Daffodil Dreams Do Come True

Very little goes as planned in gardening. Weather and other mysterious natural forces conspire to thwart human hubris, as they should. But this year, miracle of miracles, my spring bulbs turned out exactly as I had dared to dream.

My daffodils fulfilled a specific vision I’d been harboring for a couple years. On a walk around the neighborhood in spring 2023, I came across a front yard in which someone had planted a bunch of wine barrels with the creamiest, peachiest, ruffliest daffodils. Those who know me know I lose my mind over a subtle apricot blush. I was so taken with them, I even shared a photo on this blog. 

To have finally achieved a comparable effect on my little balcony is truly a dream come true. Behold:

Also — since the Bay Area is a warm zone, I did an experiment on chilling vs. not chilling daffodil bulbs. More on that below! 

Besides daffodils, this year I grew hyacinth and muscari (grape hyacinth) bulbs, and they turned out lovely, too. While I’m sure luck and weather played a role in this year’s success, I also corrected some past bulb blunders. If you haven’t grown bulbs on your balcony yet, I strongly suggest you make next year the year that you do. Here are my tips.

Sourcing Quality Bulbs

The first year I tried to grow tulip bulbs was a miserable failure. There were multiple factors,  and one of them was probably their provenance from a hardware store bargain bin. The second year and third year, I had mixed results with bulbs purchased from a trendy retailer that seemed to prioritize style over substance. 

I’m not trying to blame the source instead of my own ineptitude. It’s just that with bulbs, quality and care matter. They’re basically raw onions (also a bulb btw) that sit around for months, and if they’re old or poor quality or improperly stored, the results will disappoint.

This year I did more research, seeking a bulb purveyor with years of experience, a reputation to uphold, US-based operations, and generally trustworthy vibes. I landed on Brent and Becky’s, a family business based in Virginia that’s been operating for 125 years. This isn’t an ad — there are a lot of great bulb growers out there. The point is to order your bulbs from a place that seems to know what they’re doing. 

Brent and Becky’s has a great selection, including lots of peachy double daffs. I chose Replete, along with Hyacinths Gipsy Queen and Apricot Passion, and Muscari Pink Sunset. I went wild and bought 60 bulbs, and only three or four didn’t bloom. That’s a much higher success rate than in years past. Plus, when they arrived, they just looked good — firm, plump, and unblemished. And they cost less than the trendy place!

An Experiment: Chilling Vs. Not Chilling Daffodils

In warm climates like the Bay Area, we’re advised to chill spring-flowering bulbs for at least six weeks before planting to simulate a cold winter, which the bulbs need in order to bloom. You can read all about this process, which I’ve done the past three years, in this post. But, some sources suggest you may not have to do this for daffodils.

I was intrigued. Because you must keep bulbs separate from other fruits and vegetables, every year I take over our fridge’s crisper drawer for my bulb-chilling operation, sealing it with a piece of tape that says “DO NOT OPEN.” Of course this always falls over the holidays, when our not-large fridge is already stuffed to the brim. Not having to do this would be vastly preferable. After all, I see sidewalk daffodils popping up around the neighborhood every year, and no one is chilling them.

To be on the safe side, I popped most of the daffodils into the fridge soon after they arrived in mid-October, along with the hyacinths and muscari (which definitely do need a chilling period). But as a test, I directly planted four or five daffodil bulbs into some of my planters outside. 

The unchilled daffodils in the planters sprouted in December but grew slowly, showing little intention of flowering as the months wore on. The chilled bulbs, on the other hand, sprouted within weeks after planting on New Years’ Eve and were in full flower by the end of February. It seemed the chilling method had won.

Lo and behold, just as the February blooms were going over and the weather starting to warm, the unchilled daffodils put on a growth spurt, and finally started forming buds. I ended up with a surprise second flowering, extending the daffodil party well into April!

Past Mistakes, Corrected

My tulips were a drag last year. Though some flowered, others formed buds that just shriveled up and died. It was a wet winter, and they were planted on the railing exposed to the rain, with saucers underneath. My best guess is they didn’t get enough of what spring-flowering bulbs love best: drainage.

This year I decided not to mess around with drainage. For my planting medium, I used mostly free-draining cactus mix, combined with a few scoops of compost and a spoonful of dry flower food. I didn’t let the pots sit in water; I propped them up on pot feet or risers to allow plenty of airflow.

My dedication to drainage seemed to pay off. Even the hyacinths, which were in the railing planters and got plenty of rain, came through beautifully.

What’s Next?

Now that I know my daffodils can bloom after a Bay Area winter, I’m leaving the unchilled bulbs where they are, in the hopes they return next spring. This requires allowing the foliage to keep photosynthesizing until it dies back naturally, which takes forever, and in a small container garden is very annoying. Fortunately, I planted them under trees and among other plants, where their fading foliage won’t be too much of an eye sore.

For my hyacinths and chilled daffodils, their pots were needed for my summer flowers. Some people dig up and store their bulbs for the following year, but I haven’t the time, space, nor patience for such a job. Plus, I enjoy shopping for bulbs each year and trying new varieties.

Next year, I’ll definitely try more daffodils, planted out directly for later spring flowers. But those hyacinths looked so pretty on the railing, I can’t guarantee I won’t need to annex my crisper drawer again next winter!