Day Lilies Are the Flowers for Beginners

Day lilies are one of my favorites. It is easy to appreciate a plant that requires minimal care but still produces pretty clumps of flowers year after year.

Day lily blooms last one day each.

The plant gets its name because each blossom opens one morning then closes and shrivels that evening, lasting but a day. However each flower spike has several buds that usually open over a period of about 20 days.

One plant may have several flower spikes. The original day lily is orange, had flower spikes 30 inches high with orange blooms for three weeks in June. The plants will grow in any state and southern Canada, though they need winter mulching in hardiness zones colder than five.

It is one of the most reliable perennials.

The secret of day lily's hardiness are the bean shape swellings on the roots. The nodules store starch that help the plant through any stressful periods.

Today's plants are much hybridized and come in about any color, some are miniatures, and bloom times are more varied. A variety called "Stella d' Oro" even blooms periodically through the season rather than only once.

Day lilies like partial shade, watering during droughts , and will take any soil, though day lilies like rich well-drained soil the best. Clumps need division every three years or when the clumps become so large that crowding results in fewer blooms at the center of the clump.

Divide day lilly clumps every three years.

Many day lilies also produce a baby plant on the stem just above a leaf near the flower pod. Some sources say the baby plant can be used to start a new day lily. Once the baby is about 3 inches long and has small bumps where the roots might grow, break the old flower stem from the plant. Trim off as much of the flower stalk as you can without damaging the baby. This baby plant can be planted in a pot until it gets big enough and has enough roots to go in a permanent bed. It needs to be kept moist and out of direct sun or drying winds.

Some day lilies produce seeds in pods where the flowers grew. The seed can be planted and grown but the new plant may differ greatly from the parent. Day lily growers remove the day's bloom at the end of the day, called dead-heading. This will stop the formation of seeds and have that energy directed back into the plants growth and re-blooming if the variety does re-bloom.

If you have a friend that grows day lilies, ask for a piece to start your own clumps. They are also easily available at garden centers and from mail order companies.

Living day lily plants and seeds are usually available on ebay.