How do you care for daffodil bulbs in the winter time?

I was given 3 small daffodill bulbs in January. The person has the roots in water. Wondering if this is the best way to care for them or should they be in an inside pot of soil? I live in a fairly mild climate in Virginia but it is fairly cold right now. Our other daffodils had started to bloom but we are probably going to lose them now that it has gotten cold finally. Any and all help is appreciated. ;o)

How do you care for daffodil bulbs in the winter time?
Usually spring bulbs that are "forced" to bloom in water cannot survive when attempts are made to plant them outside in the spring. (I have planted such inside forced bulbs outside -- but they were in soil -- with success though. If you had said, "The bulbs are in a pot of soil but the leaves have died down" then I would not be concerned.)





If you want to experiment in the spring anyway, make sure your bulbs are now dry and remain dry throughout the winter. When the weather warms, plant them outside but don't expect them to bloom. If they bloom again, they will do so next spring.





P.S. I agree with Mickey -- you may have paper whites -- they are traditionally forced in water and gravel, especially around Christmastime.
Reply:generally during the winter you are going to want to keep your bulbs in a dry cool place. My grandmother would always dig up her daffodil and tulip bulbs in the fall and put them in a newspaper lined box storing them in the basement for the fall and winter.
Reply:Daffodils (Narcissus) can be left in the ground during winter. We live in Missouri and it can get extremely cold, but I leave mine in the ground and they come back every year. If you leave them in the ground, eventually they may need to be separated. You can either keep them in the water or you can plant them. I've always had better luck putting them in soil, but either way will work. If you are worried about your outside daffodils, try covering them with a light layer of leaves or something.
Reply:if their doing alright in water, and theyre quite small in size, then i think youve probably been given paperwhites. they are a small bulbed member of the daffodil (jonquil) family and are meant to bloom in the late winter and are generally kept in gravel and water and not planted in the dirt. they are rarely used outdoors either. after they bloom, they are generally discarded, but can be saved. you need to let them die down naturally after blooming--do not remove any of the leaves. put them in a sunny window and cut way down on the watering. when the leaves begin to wither, remove them from the water and let them dry in a place out of direct sunlight but warm and dry. when the leaves have shrivelled and browned cut them off a little above the top of the bulb. the bulbs need to be kept in cool, dark storage til next fall. this is very tedious and much easier to just buy new ones each year. its difficult to provide the proper storage requirements that these bulbs must have.
Reply:I'mj confused. If they are bulbs that your friend is forcing for you, you don't do anything. They will blossom when they are supposed to. Daffodil bilbs are normally planted in the fall, for blooming in the spring. If they are being forced, just let them blosson and die. When they are totally dead dry them out and plant them in the garden in the fall. They will bloom year after year for you. For your information, I am in Ohio and my crocuses were up last week. It is 19 degrees out, and they are under 6" of snow. They will be find.
Reply:Best answer goes to #2 she took the words right out of my mouth. Im here in illinois where it gets very cold- and i leave mine out. They are just fine and are the first things up in my garden every year.

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