Daffodils - the beauty of spring

Daffodils, the symbol of friendship, are one of the most popular flowers exclusively due to their unmatched beauty. Narcissus is the Latin or botanical name for the commonly called daffodils. Daffodils often bloom in clusters and all Daffodils have a corona in the center that looks like a trumpet, and a ring of petals all around. Daffodils are constantly recurring flowers with at least 50 species and many hybrids! Daffodils often grow in large clusters, covering lawns and even entire hillsides with yellow. The garden Daffodil's ancestors come from the states around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Spain and Portugal, and the Middle East, such as Turkey.

There are many different types of daffodils, with the shapes of their flowers ranging from the classic trumpet to the lesser known ruffled puffs.

• Trumpet Daffodils
• Large Cupped Daffodils
• Small Cupped Daffodils
• Cyclamineus Daffodils
• Jonquillia Daffodils
• Tazetta Daffodils
• Poeticus Daffodils
• Triandrus Daffodils
• Species & Wild Daffodils
• Split Corona Daffodils
• Double Daffodils
• Miniature Daffodils

How to grow Daffodils: They are extremely easy to grow: the bulbs require very little care after planting. It's a spring flower.

• Place should be well-drained and sunny with slightly acidic soil.
• Plant Daffodils so that their top, the pointed end is at least two times as deep as the bulb is high, top of a 2" bulb is 4" deep.
• Bulbs should be planted deeper in sandy soil than in clay.
• High-nitrogen fertilizer should be avoided.
• Daffodils need lots of water while they are growing.
• After blooming, never cut the foliage until it begins to yellow
• Once you have dug them. Wash the bulbs thoroughly and let them dry completely
• Put them in onion sacks and hang them in the coolest place.

Different colors of Daffodils:

• White/ Whitish
• Orange
• Red
• Yellow
• Pink
• Green

How to take care of Daffodils:

• Daffodils do well with about 1 inch of water per week while they are actively growing and blooming - from March to May.
• Provide rich, well-drained soil with lots of organic matter in it.
• Since Daffodil is a perennial, every 5 to 10 years, divide the clumps of bulbs in early summer.

Happy growing and remember to cut them and place them in a vase to enjoy them indoors as well!

(Sources: theflowerexpert.com/content/mostpopularflowers/morepopularflowers/daffodil, plantsgalore.com/articles/perennials/perennials-bulbs-daffodil-types-plantfacts.htm)

(Image Sources: biopsy.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/daffodils.jpg, hsph.harvard.edu/departments/epidemiology/images/daffodil.jpg, flower-garden-bulbs.com/images/daffodilcare.jpg, papagenos.com/picts/Daffodil%20Images/Daffodils.ClassicsCollection.jpg)