COLUMBIA, S.C. — All signs are starting to point towards fall, but now is the time to think spring (at least in the garden!). Spring bulbs are best planted in mid-late fall when the ground starts to cool down. Daffodils are a bright a cheery sign that winter is over and the deer won't bother them either!
The plants that grow in News 19's Gandy's Garden need to handle damage from frequent deer visits if they're going to survive without protection. Meteorologist Alex Calamia highlights his struggle with deer this growing season. The deer slowed some plants down this year (in combination with the flash drought).
Daffodils are something you can plant once and forget about. They don't require anything extra and are advertised as deer resistant. Daffodils are tolerant of poor soil, but may rot if too much water pools in the planting area. Daffodils are also prone to sprouting early if they're sent into the garden too early in the fall, which could keep the plants from blooming well in future years. When planting daffodils, try to cluster the bulbs together because other animals may try to dig the bulbs up during the wintertime.
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Daffodils have a very short blooming season, but they also have a small footprint in the garden, so you can plant a variety of plants with different bloom times to give you color all season long. Alex decided to plant a few ice plants in between the daffodils in this garden bed because ice plants are drought resistant and love sunshine.
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