SUSIE’S GARDEN
Able to thrive under almost any conditions, daylilies need little attention but make a huge impact in any garden
One of my favourite flowers at this time of year is a yellow daylily. It seems to radiate happiness with its joyful yellow trumpets and its delightful sweet scent. There are many types of daylilies and they are especially popular in the US, which is where a lot of newly bred plants come from. But this species, my yellow daylily, Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, has been grown in our gardens since the 16th century.
The daylily is not a lily at all but a Hemerocallis. Its Latin name means “beauty for a day” and the flowers are fleeting but, because there are plenty on each flower spike, this is a plant that blooms for www.myweekly.co.uk weeks. There’s a wide range of colours from white, yellow and orange through to rich dark red. The yellow daylily that I am so fond of has a graceful slender flower, but many have been bred to have large exotic flowers and make a really bold statement in the garden with their dazzling fiery colour.
They vary in size too, from smaller varieties that are suitable for planting in containers to large dramatic plants. Even when not in flower, their leaves look good. With the fashion for hot borders and full-on colour, they are a perfect choice for a contemporary garden. And they combine very well with ornamental grasses where the strong form of the daylilies makes a good contrast with the fluffiness of the grasses.
Daylilies are carefree, long lived, and will thrive in almost any soil from dry to wet, except for where it is very waterlogged. They will grow on the edge of shade (preferably not in deep shade) but a sunny spot is best. Their dense roots help to stabilise steep slopes so they can be a good choice if you have a difficult spot where you can’t mow grass.
Daylilies are very tough, will tolerate drought and won’t need watering. Many of the varieties are scented and all have amazing colour. So if you have a dry spot in the garden where you are struggling to grow other plants, why not try a daylily?