The Daylily is a Perennial for Every Garden

The daylily is a perennial that is perfect for those just beginning to garden as a hobby. It is also well loved by the gardening enthusiast. Actually, the daylily has a huge following and has organizations solely devoted to daylilies, collectors and their hybridization

They are really easy to grow and are seldom bothered by diseases and pests. The daylily is tolerant of almost all soil and weather conditions. They bloom abundantly in a vast array of colors and are just about as carefree as a perennial can be. There is just almost no garden situation that the daylily can't tolerate.

Although each daylily bloom only lasts for a day, they produce flowers abundantly. Each fan of leaves on a daylily can produce thirty to fifty flowers on tall stalks during the season. A daylily that is an established clump includes several fans per plant. For this reason, a healthy daylily can produce a few hundred flowers for several weeks during its bloom time.

Requirements and uses

They are not sensitive to heat stress, drought or extreme amounts of rainfall. As with most plants, they do need soil with good drainage. They aren't particular about soil but still benefit from organic amendments. The daylily grows in full sun and partial shade. The blooms of many daylily hybrids will actually be more vibrant if shielded from afternoon sun, especially in the south. It is not a requirement to deadhead the flowers of daylilies, but most everyone does. It makes the plants look a little more tidy. After the flower stalk finishing blooming, cut it off close to the soil.

The daylily is not even particular about the time it is planted in the garden. It can be planted anytime during the growing season, but it may not bloom the first season. Daylilies are long lived and will reach their maximum size in three to four years. Their uses in the garden are many. They are excellent on slopes once their roots are established to help control ground erosion. The daylily makes a great addition to the shrub border, a perennial garden and even for container gardening.

Origin and zones

Daylilies (Hemerocallis cultivars) are not true lilies, although the bloom is very similar in appearance It is not even a bulb, but instead has tuberous roots. Just as the name implies, each flower on the daylily lasts for only one day but they flower abundantly. Even its Greek name Hemerocallis means "beauty for a day." Each daylily flower usually opens in the early morning and fades by nightfall. Several additional flowers will take its place the next day. There are even a few night-blooming varieties.

The daylily is a very popular perennial in America, although it's not a native. It is originally from China, Europe, Japan and Korea. It grows in so many zones and conditions that it's a favorite all over the world. The daylily is hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 10 and blooms from late spring to late summer depending on the cultivar. The daylily is listed in various publications as hardy to Zones 2 and sometimes even to Zone 1, though it's always better to err on the cautious side with zones.

More than 60,000 choices of cultivars

The number of daylily cultivars is only going to expand. Hybridizers work continually to introduce new ones. These thousands of daylily cultivars include early, mid-season and late-blooming varieties. There is also a classification called rebloomers. Only recently has the latter classification begun to expand. For years, the only reblooming daylily was the deep yellow Stella-de-Oro which is still popular today. Hybridizers are continually developing new varieties of daylilies which rebloom. With this many variances in bloom times, it's easy to have colorful daylilies blooming in the garden all season.

The daylily has much more to offer than a wide range of bloom times. There are hundreds of varieties of this perennial to choose from in heights from 9-inches to 48-inches tall. The varieties of colors are nearly endless. Almost yearly, daylily growers are adding to the selection of daylily colors, fragrances and sizes. The color that still eludes the daylily hybridizer a genuine blue, although growers have developed lavender and purple varieties in recent years. A pure white cultivar is also not listed as available but there are daylily varieties that look nearly white.

The flower shapes are also starting to include more unusual blooms, such as the spider-lily petals which are more slender. The flowers are also available in doubles and frilly-edged varieties. The bloom is not limited to one color per flower either. They are available in bicolor, banded, tricolor and polychrome in regular and frilly-edged. The combinations are just amazing and too numerous to describe them all. When it comes to the many beautiful bloom types, seeing is believing with the daylily.

Herbaceous perennial

The daylily is a herbaceous perennial with attractive foliage through the entire season. This is always a bonus with perennials. The leaves of the daylily are long, slender and almost have a grass-like quality. There are a few cultivars that are evergreen in mild climates. They grow into large clumps and can be easily divided to expand your garden or share with friends. Division is not always necessary, but often will increase the flowering for older plants.

