Identifying Dug-Up Bulbs: Daffodils, Not Peonies

Identifying Dug-Up Bulbs: Daffodils, Not Peonies

A widower dug up bulbs in his wife's flower beds. They looked like onions, split in the middle, 2 inches long and wide, flat, whitish. He thought they might be peonies.

Expert Identification

The bulbs are likely daffodils—common whitish bulbs that nestle together into a round bulb of usually two parts. Peonies grow from fibrous rootstock and would still have foliage or flowers at this time. Other possibilities: lily or allium bulbs, but those would also have foliage. Replant one bulb piece per hole, 3 inches deep, narrower end up, in an area not mowed in early spring. Plant anytime before first frost. Note: daffodil bulbs are poisonous to pets.