Angel's tears

Angel's tears: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Small bulb, 15–25 cm tall and about 10 cm wide.

Leaves

Narrow, dark green and almost round with a groove; they stand upright beside the stem.

Flower

A few nodding, pale yellow to creamy white flowers per stem, with a small cup and swept-back petals; in April.

Bulb

Small, round bulb with a brown skin; offsets form slowly.

Cultivars

‘Thalia’ has pure white flowers and ‘Hawera’ small yellow ones; both are tougher than the species.

Flowering: April · Plants: September–October

Why grow it?

• Graceful, nodding flowers with swept-back petals: they look like little tears or lanterns.
• Flowers in April, just as the early spring bloomers are finishing.
• Small and compact: ideal for a rock garden, a pot or the front of a border.
• The hybrids ‘Thalia’ and ‘Hawera’ come back year after year and slowly naturalise.
• Low maintenance: no pruning and hardly any feeding.

Angel's tears: where does it grow best?

• Sun to light partial shade; it flowers best in an open, bright spot.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, acid to neutral. Excellent drainage matters more than rich soil.
• Dry to normal: preferably dry in summer, because the bulb rots in wet soil during its rest.
• Lovely in a rock garden, on a gentle slope or in a pot; plant in groups 8–10 cm apart.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Dry or normal

Size

0.2 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -15 °C)

Goes well with

• Grape hyacinth: A blue carpet under the nodding white or yellow flowers.
• Forget-me-not: A light blue haze around the small daffodils.
• Horned violet: A low, flowering ground cover in spring.
• Moss phlox: Flowers in April–May and covers the ground after the daffodil has finished.

Angel's tears: when and how to plant it?

Plant in September–October.

1. Plant in September or October, as soon as the bulbs are in the shops.
2. In heavier soil, mix in plenty of coarse sand or fine grit, or choose a gently sloping spot.
3. Set the bulb pointed end up, 8–10 cm deep.
4. Leave 8–10 cm between bulbs and plant in groups of 5–10.
5. Water once after planting, unless it rains.
6. In a pot: use a mix of potting compost and sharp sand, a pot with holes at least 15 cm wide, and put in 3–5 bulbs.

Care

Water

Keep lightly moist in spring while it is growing. Leave dry in summer; in a pot, give less and less water after flowering.

Feeding

Little needed. If you like, give a little bulb fertiliser or compost after flowering.

Spent flowers

Cut off the faded flower and leave the stem and leaves.

Leaves

Leave the leaves for at least six weeks after flowering, until they turn yellow on their own, so the bulb can build up reserves.

Dividing

Divide the clumps every few years, when they get crowded and flower less.

Tip: Plant it in a rock garden or a well-drained pot: a wet winter is its worst enemy. The hybrids ‘Thalia’ and ‘Hawera’ are tougher and naturalise better than the species.

Angel's tears: when to prune it?

When: No pruning is needed. After flowering, just cut off the faded flower.

How:

• Cut off the faded flower with its seed pod; the stem can stay.
• Leave the leaves until they are completely yellow, about six weeks after flowering.
• Only remove the yellow leaves once they come away easily.

Caution: Cutting or tying the leaves too early weakens the bulb and gives fewer flowers next year.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

In June–July, when the leaves are yellow: lift the clump, separate the offsets and replant them straight away, 8–10 cm deep. You can also wait until September.

Seed

The species self-seeds in a good spot. You can sow fresh seed, but seedlings take years to flower; division is much faster.

Angel's tears: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −15 °C: protect young plants.

• Hardy to about −15 °C: no protection is needed in Belgian winters.
• Make sure water does not stand in winter: cold, waterlogged soil is more dangerous than frost.
• In a pot: put it in a sheltered spot against a wall, on pot feet so the water can drain away, and protect it from hard frost with hessian or bubble wrap.

Diseases and pests

• Bulb rot: The bulb is soft and mouldy, especially in cold, wet soil. Provide well-drained soil and remove affected bulbs.
• No flowers: Leaves appear but no flowers. The cause is usually too little light, a bulb that is too small or leaves removed too early last year. Move it to a sunnier spot.
• Fading away: The pure species often disappears after a few years in an unsuitable spot. The hybrids ‘Thalia’ and ‘Hawera’ are tougher.
• Narcissus bulb fly: The grub eats the bulb from the inside: the bulb is soft and gives no flower. Remove suspect bulbs and firm the soil around the dying leaves.
• Slugs: Holes in leaves and flowers in spring. Collect them in the evening with a torch.

Through the year

• February: The first leaf tips appear.
• March: Leaves grow; in a pot, water lightly in dry weather.
• April: Flowering. Remove faded flowers.
• May: Leave the leaves. A little bulb fertiliser if you like.
• June: Leaves yellow: divide clumps and replant offsets.
• July: Resting period; keep dry.
• September: Plant.
• October: Plant. Put pots in a sheltered spot.
• November: Last chance to plant.

Edible and useful

Not edible. All parts of daffodils are poisonous, especially the bulbs: they are regularly mistaken for onions or shallots, and the leaves for leeks or wild garlic. So never store the bulbs with the vegetables in the kitchen or cellar. The sap from the stems irritates the skin and makes other flowers in a vase wilt sooner. Also poisonous to dogs and cats. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Did you know?

• The English name ‘angel’s tears’ refers to the nodding flowers, which look like tears or little lanterns.
• In the wild it grows on the Iberian Peninsula, in Spain and Portugal.
• In the official classification of daffodils, the hybrids of this species form a group of their own: the Triandrus daffodils.