The daylily is available to purchase in containers or the more budget-friendly root divisions. The largest variety of daylilies will be available through mail-order root-divisions. Local garden centers will usually have only a few daylily hybrids. Daylily farms will have a huge selection of choices. Mail order and internet catalogs will give an indication of the vast amount of daylily hybrids available.

How to plant a container-grown daylily

Even though the daylily can be planted anytime during the growing season, spring and fall are always the best times to plant. Most plants just need extra care if planted during the heat of summer. Always prepare the planting hole for any perennial. It will really increase the chances of survival. Dig the hole about twice the size of the root ball and amend the soil with organic humus.

Lift the daylily from the container and place the root ball in the hole. Adjust the soil level in the bottom of the hole if necessary to get the crown at the proper level. The daylily crown is the white part between the foliage and the roots. The crown is an important part of the plant. It should be planted only an inch beneath the soil surface. Plant daylilies about 2-feet apart and water deeply and thoroughly at least once a week until they are established. Once the roots are established, they are drought tolerant.

How to plant bare-root divisions

A mail-order daylily will come in a form known as a fan. It is basically a root division and may or may not have leaves growing from the crown. The division will probably be packed in a bag of peat moss but it might be laying in the box looking pitiful. It may not look like a plant when it arrives but don't worry. Soak the bare-root division in a bucket of water for about an hour before planting it.

Prepare the planting hole just as with any perennial. Dig a hole at least 18 inches wide and deep and amend the soil with organic humus. Even though a root division is much smaller than a container grown perennial, it will still benefit from the same process. Mound the soil into a triangular form in the center of the planting hole. Fan the roots of the daylily division over the mound and fill in with soil up the crown level and water thoroughly.

The root divisions can also be planted in a container. Sometimes this is even more beneficial to bare-root divisions because it is easier to monitor their care and water requirements. This is especially true if the weather is already getting hot. It can give the bare-root division adequate time to begin developing roots, while the container can be kept in partial shade for a while.

How to divide existing daylilies

Daylilies grow into large clumps and can be divided easily. This is always a good idea for older established daylilies that may not be blooming as much anymore. It's usually recommended to divide daylilies every five years. These hardy perennials are so forgiving that they can be divided anytime. Some gardeners recommend dividing them as soon as they finish blooming. Others gardeners recommend dividing them in autumn or early in the spring when they first emerge. Dividing the daylilies in extreme heat or cold is going to be more stressful for them, so the latter recommendation is the most sensible.

It's best to divide existing daylilies when the soil is slightly moist. There will be less damage to the roots this way. Use a garden fork to dig and lift the root clump from the ground. The individual fans or small clumps of foliage will be noticeable. Each daylily division should include at least two or three of these fans, or clusters of leaves. Work the fans and roots gently apart with your fingers as much as possible. Cut the roots with a sharp knife if they don't easily separate.

Trim the leaves back to about three or four inches above the crown of the daylily. This is also the time to remove the dead leaves from the base. The roots can also be pruned by trimming their ends slightly to encourage new growth. Plant the freshly divided sections by spreading the roots out in the planting hole. This can be done in much the same way as planting a bare-root division. Fill the hole with soil to the level just above the daylily crown. Keep the newly divided daylilies well watered until the roots are established.

Helpful websites:

Visit "The American Hemerocallis Society" for the latest information on daylilies and daylily farms. For a list of daylily growers by region, click on "Daylily Sources" in the left column. This will bring visitors to a map of the United States. Click on a region and a list of daylily farms for that area will be shown.

For those interested in mail-order garden catalogs, this website has a comprehensive list all in one place. "The Wonderful World of Gardening by Mail" has a list of catalog classifications, such as perennials, annuals, and many others. Each of those categories includes a large list of garden catalog companies, of course many are repeated in the different categories. The list includes all of the well-known names in mail-order garden catalogs plus many unknown names. It's a convenient resource for garden catalogs. The information for each catalog company is listed, including the phone number and a direct link to their website.