Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are perennial plants that are native to Asia. They are a bunch forming erect herbs. The aromatic, yellow trumpet flowers are pleasing and bloom throughout June and July. The plant remains evergreen in warm climatic conditions.
The flowers of Daylilies are yellow and they look appealing in combination with other flowers in the garden. The flowers bloom in summer with different colors and shades.
The plant creates an appealing visual impact in masses or ground cover on slopes. Interestingly, daylilies are believed to prevent bush fire and soil erosion on slopes. Similarly, people eat the roots and flowers of Daylily in some parts of the world. Some people also value them as a medicinal herb. It helps to detox the body and also cures insomnia.
Daylilies are low-maintenance plants which mostly suited for edges and borders. Along with the attractive blooming flower, this plant is drought-tolerant and can easily adapt to high temperatures.
The daily flower has a wide range of varieties with colors like red, orange, purple, and pink but the common variety is yellow. The impressive way to energize your garden is to combine different colors of daylily plants in the garden.
Interestingly, the word 'Hemerocallis' means 'Beauty for a day' so each flower blooms for 24 hours which makes sense with its name Daylily. Tplant bears scape which has 12 to 15 buds of Daylily in it, so it looks blooming continuously.
The daylily plant sizes from six inches to five feet tall. They spread in the width of two to four feet wide, so the best plant spacing is about three feet apart for better growth.
The best time to grow daylilies is in spring or early fall to ensure good root development before the harsh winter. The plantation of flowers in spring allows plants to develop during summer to tolerate winter.
While planting the flower the crown is placed one inch below the soil. The pit of 2 feet in diameter and one fit deep with loose is favorable. Compost is optional with the fertility condition of the soil. As the process completes watering the soil is necessary to ensure the soil remains wet.
Daylilies are not recommended to be planted under trees or shrubs because they need to compete for water and nutrients. The plant won't develop well when it needs to compete for its essentials.
Light
Full exposure to sunlight for about a minimum of 6 hours a day is necessary for day lily plants. If the plant is in a hot climate, day shade can be helpful for dark varieties to retain their color. The excessive shade deteriorates the blooming capacity of the plant.
Soil
The plant requires fertile and loamy soil for proper growth, however, they can grow well in all types of soil. The addition of compost can enrich the nutrients and moisture of the soil. The plant is not much recommended in sandy or clay soil because of its dryness.
Water
The newly planted Day lily plant should be watered every day until its roots aren't fully developed. Moderately moist helps plants to develop rapidly, so mulching can be one way to retain moisture in the soil for a longer time.
Fertilizer
Day lily enjoys additional fertilizer and compost fertilizer is best for this purpose. The addition of compost in spring compost helps to revive the fertility of the soil and adds essential nutrients.
Temperature and Humidity
The plant can withstand any type of temperature and varying humidity level. When the temperature rises, the daylily thrives with an inch of water in a week.
Deadheading
Deadheading is necessary to prevent the formation of seeds and increase blooming in the plant. A flower just lasts for a day, so it is better to remove the wilted bloom from the scape.
The different varieties of daylily include early, midseason, late, and reblooming or everblooming based on their blooming time. Thousands of types of daylilies have been cultivated based on their name. Here are some popular types of daylilies:
Stella D'Oro: Among the reblooming daylily varieties Stella D'Oro blooms with golden yellow color. This type of Day lily plant blooms from early mid-summer and rebloom again in the season.
Autumn Red: This flower blooms with large bright red and striped petals. Yellow eyes are present in the flower.
Purple D'Oro: The flower blooms in summer and reblooms in fall with lavender purple flowers.
Crimson Pirate: Daylily flower with this type contains narrow and elongated petals. The red-colored petal with yellow throat.
Lemon Lily: The plant bears a sweetly fragrant lemon-colored bloom. It has a big and spreading clumps.
The pruning of the daylily can be done to remove the dead growth of the plant. Deadheading helps plants look better. The scape that is finished blooming should be cut down to concentrate the energy of the plant on the blooming of new flowers. The brown leaves need to be removed totally from the bottom of the plant. Doing so helps plants to remain green and healthy.
Similarly, the production of seeds disturbs the blooming of flowers. The scape-containing seed capsules should be cut down to enrich the look of the plant.
The division is the process done to grow a new plant from the existing plant. The Daylilies are aggressive spreading plants if they are not divided into 3 or 5 years.
The dividing of plants can be done at any time, once the blooming stops. The day lily plant is plucked up entirely with roots. Roots are cleaned thoroughly by soaking the roots in water.
The roots are divided into smaller clumps and each clump should have a healthy crown. When One-third of the leaves of the plant are trimmed they are replanted in the soil again.
The soil is tilled deeply before replanting them. The whole thus prepared should be wide enough where roots can spread freely. The crown portion is then placed 1 inch below the surface of the soil. Filling of soil back in the hole completes the replantation of Daylily plants.
Regarding the growth of Day Lily from seed, the seeds can be bought in the market. However, harvesting of seeds can be done from the garden if you have them.
To collect seeds from the garden, dried seed pods are collected. Seeds are removed from the pod to store them in a cool place.
Stratification of seed should be done to grow seedlings to transplant them in the garden. If the soil is fertile enough, the seeds also can be sown directly to grow plants.
The seeds sown in the garden give cross-pollinated plants that may produce new varieties of flowers. If pollination is prevented the plant gives rise to pure breeds.
Daylilies are usually free from pests. Aphids and thrips may sometimes feed on flower buds in hotter weather. So insecticidal soap and clean water can be useful to prevent this pest from the plant.
Some symptoms of diseases include the death of leaf tissue due to the pathogen Colletotrichum dematium. During wet conditions, shiny masses of white masses of white spores can be seen due to Aureobasidium microstictum. Infected leaves should be removed and fungicide can be applied to protect the plant.
Rust is another major disease seen in daylilies where the upper side of the leaf becomes bright yellow-orange spores in the underside. Fungicides help plants to get rid of this disease.
Daylilies do not require much care and attention as they are pest, drought, and heat-resistant plants. Less amount of water may turn the leaves of the plant yellow. An inch a week of water in high temperatures helps plants to grow naturally.
Common Daylily conditions like leaf scorch can appear which may turn the leaf brown. Removal of dead leaves can reduce the problem and encourage new growth of leaves.
Some FAQs
Are Daylilies poisionous?
As some varieties of Dalily are edible, so they are not quite poisonous to humans. But these plants are toxic to cats whereas dogs are not much affected.
How long does it take for Daylilies to bloom?
The blooming time of Daylily varies on the climate and variety but generally, it takes 2 years for a new plant to produce its first blooms.
Where can Dayllilies be planted for best result?
Daylilies are most suitable as ground cover on slopes. But they can be grown everywhere because of their adaptable characterstics.
