Rich Brooks wrote:
What can do to protect daffodils from freezing? Our winter has been mild
here in Pittsburgh, Pa. The forcast for the next few days is for freezing
weather. Many of the daffodils have formed heads. Do you have any advice?
While there are a few exceptions to the rule such as the Paper white narcissus, most daffodils are pretty durable and will tolerate a certain amount of freezing. If your buds are showing any color, you might want to pick them (daffodils should be snapped off, not cut) and bring them into the house where they will open up. If you expect snow with the freeze, you have little to worry about because the snow will act as an insulator. Adding a mulch of dry leaves will be helpful if the temperature is going to drop much below 20 degrees or the freeze is expected to continue for an extended period of time. My daffodils have been up and in bloom for 10 days now, and we've had freezing night temperatures for 5 of the 10 days with no ill affects. If you have one of the varieties that you know to be frost tender, you can create a little tent for them using stakes and sheet plastic during the freeze. Keep in mind that if it warms up and the sun shines, you will have created an oven so be sure to remove or open the plastic.
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