[Lulu]

Does anyone know how to make bulbs, such as daffodils, flower - i have several that have not and are doomed for the compost heap unless I can get some advice that will save them.  They are in a sunny positon and in a bed that gets regular feed or compost top up?  Any ideas?

[New shoot]

Are they in a tight clump?  Could need dividing up.  Alternatively, they may need replanting deeper.  They should be 3 times the depth of the bulb.  Wait until the leaves die down and have an exploratory dig

[Trillium]

I have some like that and found for most that I simply planted them too deep. I know the directions say something like 6" or so but mine never flower that deep. I put them in at 2" or so and they do well. Deer and rabbits never touch daffs, but tulips are a real treat for them so they might be nipping off early buds.

Also, some bulbs just seem to get too old to flower anymore. I've seen people tear them out and bin them, only to find at the dump/tip that tulips are blooming in the strangest places, so I wonder if they just need digging up and planting elsewhere.

[Yorkie]

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=658 for the RHS advice on daffodil blindness

I was going to suggest they might be too deep, or might have rotted off.

[gazza975526570]

, only to find at the dump/tip that tulips are blooming in the strangest places, so I wonder if they just need digging up and planting elsewhere.

Yeah its bizarre the places you find random bulbs!!!

I guess people must tip them out with other stuff and the bulbs remain

[Lulu]

Thanks for the comments - they may be to old as they have been there for about 7 years and they maybe to deep as I keep adding compost on top of them.  The solution seems to be digging them up - and if I put them in compost bin then I may get a pretty compost bin.  My decision is to dig them up when they are fading and put them in some pots of compost, put them in the back of the garden to rest and see if they improve next year. Many thanks for advice.

[viettaclark]

Bulbs are funny...last year I had hardly any flowers but this year they're gorgeous. Also loads have appeared where I thought I'd lost them!
I put it down to the chicken poo.....

[JayG]

I've got various types of daffs in my north-facing front garden; the ones nearest the house and in the darkest corner have the greatest tendency to be "blind", so sufficient light is clearly one of the factors to consider.

[LittleRedHen]

Okay, this is "sort of" on the same subject.  I have a Peony that has never bloomed and I think it is because I planted it too deep too.  We just moved house and I brought it with me.  Massive root ball.  I replanted it in a sunny southern exposure with the crown out of the soil.  Fingers cross this year!