7/6/06
Recent years have seen a surge in the use of daylilies in the landscape. And rightly so, as these wonderful plants offer us so much. They provide great color, are easy to grow most anywhere and many of the new varieties give us repeat blooms through the summer. The original repeat bloomer, “Stella de Oro” (Star of Gold) has bright golden blooms, while the “Happy Returns” is a buttery yellow. “Little Business” and “Pardon Me” are repeat bloomers in shades of red.
A new line of daylilies, the Twice-As-Nice series, offer repeat blooms in a taller lily in various wonderful color combinations. The names alone are tempting: “Strawberry Candy”, “All Fired Up”, “Moonlit Masquarade” and “Orange Velvet” to name a few.
Originally, we thought all the above-mentioned daylilies would be in constant bloom once they began, but they have cycles, blooming prolifically with their first flush, then there is a down time while they regroup and start anew. This continues throughout the summer with the repeat bloomers. There are also many types that only bloom one time, some of which have spectacular colors and styles. Each daylily bloom is only open for one day as their name implies but because they have multiple blooms on each stalk, opening one a day, we can enjoy them for quite a while.
While daylilies are relatively maintenance-free, with a little help, they can be at their best always. As with most plants, deadheading them makes them look better and bloom again sooner. Look at the bloom stalks on the plant. A new bloom has a long tubular shape before it opens. It is soft and flexible, while a finished bloom turning to seed is squattier, tougher and somewhat rounder. These seeds should be snapped off at their base as they appear, or if the whole stalk has completed blooming, it should be cut off at the bottom. If left on the plant, the stalk dries and turns brown, becoming unsightly and slowing down the reblooming time.
When my boys were young, I would make them a “bow” using a short tree branch and elastic string and they would use the dead stalks from the many tiger-lilies growing in the ditch line as their “arrows.” The critters were relatively safe from harm that way!
Daylilies should be divided every 3-4 years, an easy task. When they appear in the spring, simply dig up the clump and divide into three or four sections using a sharp knife or spade. Replace one in the spot and use the others elsewhere. Daylilies can be planted most anywhere, wet or dry, sun or shade, but they bloom best in a sunny location. Pull dead leaves as they appear and remove the debris from the site. Clean the area completely in the winter and use other material as mulch to protect the crowns.
Daylilies are pretty resistant to most problems, but can suffer from lily mosaic, a virus that causes flecking on the leaves. This virus has no chemical control, but is carried from plant to plant by aphids, so as always, monitor your plants to control harmful insect populations. Basically tho, daylilies are one to just sit back and enjoy!
