Is your planter on bare ground or directly on a hard surface (eg concrete or a rocky patch)? What's the drainage like? For example - I made a 'tabletop' planter which has a slatted bottom. I lined it with overlapping plastic bags then put in a mix of composts - one of which is very rich. Despite being three feet off the ground, with seeping drainage, and being only 8" deep - the bottom layer of the mix is very 'cluggy'. Further - despite being very well-rotted compost, the growth from the first year was disappointing. Using the same mix for a second year, after weathering, the results have been much better. The leaves. I may have misread. I gained the impression that you had used them as a further 'water-holder' layer. Sometimes buried material can be a bit toxic while it rots. I'd use leaves on the top, as a protective mulch over a serving of, say, blood and bone (but I don't have critters, as such :-)) ) Not buried. (That's not a lot of depth for bigger bulbs to get their roots down. At least four inches above and below the actual bulb, if they have to dodge the frost.) The sand. Nononono. Grit, yes. Sand and compost is for serious water-lovers. Gunnera and pondside plants. 3-5mm sharp grit well stirred through. A good gritty mix encourages root development. If you have mountain streams in your area with shingle beaches - look at the root development of plants growing in that medium. The tops might be stunted but the roots spread far and wide as they forage. If your planter has settled over winter - I'd add some genuine soil. Dirt out the garden. Not subsoil clay. Reasonable topsoil, if you have it. In an outdoor planter of the size you have the soil seems to add 'sturdiness' to the mix and the plants. One bucket of dirt, one of compost, half of grit. Later on, I'd add the ancient cowpats and good garden compost to suit the taste of whatever I was planting. And add an organic mulch if water-loss, or wind is an issue in the garden, once the soil has warmed up and growth is well under way. For now - I'd rescue the perennials and pot them up fairly tightly until they've developed a vigorous root system again. A gritty mix will help for most of them, so long as you water with care. You didn't list what you were growing. For a mix as juicy as you've offered, I'd be growing things such as polyanthus, or Dahlias, maybe Hostas and Dicentra. For something like tuberous Begonia - I'd wait for the second year. If you bought pot-grown perennials and they were slightly root-bound - remember to open the base of the rootball a little so they can start spreading. If they were slips and bare-rooted - don't expect wonders this year. Some can take up to two years to settle in and then shock you by becoming garden thugs :-(. Meantime, you could sneak in a few coloured lettuces and use the benefits tastily! Or try some bedding Impatiens and Lobelia while the soil ingredients settle down.

Hey there. Those UT mountains in the background are killing me! Don't get a view like that in NC, but it's lush and green here. Usually yellowing is due to nitrogen deficiency or overwatering. Since it seems like you had plenty of nitrogen, I'm going to guess overwatering as well. Also plants dropping flowers can be due to overheating, and I heard it got pretty hot in your area this year. My parents live in UT, and they only water 2 to 3 times a week during ave summer weather -- more when it's over 95. I have the overwatering disease so I finally bought a cheap moisture meter at Lowes and my garden is doing great, whereas before everything was yellow. Best of luck to you!

Since you mention several months time frame, it's possible that they were actually affected by the big cold front that came in early March in your area. 4 of them already look like the color of fading blooms. However, you can keep them on as long as the bloom stalk is still healthy looking and it could be that in your local area, they will still be coming up (though I have seen many people's daffodils already in bloom, but I can't say if yours are late since there are daffodils with different bloom times)

Thank you! I'm actually a blue person and tried bm blue called silver mink. it just seemed so dark! It could be just because it's on white walls now. The online pics I saw using that color looked fine. I was worried a lighter shade would look too baby blue and not give me the sophisticated look I was after. But I will check out your suggestion! Love that table btw. Where's it from? My furniture is a bit darker.