The Day Lily Cottage

Daylilies are among the most carefree and easy-to-grow perennials, but just like roses, they will give to you what is given to them. They need regular water and some nutrients to thrive on and you will  be amazed at their performance. It is also nice to know that if left alone in the garden, they will still grow, bloom and continue to multiply with little care.

How Much Water? Water is essential for good performance. In sufficient quantity, water helps ensure that you get as many blooms and as large blooms as possible. It is most important that Daylilies get sufficient water in the spring, when plants are in full growth mode and in summer when they are blooming.  Daylilies can withstand a lot of drought but ultimately as with any plant will suffer because of it.

A general rule is to try and give your Daylilies an inch of water every week – 3 or 4 long waterings to let the water soak in deep.

A Healthy Watered Day Lily

These Day Lily is a perennial plant known as Hemerocallis. The name Hemerocallis comes from the Greek words hÄ“mera “day” and kalos “beautiful” and it’s a true statement that any day a Day Lily blooms is a beautiful day! The flowers of most species open at sunrise and wither at sunset, possibly replaced by another one on the same stem the next day. Some species are even night-blooming! Daylilies are not commonly used as cut flowers for formal flower arranging, yet they make good cut flowers because new flowers continue to open on cut stems over several days.

Originally native from Europe to China, Korea, and Japan, their large showy flowers have made them popular worldwide and cultivators have sprung up all across the USA. There are over 60,000 registered cultivars. Only a few cultivars are scented. Some cultivars rebloom later in the season, particularly if their developing seedpods are removed.

A "Red Magic" Daylily

1. What Your Expectations Should Be;
The basis for a great day lily is all in the root system, always check that what you receive has firm roots. Day Lily roots should be long, slender and fibrous occasionally they may be enlarged into spindle-shaped tubers with additional roots at their bases.

2. What Type Should I Plant?
Although Day Lilies are extremely adaptable not all daylilies will grow well in all climates.
If you live in the north where winters are harsh, avoid the evergreen cultivars and do your planting in spring. If you live in a more temperate zone, avoid the dormant cultivars which often require a cold period to perform well.
Take a look around the gardens in your area and see which cultivars do well and catch your eye. Ask the homeowner nicely what cultivar they planted and buy the ones you like!

3. How Do I Plant Them?
Most daylilies do best in full sun.
A good guideline is to use the daylily color. Light colors do better and show stronger colors in full sun, while darker colors that absorb the heat quicker do better in partial shade. At least 6 hours of sun is required for good blooms..

4. Prices
Daylily prices can vary from a few dollars for a double fan to up to two hundred dollars or more for a single fan.
Generally, prices are determined by supply and demand. The more popular and rare a cultivar, the higher the price. New cultivars are often the most expensive, as the supply increases or demand drops, the price will drop.

A Wonderful Full Sun Example of the Day Lily

The flowers of some species are edible and are used in Chinese cuisine. They are sold (fresh or dried) in Asian markets as gum jum or golden needles (金针 in Chinese; pinyin: jÄ«nzhÄ“n) or yellow flower vegetables (黃花菜 in Chinese; pinyin: huánghuācài). They are used in hot and sour soup, daylily soup (金針花湯), Buddha’s delight, and moo shu pork. The young green leaves and the tubers of some (but not all) species are also edible. The plant has also been used for medicinal purposes.

Care must be used as some species can be toxic.

Dried Day Lily Needles

Hemerocallis is one of the most hybridized of all garden plants, with registrations of new hybrids being made in the thousands each year in the search for new traits. Hybridizers have extended the plant’s color range from the yellow, orange, and pale pink of the species, to vibrant reds, purples, lavenders, greenish tones, near-black, near-white, and more. However, a blue daylily is a milestone yet to be reached!

The Tawny or "Kwanzo" Day Lily

Artists have been painting and drawing Day Lilies for hundreds of years, they make an excellent candidate for still life.

Many botanical books contained beautiful illustrations of Day Lilies such as the one shown below.

Species: Hemerocallis fulva
Family: Hemerocallidaceae
Original book source: Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany

Day lily roots are normally long, slender, and fibrous but they may sometimes enlarge into spindle-shaped tubers with additional roots at their bases. Day lily roots absorb water and minerals for use by the plant, and serve as a  storehouse for nutrients produced by the day lily leaves.

Day lily leaves are long, slender, and grasslike. They have a prominent center rib on the underside. Leaves are arranged opposite each other on the crown, giving a flattened appearance which is why experts and flower arrangers often refer to them as a fan arrangement. When a day lily plant has multiple fans they are said to form a “clump.”

Most day lily plants have two or more branches, each bearing several flower buds. A reblooming daylily will have an extended or more than one bloom season. Some of these bloom early (e.g., May or June) and then repeat in the fall. Others have a succession of bloom periods, one shortly after another for several months. Deadheading or removing the scape (or stalk) will encourage rebloom.

A Deep Ruby Daylily