Always a Place for One More Daylily

Always a Place for One More Daylily

There is always another Daylily that will be absolutely perfect for you and your garden, no matter where you live, or what style of garden you have, or how many Daylilies you already have. Daylilies (Hermerocallis spp.), which are actually not true lilies, can grow in almost any climate, in sand or clay soils, dry conditions or wet, sun or shade. There are now over 40,000 registered cultivars and even though many of these are not widely available there is still an amazing variety from which to choose.

They come in almost every colour from pale yellow to gold, lavender to deep purple, pale pinks and apricots, and all shades of red, some daylilies so dark they appear almost black. Most Daylilies have a throat in a contrasting colour and sometimes the sepals and petals are different colours. Flowers may also be edged, banded, dotted or speckled with another colour. There are single and double flowers and some with long thin petals and sepals, known as Spiders. Daylilies with strong dark colours are best planted in part shade as the colour will be more intense. Light colours tend to be enhanced in full sun. Although they still grow well in full shade, Daylilies won’t flower unless they have 4 - 6 hours sun a day or good filtered light all day.

 Hermerocallis means ‘Beauty of a Day’. On the flowering stem of a Daylily each individual flower usually lasts only one day, opening in the morning and dying at night, replaced the next morning as new buds open. On most plants each flowering stem will have 35 - 50 buds, often with several open at the same time, and will keep producing new flowers every day for weeks. Some Daylilies start flowering early in spring, others in summer and some even in autumn, and there are an increasing number of cultivars now that will flower more than once in a season. By planting a few different cultivars, you can have DAYLILIES FLOWER for long periods at a time.

When not in flower the clumps are great foliage plants, with long green arching leaves, strap like on some cultivars, thin and grass like on others. In full shade, just the foliage provides an interesting textural contrast to ferns. They are good container plants, although they need quite a large pot. The clumps have to be divided every few years, especially those in pots, as overcrowding reduces flowering and eventually affects the overall appearance. Divisions are best done in autumn or spring by lifting the whole clump and washing off some of the dirt so the different segments can be seen and easily separated.

Daylilies will usually grow 60-90cm x 60-90cm, although some can reach more than a metre tall. Dwarf forms are commonly about 40cm x  40cm. These versatile plants fit into any style of garden from a wildflower or cottage garden through to very formal gardens. Those with dramatic flowers can be used as a feature plant; others planted throughout to link the other elements of a garden; dwarf varieties can be planted along a driveway or path to soften the edges, taller ones around a water feature. As architectural plants they can be used in the same way as grasses, with the added bonus of wonderful flowers every year. They can also be planted en mass on a sloping site to prevent soil erosion, and dwarf varieties used as ground covers. In mass plantings the best effects are usually obtained using one cultivar on its own or in drifts with other cultivars which have similar or complimentary colours.

Daylilies have been called the lazy gardener’s friend for good reasons. They are generally very low maintenance, seldom seriously troubled by pests or diseases, but slugs and snails can be a problem, and sometimes they can have aphids, thrips or spider mites. Although very drought tolerant, they do need deep watering once a week during hot weather, twice a week if the soil is sandy, to keep them looking green and to ensure good flowering. They also need reasonably good drainage. Other than that, just fertilise them twice a year in autumn and late spring.

With so much choice the problem isn’t finding a Daylily that is perfect for you, it’s trying to decide which is the most perfect. The solution of course is not to limit yourself to just one, there is always a place in the garden for another DAYLILY.