Papa Joe
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Naturalizing Daffodils in the lawn

I'm thinking of mass planting Daffodils in my front lawn either this fall or next fall. Does anyone have any experience with this? How much work is it? How does it look? I'm also wanting to do a blue flower to contrast (scilla/muscari/bluebells) Any recommendations? rodent resistant is desired. Thanks in advance.

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Grey
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Location: Summerville, GA, Zone 7a

I have a friend who has mass planted Daffodils at his bed and breakfast. They look great! He has them mingled in with English Ivy. I myself would not recommend that (competition for light), and he says he has to keep adding to them every year as some get eaten or just don't show up the next year.

I'll ask him more about it.

Papa Joe
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Grey wrote: and he says he has to keep adding to them every year as some get eaten or just don't show up the next year.
Eaten? :shock: Daffodils are poisonous to animals. Maybe your friend should keep a closer eye on his guests -- or serve better food? :wink:
(sorry, couldn't resist).

Seriously though, I'd love to hear more from your friend's experience (how many to start? what varieties/colors? etc). Thanks for the reply.

Joe Austin
Spokane WA

moondancer
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I'd avoid scattering daffodils or scilla in lawns, the foliage gets unsightly as it dies back, and makes mowing the lawn difficult. One large mass planting would be easier to care for, but you'll still have to deal with the foliage. I too have naturalized them among English Ivy (not my choice of groundcover :x it was inherited!), also have several areas of Vinca Minor (periwinkle) where daffodils, scilla and other taller spring bulbs are naturalized - very pretty and the foliage dies down into the ground cover.

I like crocus, winter aconite, snow drops and muscari for naturalizing in lawns. The flowers look wonderful peeking out of the lawns, and the foliage dies back before the lawns need mowing. I'd save the daffodials for naturalizing in ground covers or among other plants like daylilies, that will hide that nasty-looking dead foliage :)

The Helpful Gardener
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In a lawn that gets mowed in season some of those bulbs will just give up; no foliage to feed it for the coming year. But once they get going and start offsetting new bulbs it's self-perpetuating and looks pretty great. There's a yard just down the street that has had a huge spot in their yard going for at least a decade, and they sell tons to a florist down the street...

HG



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