Daylilies – an Asset to Your Landscape

What a great year for daylilies!  They’ve had sufficient spring rain and a good winter and the blooms promise to be abundant.

They are one of the easiest plants to grow, requiring little maintenance. They are not fussy about soil but they prefer it well-drained.

In general they like at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, but will tolerate part-shade. The  reds especially benefit from partial shade conditions in the heat of the day. If you love daylilies but think you can’t grow them, try some of thebetter reds before you make your final judgement.

Spring and fall planting is recommended, although over the years I have dug and transplanted daylilies in just about every month. Many years ago I had a couple come to me in the heat of July. They wanted to purchase a large clump of one of my tallest and biggest lilies for transplanting to the home they had just purchased here.  I warned them of the difficulties, but at their insistence sold them the clump after giving them the best possible advice about transplanting it. They called me later and reported it never lost a bloom and was looking great!

When rainfall is sufficient in the spring when plants are making scapes and buds, the blooms in summer will be plentiful and large. During the severe drought we had here several years back, I didn’t loose one daylily.  But there was a noticeable decrease in the number and size of blooms.

Daylilies make a great addition to any landscape and can be planted in masse, planted as a specimen plant, as borders along fences and/or in decorative beds throughout your yard.

The variety to choose from is incredible. I offer about 175 different varieties, but highly recommend about two dozen of those as being the best to start. The blooms range in size from 2″ to 10″ and they  come in almost any color.

In my garden, the foliage of daylilies appears somewhat “done-in” by the time their bloom is finished.  I cut the foliage back and let it renew itself, giving my borders a fresh look and carrying them through until frost.

Daylilies are not bothered by too many pests.  Over the years I have noticed the foliage of some varieties appeal to slugs more than others.  In years that I notice that problem, I use a Garden’s Alive product that is safe and effective called EscarGo.  (See my post on Slug Damage  – Solution.)

Daylilies are easy and beautiful.  If you are just starting a border, you couldn’t do better for a start than daylilies.  If you already have your borders established but are not already enjoying this wonderful perennial I encourage you to consider them.

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