Daylily Culture and Care
Beauty For A Day-And Over and Over Again
Daylilies are one easiest perennial flowering plants to grow throughout much of the United States. Solid and dependable, plants bloom reliably during the hot summer months of the northern tier. While individual flowers last but one day, each day during the bloom season they are replaced by new blooms. Many of the new hybrids have extended bloom seasons and can be expected to produce their summer fireworks for 3 or more weeks.
Flower color and form are perhaps the most well developed and/or divergent in daylilies compared to other garden plants. Plants may be as tall as 6 feet or as short as 12 inches. Flower sizes are equally divergent, from 2 inches to over 10 inches. Forms may be spidery, round or star shaped. Ruffles, doubling, formed edges, twisting, pinching, etc… add ornamentation to any form. Colors and patterns are well represented, only true blue and white are missing from the palette. We can thank the numerous hybridizers throughout the United States for the rapid development of this wide ranging plant and look forward to the next interesting development.
Plants hybridized and grown within a gardener’s own region are the best choice for their gardens. As much as marketers indicate that most cultivars can be grown by all, this is simply not true and finding a local source or like climate will better insure success. With this said, the following guide should serve most gardeners well in growing this wonderful and unique plant.