BARR & SONS, 11, 12 & 13 Kins Street, Covent Garden, London. 
3 
Culture and Adaptation of the Daffodil Outdoors. 
Soil And its TrCAtment. — The Daffodil will thrive in any ordinary garden soil, but prefers 
a deep, rather moist loam. When the soil is of a dry and sandy nature, it should be deeply dug, if 
possible at least a season before planting the bulbs, well-decayed stable manure being added, and a potato 
or other vegetable or annual crop grown on the ground. Before the bulbs are planted a sprinkling of 
quick-lime should be spread on the surface and then dug in. If it is not convenient to first take off a crop 
of Vegetables or Annuals, then, in digging, give a dressing of lime to the top spit, and work in a little 
well-decayed stable manure oue foot below the surfacOy so as to be out of the reach of the bulbs ; the 
manure is used not as a stimulant but as a sponge to hold moisture in the soil. The ammoniacal properties 
of manure are injurious to the Daffodil, hence great care is necessary in the use of it. On good retentive 
loamy soils stable manure is not required, but a dressing of lime may prove beneficial. 
Freshly dug Soil should be allowed to stand vacant two to three weeks before planting, to allow 
the ground to settle down, otherwise the freshly planted bulbs are sometimes drawn under considerably 
below their proper depth, and the bloom in consequence is apt to be weakened and retarded the first season. 
The Best and Safest Manure to use is Crushed Bones or Basic Slag {for price see page 37). This 
should be applied at planting lime, and may be mixed with the soil or placed next the bulbs ; the 
Crushed Bones may be applied at the rate of 4 cwt. to the acre, or i J- oz. to the square yard, and Basic 
Slag may be applied in same manner at the rate of i ton to the acre, or 7 J oz. to the square yard. We 
recommend for light soils Crushed Bones (provided they are genuine) in preference to Basic Slag. On very 
poor and dry sandy .soils we recommend in addition SULPHATE OF Potash {for price see page 37), to be 
sprinkled annually in the autumn over the surface of the ground, after planting, at the rate of 2 cwt. to the 
acre, or about \ oz. to the .square yard. The potash not only increases the depth of colour in the flowers, 
but also helps to hold moisture in the soil, a condition so essential to the perfect development of the 
Daffodil. W'e also recommend the use of Phytobroma in autumn and spring \^see particulars^ page 37). 
In Early Spring, as soon as the Daffodils begin to show above ground, the .surface soil should be 
w'ell broken with a hoe, to sweeten it after the heavy winter rains ; a handy tool for this purpose will be 
found offered on page 38. Where practicable it is advisable to cover the ground in November with some 
light covering material (the idea is to prevent the autumn rains from beating down the crust of the ground, 
and to break the severity of a sudden frost). We use for this purpose pulled heather ; cut furze or gorse. 
however, answers the same purpose ; cut fern or bracken is bad, as it lies too wet ; old pea sticks laid 
across the ground are good, or on flow'er beds sprays or small branches of cut evergreens stuck into the 
ground answer the purpose and look decorative ; these, of course, need renewing when they get shabby. 
Do not mulch the beds with manure. 
PlAnting^ And Lifting^. — The best time to plant, to obtain the finest flowers, is during 
September, although bulbs may be put in as late as Christmas with fairly satisfactory resultSy provided that 
they are well watered in at time of planting, no matter how moist the ground may be. (We have 
planted some Daffodils as late as the second week in February, and had some very good blooms the third 
week in May.) We recommend, however, early planting. The bulbs may be left undisturbed for years in 
ordinary good loamy soils, but on poor and light soils they are better lifted every two years, as soon as 
the foliage has died down, and replanted as early as is convenient. Never plant when the ground is wet 
and sticky ; wait until it is dry and friable. Do not put silver sand around the bulbs of Narcissi except in 
the case of N. corbularia. 
Depth to Plant. — The average depth to plant is from 2 to 3 inches, that is to say, a covering 
of 2 to 3 inches of soil, but not more. As the bulbs vary considerably in size, according to the 
relative varieties, the best rule to go by is the bulb itself, which should be covered with soil once and a half 
tts own depth, measuring the bulb from the collar of its neck to its actual base. On light sandy soils the 
bulbs may be planted a trifle deeper than on heavy stiff soils, and in the North of England and in cold 
localities they should be put in a little deeper than in the warmer southern districts. 
Position And Grouping for Effect. — All Daffodils prefer partial shade, although 
most of them will grow equally well in the open. The varieties which are best gi*f)wn in partial shade 
are indicated in the following pages by an In ihe flower border, to obtain the best effect, Daffodils 
should be planted in large groups of irregular outline, each group or clump to contain one variety only ; 
avoid straight lines, circles, and symmetrical designs. Masses of Daffodils should always appear in the 
Hardy Flower border, where irregular and effective sweeps can be planted between ihe clumps of 
herbaceous plants which in their turn grow up and hide as well as shelter the Daffodil foliage while it is 
going to rest. In grouping Daffodils the season of flowering should be borne in mind, as the varieties 
bloom in succession from the end of February to the end of May, during which period, by a judicious 
arrangement, a constant succession of flower is obtainable. On page 15 we denote the rotation of blooming. 
NAturAlising^ DAffodils in GrASS, Etc. — All Daffodils may be planted in grass 
with perfect success. To produce the best effect, the three groups should be kept separate : thus the Star 
Narcissi should not be mixed with the Great Trumpets, nor Poet’s Narcissi with the Star Narcissi. In 
arranging, make the breaks large and bold, scattering the bulbs over tlie ground broadcast with the hand, 
and planting them where they fall. Avoid symmetrical lines or formal circles as far as possible, as these 
are never found in nature. In planting under trees, avoid places where the drip from the branches is 
greatest, also where the main roots of the trees come close to the surface. 
Varieties spi-xially Suitable for Naturalising in Woodlands, Grasslands, Glades, Etc., 
Delighting in Partial Shade. — These are mostly free seeders, and will therefore spread naturally; 
they are mostly wild plants — Abscissus, Countess of Annesley, Golden Spur, Henry Irving, Obvallaris, 
Spurius, Cabeceiras, English Lent Lily, Princeps, Scolicus, Albicans, Pallidus Prrecox, Moschatus of 
Haworth (very pretty in grass), Johnstoni Queen of Spain (in our opinion the most beautiful of all for 
this purpose), and all varieties of Poeticus, including the old Double White. The Varieties underlined 
we do not recommend for the cultivated border, as they deteriorate the second year, while in woodlands, grass, 
or meadowland they flourish. 
