Topic: Advice please?

[springbok]

I have a 1 ft wide bed along a very long path in the front garden... full of daffs... but now they gone, no flowers left, im left with a row of green leaves.

The daffs are so close together... any ideas what i can plant in between for colour?

[betula]

You could try sowing annual seeds.Lots of colour and variety.

Alternatively you could put in bedding plants.They come and go in one year ,lots of choice and colour.

[posie]

I got some seeds from my local Morrisons, one called "Butterfly seeds" one called "Wildlife seeds" - no idea what's in either of them, but I've just scattered them across my garden to see what happens.  They're by Mr Fothergill I believe.  Could try those?

[caroline7758]

Or you could lift the daffs and store them for next year, so you'd have more room and no untiday leaves to deal with.

[springbok]

Or you could lift the daffs and store them for next year, so you'd have more room and no untiday leaves to deal with.

Thats an interesting idea, how would I go about storing them with the leaves, and when would you dig them up :)

[caroline7758]

I've never done it myself, but I would just stick them in pots until the leaves die back then dry them off. Someone more knowledgeable will hopefully be along soon.

[PurpleHeather]

I would leave the daffs if you like them there. I do not think that they are happy being dug up and re-planted unless you want to divide and separate them.

I know other people do it and find it works for them.

I think that the sprinkle of mixed seeds on top will work well too.

There are quite a few bedding plants that will sit on top of the bulbs and give a pretty summer display.

Petunia and dwarf marigolds are not deep rooted. A layer of compost wont hurt either.

I actually have fuchsia growing where I have tulips, been together for years when the tulips die off the fuchsia starts. I have to cut the fuchsia down when it dies in winter but that and pulling out the odd weed is all the attention it needs.

[GrannieAnnie]

We also have a row of daffs but they've been declining- too crowded over the years. Maybe you could dig out sections of daff bulbs leaving pockets to plant in some substantial flowers and leaving other daff bulbs to mature in the ground for next year?  I think that is what I'll do. It gets boring not moving plants around. Hubby tells me I like to keep them nervous! ;D

[ellie2cats]

Re the daffs after flowering.  Yes they can look a bit messy so where I have a lot I try to dig them out with loads of soil on the roots and store them in old pots or builders buckets or similar andlet them die off in a quiet corner. Later in the year take them up and store them for next planting.  I hang mine up in the shed or garage in net sacks that the greengrocers have with onions in.  Some of mine in the flower beds have been there for years and no way can I dig them out, they have gone down to Australia so they just have to stay, mess and all.

Good Luck
Ellie2cats

[Robert_Brenchley]

You could plant low-growing perennials; the daffs soon die back after all. They're a bit big for my taste, except in the lane; I like smaller bulbs. But if I had a bed like that, I'd probably use hardy Geraniums and the like.

[GrannieAnnie]

Geraniums are a great plant, so forgiving of dryness and heat.