Daffodils as Desert Plants?

Posted by Robert Dailey Apr 4, 2006

Believe it or not, daffodils, narcissus, grape hyacinths and species tulips are all quite suitable for desert gardens, subsisting on water from rainfall or snow, and storing it in their bulbs.

In fact, they really need no supplemental water (as in you watering them) to grow and prosper.

Not only are they suitable for your desert garden, but they are suitable for the "arid" zones as well, giving color and vibrancy to the dryer portions.

Other interesting bulb plants that need no supplemental water are flowering onions, crocus and snowcaps.

If you live in the high desert, plant your bulbs in drifts and then just don't worry about them. The cold winters will provide enough frigidity to allow them to go into dormancy, and then re-bloom year after year. My daffodils and grape hyacinths have been blooming for six years, and they just get more and more healthy and beautiful.

If you live in lower desert regions where the winters are milder, you may want to follow directions for emulating winter for the bulbs, and then replant every year.

One nice fact: you don't even have to amend your soil to grow most of these plants. They are adaptive to many soil types and can grow quite well in alkaline and acidic soils.