Daffodils are one of the easiest flowers to grow; they’re dependable and tolerant to cold and according to the Daffodil Society (established in 1898) the daffodil is grown in 80% of gardens.

I could be a little biased but to me, Anne Boleyn’s Orchard at Hever is a spectacle to behold in March as thousands of daffodils seemingly wave to me as I pass on by.

We have an abundance of daffodils on the estate so there is some maintenance to deal with when the flower heads are spent.

We tend to dead-head as we go and then when the plant is finished we leave it alone to die back in its own time.

I’m often asked what’s the best way to deal with a spent daffodil and my answer is always the same - leave them be!

We know they can look a bit messy but that’s all part of the joy of gardening: you need to fully experience this stage and not be tempted to cut them back, especially if you want a good display the following year.

Wait for the leaves to turn yellow or brown and then pick them off with your fingers. If you pull at the leaf gently and it doesn’t come away then it’s not reached the end of its life.

If your daffodils have failed to flower this year the reason could be found underground. Get your spade and have a little look under the soil - are they too closely compacted? If so, dig them up and separate the clumps by three to four feet or move to another part of the garden.

It’s not widely known, but the narcissi plant was a favourite of William Waldorf Astor, the American businessman and former owner of Hever Castle. I stumbled upon this information quite by accident a couple of years ago when our main lawnmower broke down.

We were unable to cut the grass on the lawns in the Italian Garden and as the grass grew we began to notice a pattern.

On closer inspection we were able to make out the shape of a petal.

Further investigation unearthed four beds in the shape of narcissi heads with a Roman well-head in the centre of the bed acting as the ‘trumpet’ part of the flower.

Last year we began the process of reinstating Astor’s daffodil shaped beds and have filled the ‘petals’ with box plants. The well-heads look superb with their newly reinstated petals and are a permanent nod to this wonderful plant that keeps on giving year after year.

Daff Facts!

Narcissus is the Latin or botanical name for all daffodils, while ‘daffodil’ is the common name for all members of the genus Narcissus.

Daffodils multiply in two ways: by ‘bulb division’ where exact copies of the flower will result, and from seed where new, different flowers will result.

Daffodils come in all sizes from five-inch blooms on two-foot stems to half-inch flowers on two-inch stems.

After blooming, let the daffodil plant rebuild its bulb for the next year. The leaves stay green while this is happening. When the leaves begin to yellow, then you can pick the leaves off but not before.

The daffodil is unlike other bulbs that can often dwindle and die after a few years, some daffodils have outlived their owners!

Neil Miller is the head gardener at Hever Castle & Gardens. Neil has a passion for formal gardening as well as an eye for the exotic.

He is well known for creating impressive and diverse floral displays at Hever and is the proud curator of the Garden’s inaugural ‘Tulip Celebration’ this year. His love of the exotic has taken him on the trail of the begonia in North Korea and deep into the jungles of Borneo. To read more about Neil click here