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Newly planted daffodils usually grow and flower well, but in subsequent years flowering may be reduced or fail completely, although leaves are healthy and numerous. Daffodils that come up with foliage but no flowers are referred to as ‘blind’.

This condition may be due to the growing conditions or pests and diseases. It can be remedied in several ways depending on the cause.

The foliage of daffodils emerges each year but no flowers are produced.

A number of causes can be to blame for daffodil blindness:

• Dry situation: In a dry place, or in drought conditions, daffodils may die down prematurely. After flowering, growth should normally continue for several weeks, allowing food reserves in the bulb to be replenished before the following season's flower buds
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers. are formed. If growth stops prematurely the bulb may, due to lack of food reserves, fail to form a flower bud
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.
• Defoliation: Leaves removed soon after flowering by mowing or when tidying up the garden can lead to blindness. As with dryness, it prevents the bulb building up food reserves for the future
• Knotting: Gardeners often used to tidy up clumps of daffodils after flowering by drawing the leaves together into a knot. This is not recommended as it reduces their ability to function and may cause or increase the risk of blindness
• Seeding: Allowing seed capsules to form after flowering means that energy is diverted from the process of bulb rebuilding
• Nutrition: Good quality and newly purchased bulbs
  These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes. will normally flower well in their first year on any kind of soil, but in poorer light soils performance may rapidly decline without some additional soil improvements such as homemade compost
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.
• Planting depth: Shallow planting encourages bulbs to divide, producing lots of bulbs that are too small to flower
• Planting time: Bulb performance can rapidly decline if bulbs are planted later than mid-November
• Overcrowding: After a few years, clumps of daffodils may become overcrowded, leading to poor flowering
• Pests: Narcissus bulb fly and narcissus eelworm may damage bulbs, leading to poor flowering
• Diseases: Diseases such as narcissus basal rot or daffodil viruses may cause bulbs to die or decline in vigour and flowering

To help avoid daffodil blindness, try the following;

• Select good quality bulbs
  These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes. that are firm to the touch
• If planting daffodils in turf, ensure you select cultivars suitable for naturalising such as ‘Peeping Tom’, ‘Fortune’ or ‘February Gold’
• Plant bulbs from mid-August to October
• Plant in an open sunny spot. Avoid planting bulbs in very dry areas. A site that is initially suitable may become less so over several years due to encroaching trees and shrubs, making it more dry and shady
• Always prepare the soil well before planting , forking in homemade compost
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. if the soil is poor
• Plant bulbs at two to three times their depth
• Flowers should be removed or pinched off ( deadheaded ) as they fade
• Don’t tidy up the foliage by tying the leaves into a knot; leave them to die down naturally
• After flowering, leave a period of at least six weeks before leaves are removed or mown
• Improve dry soil by
  Mulch is a layer of material, at least 5cm (2in) thick, applied to the soil surface in late autumn to late winter (Nov-Feb). It is used to provide frost protection, improve plant growth by adding nutrients or increasing organic matter content, reducing water loss from the soil, for decorative purposes and suppressing weeds. Examples include well-rotted garden compost and manure, chipped bark, gravel, grit and slate chippings. around the bulbs in late winter with homemade compost

• When the weather is dry after flowering, water thoroughly to keep the ground moist until the foliage starts to die down naturally. With changing weather patterns and drier springs due to climate change, this is now the most common cause of daffodil blindness in the UK
• Check soil is not waterlogged
  Describes soil or potting compost that is saturated with water. The water displaces air from the spaces between soil particles and plant roots can literally drown, unless they are adapted to growing in waterlogged conditions. Waterlogging is common on poorly drained soil or when heavy soil is compacted. when the bulbs
  These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes. are in growth and move bulbs if necessary
• Where flowering rapidly declines, try feeding the bulbs. As the growing points emerge in the spring apply a granular seaweed fertiliser at the rate given on the packet, sprinkled evenly on the soil surface around the bulbs. After flowering, especially for container-grown bulbs, apply a high potassium liquid feed, such as tomato food at one to two week intervals from when the blooms have faded until the first signs of yellowing of foliage
• If overcrowded groups of daffodils are not flowering, lift them when the foliage dies back in the summer. Improve the soil with homemade compost
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own. and then re-plant the bulbs so there is a 5-7.5cm (2-3in) gap between each one. Replant small bulbs in more fertile soil to encourage bulb build-up
• Where narcissus bulb fly is suspected, bulbs can be lifted and examined for signs of attack and the presence of larvae. Affected bulbs should be put in council green waste
  Plant-based waste that is suitable for composting, such as dead leaves, clippings from pruning or grass mowing and discarded annuals. Many local councils have green waste recycling schemes if home composting isn't an option. collection rather than on the compost heap.