By Michael Leach

Easy-growing daffodils bring smiles of delight each spring. To ensure the best chances of success with these poet-inspiring flowers, we offer suggestions from the Buckeye Yard & Garden onLine produced online by Ohio State University Extension.

* While adaptable to a range of conditions, some places won’t work. If you have heavy shade, try early blooming varieties. If you have wet soil, don’t plan on daffs. Good drainage is essential.

* Apply bulb fertilizer in early spring as foliage begins to emerge. Too late for this year, but do this next if you like.

* Skip the folding, braiding and tormenting of foliage after flowers fade. The more leaf surface exposed to sunlight, the more food the bulb produces to power next year’s show. If fading foliage offends, interplant bulbs with perennials that will begin growing later in the spring and hide the yellowing daff leaves.