It’s peak bulb-planting season, and as we know, daffodils are among the most popular, well-loved spring flowers. To encourage healthy blooms, though, you’ll need to know how deep to plant daffodil bulbs.
In fact, when learning how to plant daffodil bulbs, depth is one of the most important considerations. Whether you plant bulbs too deep or too shallow, you could be stunting the growth of next year’s flowers without realising it.
To find out exactly how deep to plant daffodil bulbs, I spoke to the experts.
There’s no exact science when it comes to figuring out how deep to plant daffodil bulbs, but there is a pretty good rule of thumb you can follow.
‘Aim for about 10cm deep, roughly three times the bulb’s height,’ advises Julian Palphramand, head of plants at British Garden Centres.
Whether you’ll be planting daffodils in clumps or singularly, you’ll also need to make sure you plant them the right way round.
‘Always plant them pointy side up so they can easily push through the soil in spring,’ says Julian.
Now, I always wondered if depth really matters that much when planting daffodils.
As it turns out, it really can determine how well your daffodils bloom – and, worst-case scenario, whether they flower at all.
'Getting the planting depth right makes all the difference,' says Monique Kempermann, horticultural expert at Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland. 'Bulbs planted too deep may struggle to reach the surface, leading to leaves without flowers or delayed growth.
'Those planted too shallow can dry out, suffer frost damage, or sprout too early in mild weather.'
So, a hole that’s three times the bulb’s height really is the sweet spot for daffodils. To make things easier, you can even use a bulb planting tool like this Gardena Bulb Planter, £13.85 at Amazon. Just make sure you backfill the hole with soil once you’ve planted the bulbs.
The frost that Julian mentioned is also worth keeping an eye on, even if you’ve nailed the planting depth. Just as you’d protect plants from frost with mulch, you can cover the soil above your bulbs with some straw, bark or compost to give them some extra winter protection. Strulch, available for £17.50 at Amazon, is a good choice.
‘Daffodils like sunny spots with well-draining soil, and if you get all this right, your garden will be bright with cheerful blooms year after year,’ Julian adds.
Where to buy daffodil bulbs
- Thompson & Morgan: Get started with Narcissus 'Spring Flowering Mix', from £8.99 for 50 bulbs.
- Amazon: Go for tall and dwarf varieties with this mix of daffodil bulbs, from £7.64 for 12 bulbs.
- Crocus: Browse a beautiful range of daffodil bulbs. It's another one of my favourite places to buy spring bulbs.
Planting your daffodil bulbs at the right depth will help you dodge one of the most common bulb-planting mistakes.
