Daffodils are now in bloom throughout the county. They are about as colorful as I have seen in years. Interestingly enough, I had a person tell me this was the second year in a row that their daffodils did not bloom and was wondering what she needed to do to make them start blooming again. Here are a few reasons why daffodils do not repeat bloom.

• Damaged foliage after bloom. As soon as the bulbs bloom, many homeowners mistakenly remove the foliage. After blooming, be careful not to damage or remove foliage until it begins to fade, turn yellow and fall over. It’s also important to fertilize bulbs in late fall and early spring with bulb fertilizers.

• Over-crowding. Daffodils reproduce and often become too crowded. You may notice that each year the foliage seems to get thicker. They may produce too many bulblets impeding uptake of nutrients. It’s important to periodically divide your planting by providing the space needed to expand and grow.

• Too much shade. Bulbs are like most flowering plants — they need a certain amount of sunlight to produce flowers. Daffodils and other bulbs planted in areas of dense shade will not bloom as well as those that receive an abundant amount of sunlight. Locate daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs in an area that gets at least six hours of full sun each day.

• Wrong bulb variety. It’s very important to select bulbs that are recommended for our area and avoid bargain bulbs. Select bulbs that are firm and solid. Avoid bulbs that are shriveled, lightweight, discolored or have soft spots. Large, healthy bulbs produce a better display. Go to https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/narcissus/ for more detailed information on planting daffodils.

Darrell Blackwelder is the retired horticulture agent and director with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. Contact him at deblackw@ncsu.edu.