I planted daffodil bulbs (hope to finish planting them today, Dec 22). First I spread out some composted dirt, then planted. I want to cover the whole thing with mulch to control weeds and prevent the dirt from getting on my driveway. Should I? If I do, will the flowers emerge in spring? Also--is Christmas time too late to plant bulbs?

Depends on your zone, but largely Daffs should be ok to plant just about until year's end, I planted a bag of King Alfreds yesterday, a Solstice habit and expect them to show up by end March, they always do. Mulching them is a good idea and don't worry about their ability to "break through", they will - once increased sunlight dictates a growth spurt.
Much good info here: www.bulbs.com

John H. Immink
http://www.ecologicalsgardens.com/

I've seen daffs push their way out of a crack in PAVEMENT: yours will have no trouble getting through your mulch. I think a STONE mulch would cause too much heat reflection on them, but any other kind would be welcome by the daffs for moisture retention & weed control. Have you thought about over-planting them with some kind of annual flower in the spring? You have to let daffodil foliage stay on the plant until it completely withers & that's a pretty ugly sight after the blooms are gone. Most gardeners disguise that withering foliage by planting other annuals or low-growing perennial flowers in front of (& around) the daffodils. You could scatter pansy & larkspur seed right over the bulbs, or candytuft or coreopsis rosea (even myrtle looks lovely swirling around daffodils & blooms at the same time) if you want to try perennials. Are you in the north? I'm sure folks here would have a lot of ideas for companion plantings around your daffodils if you tell us what state you live in. By the way, I put a 4" layer of shredded autumn leaves over my daffodil bulbs before each winter.

Thank you, John for your advice. I did finish planting them and spread some mulch. I put one bulb in each hole ( about 4 inches apart). We'll see what comes up in spring. I'll check out bulbs.com. Thanks again!

Linda--this was wood mulch, sort of finely shredded, almost half composted. I planted one bulb in a 2" hole about 4 inches apart. I'm not sure if that's traditionally how daffodils are planted, but I don't know much. Thank you for your suggestion of planting companion plants around the bulbs. I know what pansies look like but I'm not sure what the rest of the flowers you mentioned are. I'm in zone 6 (NJ). I now have a bare triangle of dirt and mulch and I'd love to plant something that can stand the cold, like those ornamental cabbages, just to have something to look at. However, I'm reticent about disturbing those freshly planted bulbs. Should I or shouldn't I?

I hate to suggest that you dig your bulbs back up again, but I'd plant them considerably deeper. Your bulbs will multiply & better withstand the ground freezing if you get them down deeper. (If the ground has already frozen, chances are the bulbs roots will try & pull the bulb down deeper on their own so don't fret too much. But if time & weather allows, you'll thank yourself if you gently lift the soil of that bed & sift the bulbs back out & replant them deeper. Otherwise, NEXT fall, dig them up again & put them down so that the topmost part of the bulb that shows is covered with about 6" of soil.) Your daffodils will multiply better & bloom more if you really get them down deeper. The rule of thumb for planting bulbs is to look at the size of them, & plant them with dirt covering them 3 times that size. (the bigger the bulb, the deeper they go, & the further north you are the safer it is to go extra deep). As far as disturbing your freshly planted bulbs, I'm referring to adding these companion in spring or early summer.

I agree with lindap. It may seem like a lot of trouble to dig them back up, but you'll be happier in the spring when they start to bloom. Also, when they are planted deeper, you're less worried about disturbing them if you decide to overplant with annuals or mid-spring blooming perennials. The method I use for planting bulbs( I call it the lazy girl method) is to dig a fairly large hole about six to eight inches by six to eight inches or larger and six inches deep. Sprinkle bone meal and mulch in the bottom of the hole and scratch it in. Then place bulbs in the hole fairly close together(2-3 inches apart)and cover with soil, mulch or a combination of the two. Try to put in odd numbers of bulbs in each hole. That way in the spring, you have a clump of flowers rather than single stalks. Think of how flowers grow in the wild and try to recreate that look. It's easier to do and takes a lot less work. Not all of the holes need to be the same size or contain the same amount of bulbs. Just remember, if you don't like the way it looks in the spring, you can dig them up in the fall and replant them in a different pattern!
Good Luck-
Keli