The Case of the No-Bloom Daffodils

Over the weekend, I received my first reader question. Heather from Farmington Hills asked, "Why for two years in a row now, have my daffodils only been producing foliage and no flowers?"

While we believe our spring bulbs will tend to produce season after season, they will run their course over time. The key to keeping that full and replenished look, is to add fresh bulbs to the mix every fall or every other fall.

However, I know this is not Heather's situation. Her bulbs are only two years old. So here are a few scenarios and solutions.

1. The bulbs themselves may have been too small at planting to produce flowers. With bulbs, bigger is better. Bulbs do get bigger over time, so there is still a possibility that they may bloom...Eventually. Have patience, if you feel compelled to wait it out.

2. Try some fertilizer. Sometimes bulbs just need a little bit of encouragement. But, be careful not to overfertilize. Too much nitrogen will perpetuate the same problem--too many leaves, no flowers. Never use lawn fertilizer.

3. Sometimes bulbs are just particular about their environment. Is it too shady? Are there adjacent plants that are competing for sun and nutrients? What is the soil like? Take my daffodils for example. Mine (photo left) have just about had their fill, and yet my neighbors to the south (photo right) and the west are still in full bloom. Go figure.

4. Hate to say it, but sometimes you just get duds. And unfortunately, there's no remedy for a bad bulb, except to try, try again, with new bulbs, of course.

My two cents, wait until fall to replant some new bulbs. Now is the time to start focusing on summer flowering shrubs and perennials.

One more important note about bulbs while we're on the subject. Once blooms are spent, don't get too eager to cut back the leaves. As unsightly as they may become, the leaves take in the sun, which then feeds the bulb for the next season. Love daffodils?