Daylily
By Sherri Allen, Fri Dec 9th
Whenever a beginning flower gardener asks me what to plant, myanswer is always the same -- daylilies. Without a doubt,daylilies rank high among the easiest, most adaptable plants forthe flower garden. Daylilies will stand up to all but the mostsevere abuse and neglect, repeating their colorful show yearafter year.
Growing Habit: Like their name Hemerocallis ("beauty for a day")indicates, the individual daylily flower lasts only one day. Asingle plant may produce over 50 flowers, however, extending theblooming period of a plant for several weeks.
Daylilies produce a wide array of blooms. Some varieties providesingle trumpet-shaped flowers. Others are double, ruffled,fringed or spiderlily-like. Bloom sizes among varieties rangefrom 2 - 8 inches. Gardeners especially value daylilies fortheir wide range of colors, as there are varieties available inevery color except blue. Some daylily blooms are a single color,but many are multi-colored.
Most daylilies have arching foliage that grows 18 to 24 inchestall. Some varieties have erect foliage, however. Some grow aslow as 12 inches and others reach 3 feet. Leaf color ranges frompale green to dark green with a bluish cast.
Daylilies are perennial plants, with deciduous, semi-evergreenand evergreen varieties available.
Location: You can find daylily varieties for all U.S. zones,however, daylilies thrive in zones 4 - 9.
Although they are adaptable to most soils, daylilies do best inslightly acidic, moist soil that is high in organic matter andwell drained. Excessively rich soils may result in increasedfoliage growth and decreased blooming.
Daylilies prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade. In thehotter regions, some light afternoon shade will protect theblooms of some daylily varieties from fading.
Although daylilies are drought-tolerant once established,consistent watering while they are budding and flowering willproduce better-quality flowers. During hot weather, they shouldbe watered at least weekly with 1/2 to 1 inch of water toencourage the best and longest-lasting show.
Propagation and Planting: When planting daylilies, whetherdivisions or newly-purchased plants, you should dig a holeslightly larger than the roots to be sure the roots are allowedto spread out. Make a small cone of soil in the center of thehole and place the plant on top, fanning the roots outward anddownward. Carefully work the soil in around the roots. The crownshould be set not more than an inch or so below the soilsurface. Tall cultivars should be spaced 24 to 30 inches apartwith smaller types 18 to 24 inches apart.
Daylilies are very easily propagated by the division of oldclumps. You should divide clumps when they become overcrowded,usually every 4 to 6 years. For very vigorous cultivars, you mayneed to divide them more often. The best time for dividing oldclumps and resetting divisions or new plants is from late summerto late autumn. You may also plant them in the very earlyspring, however this may result in decreased blooming the firstseason.
To divide a daylily clump, cut into the soil around the plantwith a spade and then lift the entire clump
5 / 5
