6 days Ago By Alan Johnson
With spring now well underway, you may have noticed the daffodils in your garden have began to wilt. For one gardening expert, that's the cue to take action with the popular flower - for a variety of reasons. "The daffodils are starting to pass now and it's a great opportunity to deadhead them," John explained in a video shared to TikTok .
"The reason why we do that is because naturally, after the plant has flowered, it's been pollinated and the little buds [at the top of the stalk] turn to seeds." The process uses up a lot of the plant's energy unecessarily, however, which can have a negative effect on next year's blooms. "When daffodils flower, they can expend energy on developing seed pods," John detailed further.
"By deadheading (removing the spent flower heads), you prevent this energy expenditure and instead direct it towards the bulb, which is essential for the following year's flowering." John said snapping the daffodil's head off just below the bud is key. And he went on to advise that it's important we keep the leaves on the plant for as long as we can so now it isn't going to try and make seeds - avoiding the temptation of cutting them off or folding them up and tying them in knots.
As well as energy conservation, the gardener pointed out the aesthetic benefit of deadheading too. "It also helps to maintain a tidy and visually appealing garden, especially as the spent flowers can become unattractive," he penned in a caption alongside his clip. But when exactly should we be doing this? "You should deadhead daffodils as soon as the flowers fade and lose their colour, before seed pods start to form," John revealed, closing with an extra detail: "Simply snip or pinch off the spent flower heads just below the swelling at the back of the flower, leaving the foliage to die down naturally.
" One intrigued follower asked John in response: "What do you eventually do with the stalks? They just fall down." He suggested: "Ideally you'll pull the stalk off but, if not, it'll die down with the leaves in summer. when they start to yellow that's when you'll tidy them up.
" Another TikTok user queried: "Is it same for tulips?" To which John confirmed: "Yes absolutely!" Whilst a third person sought further daffodil advice, revealing: "My daffodils are just a bunch of green stems this year only one sprouted a head! No idea what’s happened." John theorised: "My first thoughts would be that they're not deep enough, but could be a number of things." Meanwhile, a cynic labelled the flower as pointless.
"50 weeks in the ground for less than a two week showing," they wrote. "Really don’t understand the point of daffodils!".
