How to Grow Summer Daffodil? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
Summer daffodil, also known as deer scallion and deciduous flower platform, is a perennial herbaceous ornamental plant of the genus Narcissus in the Amaryllidaceae family. Its flowers are elegant and neat in form, delicate in color, and delicately fragrant. It is suitable for mass planting at the edges of woodland meadows, as accents in rock gardens, or in perennial mixed flower borders. Its pale red-purple funnel-shaped blooms are fresh and noble, making it suitable for cut flowers. Let us take a look together at how to grow summer daffodil!
Morphological Characteristics
Summer daffodil is a perennial herbaceous plant with linear, dark green leaves that have a powdery green band in the middle. It grows singly at the top of the stem, and has a tunicate bulb that is spherical in shape. The flower scape is over 60 cm tall, bearing a terminal umbel with 4 to 8 flowers. The flowers are pink, with a lilac or pinkish-red blush, and slightly fragrant. There are varieties with deeper flower colors.
Growth Habits
Summer daffodil is native to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, and is distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. It is cold-hardy and prefers shady, moist environments, but also tolerates full sun and drought. It is highly adaptable to soil, with fertile, loose sandy loam being best. The above-ground parts have two dormant periods, in summer and winter.
Propagation Methods
Summer daffodil is commonly propagated by division of bulbs, carried out after flowering in autumn or in early spring when the leaves have just withered. When dividing, do not damage the root system, so as not to affect flowering that year. Generally, bulbs are divided once every 4 to 5 years. It can also be propagated by seed. After the seeds mature in autumn, store them in sand in a pot. After the young roots sprout the following spring, transplant them, but seedlings must be grown for 3 to 4 years before they can flower.
Cultivation Methods
For ground planting, summer daffodil requires deep plowing of the soil and sufficient base fertilizer. The planting depth is 8 to 10 cm, and after planting, water once thoroughly. From May to June, the underground parts gradually wither and enter the dormant period, so watering should be reduced. From August to September, during the flowering period, keep the soil moist and apply fertilizer once. In mid-September, the plant withers and enters the winter dormant period, and the bulbs overwinter in the open ground. Summer daffodil is sometimes affected by anthracnose, which can be controlled by spraying with a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder, once every 15 days.