John wrote:

Yesterday I collected quite a lot of daffodil seeds. As I have always
understood that daffodils are propagated from bulbs, are the seeds
sterile? If not, when should I plant them (now, or next Spring)?

The bulbs that I planted several years ago all came from the Home Depot
(the white and yellow varieties). They've been flowering and multiplying
quite well ever since. This is the first time I've noticed the seeds,
however, because I've been giving thought to digging up the bulbs after
the stalks turn yellow to redistribute the bulbs throughout the garden.

Thanks,

J.

John,

It is much better to remove the daffodil flowers after they bloom. That
way the seed pods will not develop and the foliage will help the bulb
develop (and multiply). Letting seed pods develop takes a lot of
strength away from the bulb and you will likely have far less flowers
the next season.

And to answer your question about the seeds: If the flower was
pollinated the seeds will be fertile BUT each seed can produce a
different plant (bloom) from what you saw this year. It takes about 5
years for the seeds to produce a blooming plant. This FAQ has some good
information about daffodils: http://www.daffodilusa.com/daffodils/faq.html
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Gardening for over 40 years

To see pictures from my garden visit http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Digital Camera - Pentax *ist DL

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