It takes three to four years for a narcissi seedling to flower, then Anne will chip the successful ones and wait another two to three years for those to flower. It is, as Anne admits, very hard work. \u201cI do seven days a week, often ten hours a day,\u201d she says, but miniature daffodils have her heart and her work is testament to that.<\/p>
Read our expert guide to planting narcissi<\/a>.<\/p> Plant miniature narcissi bulbs in autumn. Most are hardy outside in the UK if planted in the ground. However, if you are growing them in pots<\/a>, be careful not to allow the roots to freeze badly \u2013 you could put them in a cold frame<\/a> in bad winter weather.<\/p> Anne grows her daffodils in both pots and raised beds. \u201cIf you want to plant in the garden, containers and raised beds are best, as slugs and miniatures don\u2019t mix,\u201d she says. The pots she uses are clay, plunged in damp sand in well-ventilated greenhouse<\/a>, and allowed to become completely dry from May<\/a> to September<\/a> when she repots.<\/p> For pots Anne uses a 50:50 mix of perlite and potting compost<\/a>, such as John Innes No.2 or No.3. She half fills the pots with the compost mix then adds a thin layer of coarse sand on to which she places the bulb, before covering it with more sand and then filling the pot with compost. There\u2019s no extra fertiliser in the mix. She uses a half-strength tomato feed after flowering to build up the bulbs \u2013 but doesn\u2019t deadhead<\/a>, as she collects the seeds. Seedlings are repotted after two years, but all the rest of her bulbs are repotted every year.<\/p> For her raised beds Anne uses spent bulb compost, topped with a 20cm-layer of pure sand, top dressed with railway ballast. She also creates mixed planters in large containers that she fills with spring flowers and bedding plants<\/a> and then sinks a 9cm pot of miniature daffodils into the middle, so she can change cultivars throughout the season, dropping in a new one as the old one goes over. \u201cThis way I can have non-stop flowering from early January to the last week of April.\u201d<\/p> Narcissus<\/em> \u2018Starlit\u2019<\/strong><\/p> A cultivar bred by Brain Duncan with a flanged, pure-white trumpet. Height:<\/strong> 15cm.<\/p> Narcissus<\/em> \u2018Biondina\u2019<\/strong><\/p> Small, ivory-white flowers that have a slightly swept-back perianth and expanded corona. Bred by Anne. Height: <\/strong>15cm.<\/p> Narcissus x litigiosus \u2018<\/em>Giselle\u2019<\/strong><\/p> A much-coveted, self-sown hybrid that was found by Anne. It has an all-white corona and perianth, and is said to be easier to grow than other Narcissus<\/em> x litigiosus<\/em> hybrids. Height: <\/strong>10cm.<\/p> Narcissus<\/em> \u2018Little Dryad\u2019<\/strong><\/p> Named for Anne\u2019s nursery, it has a cool, ivory-white flower with swept-back perianth, straight corona and flared mouth. Height: <\/strong>12cm.<\/p> Narcissus<\/em> \u2018Cheeky Chappie\u2019<\/strong><\/p> A show winner with lemon-yellow corona and short, reflexed, white perianth. Bred by Brian Duncan. Height: <\/strong>10cm.<\/p> Narcissus<\/em> \u2018Snipe\u2019<\/strong><\/p> A readily available, old cultivar with delicate, pale-yellow and white flowers with a straight corona and perianth that doesn\u2019t fully reflex. 20cm.<\/p>How to grow miniature daffodils<\/h2>
When to plant miniature daffodils<\/h3>
How to grow miniature daffodils in pots<\/h3>
The best compost for growing miniature narcissi<\/h3>
The best miniature daffodils to grow<\/h2>
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