40 THE BOOK OF THE DAFFODIL 



Trumpet Daffodils require rather exceptional treatment ; 

 they do best planted very closely in their rows, in fact, 

 almost touching one another. 



The depth at which a Narcissus bulb should be 

 planted varies according to its size and according to the 

 nature of the soil. The depth of soil above the neck of 

 the bulb — the neck is that part near the top where the 

 bulb begins to swell out into its ovoid form — should be 

 one and a half times the depth of the bulb itself. This 

 gives an average covering of from two to three inches of 

 soil ; but in very heavy soils the depth of planting should 

 be a little less, in very light soils the bulbs may be 

 planted a little deeper. In the case of the glorious but 

 somewhat uncertain Daffodil " Maximus " deep planting 

 answers best. More and finer flowers are thus obtained 

 than by planting it at the usual depth. 



Planting should be done, if possible, when the soil is 

 nicely damp (not wet), and in planting great care should 

 be taken to settle the base of the bulb firmly in the 

 soil, so that no air space is left under it. In my own 

 practice in a garden inclined to be wet I generally, when 

 bulbs are planted in fairly strong soil, put a little coarse 

 silver sand both under and over the choicer kinds, and I 

 do so with delicate kinds even In the lighter soil. This 

 proves very beneficial in wet seasons, and there has been 

 no disadvantage from it even in the driest. There are 

 some authorities who discourage this practice ; but cir- 

 cumstances of soil alter cases, and experience only can 

 teach what is most suitable in each case. 



After planting, the surface of the beds should be kept 

 open by " lightening up" with a hand fork about every 

 ten days or fortnight throughout the autumn ; otherwise 

 it will become too hard set by the autumn rains. 



When planted the bulbs should in general be left 

 undisturbed for two seasons. Varieties which increase 

 slowly may, if they seem quite happy, be left for three 



