardeners like to tie up green or yellowing leaves
to tidy up their garden. That is not a good idea because tying interferes with the photosynthesis
process by blocking the channels that the sugars flow through to the bulb.
Daffodils are referred to as Narcissus (the Latin botanical name) or Daffodils (the common
name). The first recorded references to daffodils were around 300 BC. They were used for many
years in Greek and Roman medicine. Today there may be as many as 200 different species and
over 25,000 hybrids (known as cultivars); no one really knows. The flowers of the smallest daffodils
are only 1/2 inch across and the largest stretch almost 5 inches across. The outer layer of the
daffodil bulb as well as the foliage contains a toxic crystal substance, lykorine, which, if eaten, can
be poisonous to dogs and other animals. This poison protects daffodils from animal predators,
making it a good plant for areas where deer and rodents are known to cause problems. Even
though the outer layer and other parts of the daffodil are poisonous, in 2010 scientists announced
that a substance, narciclasine, found inside the bulb had therapeutic affects against aggressive
forms of human brain cancers. A final word of caution, if you put daffodils with other flowers in a
vase, you need to pre-soak the daffodils for 24 hours by themselves. This seals off the daffodil
stem, otherwise toxic sap from the daffodil will cause the other flowers to wilt prematurely.
View As PDF
To view a PDF of this article, please
click here.
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.
