Daffodils for the Deep South

I don't think there is a flower more cheerful than a daffodil. How can anyone look at one and not smile? There is a reason many of them have trumpets - it is as if they blow sound their horns to announce the coming of spring. Not that I mean to discriminate against the non-trumpet type of daffodils. They, too, make their own special springtime music. And, just as an orchestra has hundreds of instruments, there are many, many kinds of daffodils.

But what daffodils should you plant in a southern garden, especially one in the deep south? What can you plant to make your early spring garden sing instead of sound flat?

There is definitely a trick to planting the right daffodils in the deep south. Because the winter is so short and there is often no freeze at all, the bulbs don't get the deep chill that they need. Consequently, only a few bulbs - those that thrive without a deep winter chill - will work well in the deep south. Luckily those bulbs provide a variety of early, mid-season, and late bloomers as well as a variety in shape and color.

One of the first blooming daffodils in my garden, in Mobile, Alabama, is King Alfred. There is a reason this daffodil is named "King." It is positively regal! It grows quite tall, over twelve inches high and usually eighteen inches if planted in a sunny spot, and the blooms are huge with a big trumpet. This is one of the better daffodils for the vase. While I can't say for certain, I believe this daffodil does well almost anywhere. Each bulb puts out one stalk and each stalk has one flower. King Alfred is easy to find in the fall both online, in gardening catalogues, and in garden centers.