These tips will help you grow beautiful daylilies
I love reading your column, although I can’t do most of what you talk about such as having a vegetable garden or planting various types of bulbs. The reason for that is because I have a very small yard. I did plant a couple of tomato and pepper plants in pots this year but they didn’t produce much. Last year I planted a bunch of petunias in a large barrel-type planter and they grew nicely.
The reason I am writing is to ask you about Daylilies. My son, who lives in Virginia, had an abundance of Daylilies growing in his front garden apparently planted there by the previous owner of the house. He dug some up and brought them up here for me and my husband. We never got them planted in the ground. We have some in that large barrel that had petunias in it last year and others in 3 smaller pots.
My question is this, if we plant them in the ground will they have a better chance of surviving the winter than if we leave them in the pots? Do they need a lot of sun or partial shade? I will be very appreciative if you could answer these questions for me. Thank you, Cindy Kern.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are both beautiful and easy to grow. There are thousands of varieties to choose from. Here, before addressing Cindy’s concerns are some general guidelines for growing daylilies.
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Bloom time: Early, mid, late, and
reblooming. Chose several for seasonlong color. Each usually produces blooms for three to four weeks.
Bloom color: Red, orange, yellow, pink, white, purple and bicolor.
Bloom type: Trumpet, double, ruffled, recurve and more.
Height: Foliage 1-3 feet tall; Flower 1-6 feet.
Their needs are simple
Light: Prefer at least 6 hours of sun but will grow in light shade. The less light, the fewer blooms.
Soil: Likes evenly moist soil but they are drought tolerant after they are
established General garden soil is fine and the pH is OK so long as it is not extremely high or low.
Growing Zone: Zones 4 to 9 but plants grow best when they are grown within three zones of their original site. That is, if the plant you order comes from Zone 7, it should grow well as far north as Zone 4.ß
To divide and plant
Early spring and early fall are great times to move or divide although it is not critical as long as it is not too cold.
Loosen soil and remove sod or weeds.
Lift the daylily clump using a fork to carefully loosen and shake off soil.
Divide the clump into smaller clusters of at least three fans. Fans are single sprouts of foliage that fan out.
Foliage may be cut back to about five inches to make it easier to handle the clump.
Spacing varies from 16 to 24 inches depending on the size of the adult plant,
Plant at a depth where the crown, where the roots meet the leaves is no more than one inch below the soil level.
Tamp and water in.
Apply two inches of mulch around
the plants to retain soil moisture.
Please note
Daylilies seem to be very tasty to some wildlife. A common nickname for them is deer candy. Fencing, dogs loose in the yard, taste and smell deterrents, planting near the house, and growing in steep or inaccessible areas in the yard will decrease the browsing.
Containers close to the house can also provide some protection.
Daffodils are good for growing in the same area. You have the early daffodil blooms in the spring and the daylilies greens to cover up the wilted and drying daffodil greens later in the season
Daylily flowers last a single day. Tidy up by snapping off the spent flowers. This will also stop the plant from going to seed — conserving energy for blooms.
Now to address Cindy’s concerns
Planting the daylilies in the ground will provide more protection from cold and desiccation during the winter. A planted container is generally rated as one zone cooler than the surrounding ground,
As noted above, daylilies prefer full sun but will grow in light shade. The shadier the fewer blooms that the plant will produce.